The Big Payout: 8 takeaways from The Denver Post’s investigation into Colorado’s federal pandemic aid

In the course of the course of the coronavirus pandemic — amid the shutdowns, workplace closures and job uncertainty — the federal authorities doled out tens of billions of {dollars} to states within the type of a number of support packages. Colorado acquired practically $66 billion via varied applications established to bolster the economic system and preserve staff employed.

The Denver Submit got down to decide the place all the cash went that got here into Colorado. Reporter Aldo Svaldi constructed a database of all that funding, and the tales revealed listed below are based mostly on that work.

The quantity of support is so huge, these are simply the primary tales on this effort. We are going to proceed digging into how companies, municipalities, companies, counties and the state spent these taxpayer {dollars}.

Right here’s what you’ll want to find out about The Massive Payout challenge thus far:

Investigation: Colorado acquired $65.8 billion in pandemic support. We tracked the place all that cash went

State leaders scrimped and saved final decade, pulling collectively practically $900 million in reserves to climate surprising tough patches Colorado would possibly face. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, they shortly realized it wasn’t sufficient. Our foremost story breaks down the huge allocations, the place they went, what specialists and the individuals who benefitted say, and places support applications into historic perspective. Learn extra…

Explainer: How we tracked the motion of pandemic help from the federal degree right down to Colorado counties

This explainer particulars how The Denver Submit tracked the motion of pandemic reduction support from the federal authorities’s 22 main program to Colorado’s 64 counties. Learn extra…

Interactive graphics: A visible take a look at the place Colorado’s practically $66 billion in federal pandemic support went

Well being care suppliers used COVID support lifelines to remain afloat (Coming Friday)

The Division of Well being and Human Service’s Supplier Aid Fund doled out practically $1.7 billion to hospitals and medical clinics in Colorado. The most important slice in Colorado went to Arapahoe County-based suppliers.

When some rural counties did settle for support, it was with a wholesome dose of suspicion (Coming Sunday)

The sparsely populated elements of the Centennial State had been impacted in a different way than the denser city facilities alongside the Entrance Vary. As a result of rural areas in lots of circumstances weren’t as affected by shutdowns — social distancing, for example, is far simpler within the Japanese Plains’ Cheyenne County as a result of for each particular person, there’s multiple sq. mile of area —  and since the suspicious eye these residents typically direct on the federal authorities, pandemic help was seen skeptically and typically used reluctantly.

Mountain resort counties obtain disproportionate quantity of support (Coming Monday)

Pitkin County, residence to Colorado’s quintessential tony ski city, Aspen, introduced in $19,545 per resident, greater than twice the state’s per capita breakdown. Different mountain and tourism-reliant counties — San Miguel, San Juan, Summit and Eagle — had been additionally on the prime of the pack in per capita funding. Solely town and county of Denver, rating third, prevented the mountain counties of a clear sweep of the Prime 5.

What’s being achieved about fraud (Coming Monday)

Colorado leaders know rampant fraud plagued COVID-19 reduction applications within the state. An actual whole isn’t recognized but it surely’s within the tens of tens of millions of {dollars}. We take a look at how investigators are going after the perpetrators and dealing to construct safeguards to guard in opposition to extra fraud sooner or later.

How Denver plans to make use of American Rescue Plan Act funds (Coming Tuesday)

The town of Denver is working to determine methods to spend $73.6 million value of American Rescue Plan Act funding to construct a stronger, extra equitable economic system within the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. ARPA, because the act known as, will likely be paying out via 2026, that means it might be round after the virus itself is much less of a disaster and simply a part of each day life. We take a look at how the pandemic spawned a once-in-a-generation alternative for Denver leaders to assist working class individuals after billions had been spent propping up the economic system throughout the depths of the pandemic.