COLORADO
www.colorado.gov/recovery/
As of October 13, 2009:
| Agency Reported Data: | | Rank: |
| Funds Announced | $3,679,383,948 | 23 |
| Funds Available | $3,134,913,366 | 24 |
| Funds Paid Out | $1,252,446,695 | 23 |
| | | |
| Recipient Reported Data: | | Rank: |
| Number of Awards | 163 | 10 |
| Funds Awarded | $553,776,068 | 8 |
| Funds Awarded Per Capita | $112 | 8 |
| Funds Received | $48,328,093 | 12 |
| Jobs Created / Saved | 4695 | 1 |
| Unemployment Rate | 7 | 40 |
Notes: All Rankings are from Highest to Lowest. For example, a ranking of 15 for “Funds Announced” means that the state had the 15th highest amount of funds announced. A ranking of 15 for the unemployment rate means that this state has the 15th highest unemployment rate.
Terms defined by http://www.recovery.gov/
Recipient Reported Data: These data are based on data submitted by federal contract recipients to www.federalreporting.gov between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 2009. On Oct. 30, 2009, the final recipient federal contract data and the final data on grants and loans will be available. It is collected and updated quarterly.
Agency Reported Data: These data are based on weekly Financial and ActivityReports filed by federal agencies receiving Recovery Act Funds.
Funds Announced: Funds that have been publicly announced as available to entities outside of the federal government. Not all available funds are announced publicly. For example, the funds going to a project started prior to the Recovery Act that are commingled with the project’s Recovery funds will not be announced publicly before being made available to a recipient. The Funds Announced figure should not be viewed as the total funding that an agency has made available.
Funds Available (Obligation): The term used to describe when an agency informs the public of the release of money to recipients either immediately or in the future.
Funds Awarded: This is the amount of contract dollars that will be made available to recipients.
Funds Paid Out: Funds that have been released from a federal agency to a recipient.
Funds Received: The amount of money each recipient received from a federal award.
Recent Updates:
Colorado targeted their American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds toward restoring the state’s budget and to meet key program needs. They addressed several areas such as strengthening communities, creating jobs and spurring innovation. A variety of projects and programs have been put in place which have created 3,512 jobs in the construction sector, equating to about $4.8 million in payroll expenses.
A large part of the stimulus funds have gone to improve K-12 and higher education in the state. Governor Ritter noted that the students in Colorado must be better prepared to succeed in the workforce. Recently, bills were passed in both the house and senate allowing high school students the ability to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and Associates Degree from a community college. Local school districts are using ARRA funds to pay tuition fees for these students.
Additionally, Gov. Ritter has utilized more than $7 million in federal Recovery Act funds to create or sustain ten different K-12 education programs. Reducing the dropout rate, boosting teacher compensation, and improving Colorado’s chances to score a “Race to the Top” competitive grant are all in the mix of innovative programs initiated. Programs include $1 million to restore the state’s alternative compensation grant program, $500,000 to create an educator identifier data system, $1.5 million to expand the Teach for America program in the state, and $2.5 million to improve the Colorado Growth Model data system. Additionally, $1.3 million will be used to reinstate a National Board Certification stipend pilot program where teachers are eligible for individual awards.Besides education, Colorado has directed stimulus funds to improve health information technology in the state. It was recently announced that $2 million will be used for two new health IT initiatives. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless received nearly $1.9 million to support electronic health records implementation. Their Stout Street Clinic has been in business for nearly 25 years and saw more than 12,000 patients last year. A smaller award was given to the Colorado Community Managed Care Network to use existing electronic health records to improve patient outcomes. This will affect 62 clinics in the state serving primarily medically underserved, low-income citizens.
The state also has noticed an increase in demand for food stamp requests and applications, jumping from twenty-two thousand this time last year to thirty thousand this year. Denver is using ARRA funds to avoid backlogs in processing applications by providing overtime for existing staff rather than train new workers. They are able to process initial applications and re-determinations in an efficient manner.
Previous Updates: