$331 Million
Generations of Impact
TransformingRecoveryIntoProgress
The Buffalo Future Fund (BFF) is comprised of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds the city received from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic worsened numerous health and economic disparities faced by city residents. The city received $331 million in ARP Funds. The funding will help address disparities and also represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform and enhance the quality of life for city residents, both now and in the future.
Primary Objectives Include:
- 1Alleviating financial burdens to area families by providing city debt forgiveness to qualifying residents who have been directly impacted by the pandemic.
- 2Investing in employment opportunities, job training programs and community-based intervention services for at-risk residents.
- 3Investing in water and sewer infrastructure, affordable housing, community centers, urban greenspaces, health centers and cultural institutions.
TOTAL EXPENDITURE TO DATE:
Overall ARP Funding Totaling to $331M
Featured project
Mayor'sYouth EmploymentExpansion
The Mayor’s Summer Youth Program places teens and young adults in summer internships, where they gain valuable on-the-job experiences that ease and enhance the transition to college or into the workforce. At its inception, the program reached about 100 teens and young adults. The program has since grown to 1,600 in 2022 and aims to reach 1,800 teens and young adults in 2023. The program is receiving $1.2 million from the Buffalo Future Fund, which will help further increase participation for residents across the city, as well as expand their employment and internship opportunities. The program also helps supplement household income for low-income families.
EquityFramework
To achieve a full-scale recovery from the pandemic, it is crucial for the city to unpack the contributors to pervasive poverty and limited access to resources conducive to community well-being. This is why the Buffalo Future Fund focuses on Equity and Inclusion, approaching programs through a lens of “People and Places” and “Progress and Prosperity.” Overlaying this plan is the city’s Equity Framework, which ensures ARP programs promote an equitable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, while also making progress toward broader city-wide equity goals. The Equity Framework is broken down further into four inextricably-linked urban categories that influence community well-being: Public Health, Neighborhoods and Communities, Capital Improvements, and Economic Development. Receptiveness to community voices, community engagement, and continuing the city’s practice of providing equitable and inclusive programs is part of the city’s ongoing responsibility to its residents and will be carried forward in the implementation of the Buffalo Future Fund.
