Where Delaware's $1.79 Billion in ARP Stimulus Money Went

When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan in March 2021, Delaware's share of the federal stimulus eventually added up to $1.79 billion spent between fiscal years 2021 and 2026 — more than 215,000 payments, or nearly $1,700 for every one of the state's roughly 1.06 million residents. Here is where that money went, in plain English, using the state's own published ARP expense records.

The biggest ARP projects

Delaware's American Rescue Plan money funded hundreds of projects, but a handful of very large ones stand out. The ten largest together account for $462.8 million — about 26 cents of every ARP dollar the state spent. Child care stabilization grants to keep daycare providers afloat top the list, followed by emergency operating support for urban transit and a string of federal school-relief grants.

Source: American Rescue Plan Expenses, data.delaware.gov — project totals aggregated across FY2021–FY2026.

Project labels shortened for readability; totals are exact sums from the state's ARP expense records.

Four themes run through the money

Child care. The single largest ARP project in the state — $66.8 million — went to stabilization grants for child care providers, a lifeline meant to keep daycare centers open through the pandemic's disruption and keep parents able to work.

Schools. Four of the ten biggest projects are ESSER III grants — Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief money passed through the state to local districts. Christina ($53.3 million), Red Clay ($46.9 million), Colonial ($30.7 million) and Indian River ($29.6 million) together received $160.4 million for reopening costs, learning-loss programs and building upgrades.

Infrastructure. Urban transit operating assistance ($63.2 million), improvements at the Diamond State Port ($50.0 million) and broadband build-out ($38.9 million) add up to $152.1 million in concrete, cable and buses — the long-lived assets of the stimulus.

Government modernization. The Department of Labor's unemployment-system overhaul absorbed $42.5 million after the pandemic exposed how creaky the old system was, and $41.0 million went to a new University of Delaware research lab. Just outside the top ten, the state's COVID testing program ($27.6 million) and a new environmental lab at DNREC ($27.2 million) round out the public-health response.

How the money flowed, year by year

Because the American Rescue Plan became law in March 2021 — near the end of Delaware's FY2021 — that first year saw only $44.0 million in spending across 55 payments. The tap opened fully in FY2022 and ran at close to $390 million a year for four straight years before tapering off.

The stimulus is winding down

The FY2026 bar tells the story: at $194.5 million, ARP spending ran at roughly half the pace of the previous four years and accounts for just 10.9% of the six-year total. That was expected — federal rules required most American Rescue Plan dollars to be committed by the end of 2024 and fully spent by the end of 2026, so what remains is the tail end of the program. You can watch the final dollars go out the door on the dashboard's ARP Funds tab, which breaks spending down by year, department, project and vendor.

Frequently asked questions

How much American Rescue Plan money has Delaware spent?

$1.79 billion ($1,789,180,403) from FY2021 through FY2026, across 215,223 payment records.

What was Delaware's largest ARP project?

FY2021 child care stabilization grants at $66.8 million, followed by FY2022 urban transit operating assistance ($63.2 million) and the Christina School District's ESSER III grant ($53.3 million).

Is Delaware still spending ARP money?

Yes, but slowing fast — $194.5 million in FY2026 versus a roughly $388 million annual pace from FY2022 to FY2025. Federal deadlines require the money to be spent by the end of 2026.

Can I look up a specific ARP payment?

Yes — every payment is public. Use our interactive ARP explorer, or the state's raw American Rescue Plan Expenses dataset on data.delaware.gov.