Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
orsp@umb.edu
UMass Boston and Federal Stimulus Funding
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law by President Obama on February 19, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put down a payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The ARRA includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.
Where will Recovery Act funds be invested?
Scientific Research and Facilities: Support for the construction of new research and educational facilities as well as groundbreaking scientific research that will improve the health of the nation.
Community and Family Support Services: Critical funding for programs such as community services infrastructure, adoption and foster care assistance, meals for the elderly and persons with disabilities, Head Start, and subsidized child care to support children and families through the lifecycle.
Community Health and Health Care Assistance: Support for the renovation and improvement of community health centers and other programs across the country; as well as Medicaid relief for the nation's most vulnerable families.
Health IT: Funding to modernize the health care system by catalyzing the adoption of health information technology 2014. Achieving this goal will reduce health costs for the federal government by over $12 billion in the next 10 years.
What is unique to ARRA funds?
Each taxpayer dollar spent on economic recovery will be subject to unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability. All U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) agencies must ensure that
- Recovery funds will be awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner;
- The recipients and uses of all recovery funds will be transparent to the public, and the public benefits of these funds will be reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner; and
- Recovery funds will be used for authorized purposes and every step will be taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, error, and abuse; projects funded under the recovery legislation will avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns; and programs will meet specific goals and targets, and will contribute to improved performance on broad economic indicators.
The evaluation criteria for U.S. DHHS awards will include those that will have an impact on the measurement and likelihood of achieving these outcomes, including jobs creation and preservation. DHHS may obligate funds provided under the ARRA on an existing grant, including, but not limited to, a continuation or renewal of that grant. Grants and cooperative agreements will spell out the assignment of agency roles and responsibilities to fulfill the ARRA's unique requirements. These include, but are not limited to, report development and submission, accurate and timely data reporting, and special posting requirements to www.hhs.govrecovery and Recovery.gov.
For specific agency information, updates, and links, select the appropriate option on the menu found on the left side of this page. Questions? Please contact Jim Mortenson, communications and training manager, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, at 617.287.5614 or james.mortenson@umb.edu.