Why We Are Working to Track Hawaii's COVID-19 Federal Funds Spending

by Nick Redding, Hawaii Data Collaborative

Recently, our work to track the State’s progress in spending down federal funds awarded to the State in response to COVID-19 have been highlighted by the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness and recent news accounts. The Hawaii Data Collaborative strives to promote a culture of data-informed decision making in Hawaii, by making data that is relevant to our most pressing challenges accessible, relevant, and meaningful.

Given the urgency of need as we continue to navigate post-COVID stresses on our families and communities, and the looming end-of-year timeline for spending down $1.25B in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF), we felt the need to work quickly to make sure information about our spending is available on a timely and insightful platform. Equally important are the partnerships that make this possible.

We are working directly with the State Office of Federal Awards Management, Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and are now reaching out to the counties to provide critical capacities to make this data useful and accessible to all – a priority shared by all. In partnering with the House Select COVID-19 CARES Funds Sub Committee, we are ensuring that the broader community of legislators and private sector leaders are able to engage on this topic with the data they need. We make the data and dashboards public in order to elevate the level of transparency around this important issue.

It is only through partnerships like this, to make COVID-19 data more accessible and meaningful – whether it be data on health, our economy, impacts on families and communities, or the funds and resources we have to respond – that ensure we are able to navigate our most pressing challenges effectively.