City Directs $4.1 Million to Communities Previously Overlooked

Sept. 16, 2021

The City of Albuquerque announced that over $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding will be made available for families who were previously excluded from federal stimulus aid. Mayor Keller and Economic Development Interim Director Damian Lara joined a Spanish language virtual town hall hosted by El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, a grassroots immigrant rights and workers justice organization that works with Latino immigrant communities, to announce the fund. Applications for the CABQ Community Impact Fund 2021 are open now.

“Underserved communities have been hardest hit during the pandemic, and yet too many missed out on crucial federal stimulus,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Albuquerque’s immigrant community is just as much a part of our city and our recovery as anyone else, and we are taking direct action to make sure they are able to rebound from the pandemic too.”

The CABQ Community Impact Fund 2021 may provide $1,000 in stimulus funds for families who are residents of Albuquerque and:

• Did not received a federal stimulus check;
• Did not qualify for unemployment or paid sick leave benefits;
• Experienced at least 20 hours per week or more reduction of time worked, resulting in a financial hardship;
• Had a household income of less than $75,000, among other criteria.

The City is working with community-based organizations to inform the public about this new funding, including El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, the Asian Family Center, Partnership for Community Action, Encuentro, Enlace Comunitario, and APS Family Resource Liaisons.

“We are proud that the City allocated ARPA dollars to provide relief for those excluded from federal relief, recognizing the vital contributions of all  Burqueños, including essential immigrant workers,” said Marian Méndez Cera from El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos, "True economic recovery at the federal, state, and local levels must be inclusive and this is a step in the right direction."

“Mayor Keller’s administration stepped up last year to provide $2.5 million in economic relief to Albuquerque’s immigrant communities, and the response was overwhelming,” said Damian R. Lara, interim director for the City’s Economic Development Department. “We’re increasing the fund and committed to getting these resources into the hands of the families of our community that have been overlooked.”

In December of 2020, the City of Albuquerque launched the first CABQ Community Impact Fund, which distributed nearly $2.5 million in CARES Act funding to families who were ineligible to receive federal stimulus aid. The fund reached its maximum number of applications in just one day.

Only one applicant per household may apply. For more information, please visit cabq.gov/ImpactFund2021.