ARPA Constituent Grants Application System

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The County Administrator Office (CAO), Board of Supervisors (BOS), and Social Services Agency (SSA) partnered with the Information Technology Department (ITD) to develop and launch a constituent-focused multi-lingual application submission workflow system for Alameda County’s local businesses that are negatively impacted by COVID-19 to apply online for ARPA cash aid grants. ITD used low-code technology to develop an informative, secure approval workflow process that allowed local businesses to submit applications. Notifications were sent to the submitters and approvers as the application navigated through the approval workflow process. The County allocated $15 million to Supervisorial Districts for the ARPA Cash Aid Grants program with the goal that each Supervisorial District will provide grants to communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Another $4 million was allocated to SSA’s Early Care and Education system which would provide one-time grants to eligible licensed Family Child Care and Center-based programs. The complex application process was simplified programmatically and innovatively which allowed users to complete the form and upload supporting documents securely. Using the approval workflow, BOS users were able to process the applications end-to-end. To support the diverse community that speaks multiple languages, the system supported seven (7) different languages and managed 2,500+ applications.