Small Business ARPA Grants Management Using Survey123

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The East Bay Economic Development Agency (EDA) distributed $11,000,000 in grants of up to $10,000/each to small businesses in economically disadvantaged areas (Priority Zones) as part of an economic relief effort in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants were an economic stimulus vital both to affected businesses and to the County’s overall economic health. In June 2022, EDA approached the Alameda County Information Technology Department Geographic Information Systems team (ITDGIS,) asking for assistance in developing a way to verify that grant applicants were actually located in EDA-designated priority zones and to track grant distribution across racial and ethnic groups (demographics.) ITDGIS recommended using ArcGIS Survey123 (Survey123,) Esri’s survey and analytics solution, to create an online grant application form, provide response analytics, and instantly map applicants’ locations to validate eligibility. This approach made it easy for eligible businesses to apply for the grants and for EDA to ensure that grants were going to deserving businesses in designated priority zones and were spread equitably across demographics. Survey123’s validation and analytics features obviated the extremely time-consuming task of geocoding addresses as part of application processing, significantly reducing staff time processing grant applications.