This project, led by the UW Population Health Institute, aimed to analyze data relating to Milwaukee County’s rapid dissemination of $77.4 million in COVID-19 relief funding in order to assess investments addressing social determinants of health and racial equity strategies. Milwaukee County was the first municipal government in the country to declare racism a public health crisis and was among the first to collect race and ethnicity data that helped guide efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in communities of color.
The project team successfully assessed Milwaukee County’s investments in social determinants of health and racial equity strategies, collaborating with county leaders and analyzing funding data from state claims and federal expense reports. Their analysis showed that Milwaukee County made significant efforts to ensure equity for marginalized populations affected by COVID-19, particularly through the $12 million Small Business Recovery Grant program. This program distributed grant monies to minority, woman and veteran-owned businesses, with 66% of the 1,551 grant recipients falling into these categories. Additionally, the Milwaukee County Department of Administrative Services Economic Development Division created an interactive map to visualize the locations of funded businesses.
The Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected marginalized communities, highlighting pre-existing structural health disparities among Black and Latinx populations. In Milwaukee County, particularly in the City of Milwaukee, poor health outcomes are linked to factors such as racial segregation, childhood poverty and high rates of joblessness and incarceration among Black men. Milwaukee County was the first municipal government in the country to declare racism a public health crisis and was among the first to collect race and ethnicity data that helped guide efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in communities of color. Through the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund, Milwaukee County received $77.4 million, which helped over 3,500 individuals and families with rent assistance, provided grants to over 1,550 small businesses, supported 76 arts and culture organizations and created jobs for over 300 unemployed residents.
Project Goals
This project aimed to analyze data relating to the county’s rapid dissemination of COVID-19 funding in 2020. The primary goal was to assess the investments in addressing social determinants of health and racial equity strategies by investigating the extent of the investments in upstream and midstream health determinants, the equitable distribution of funds to marginalized populations and the improvement of policy and decision-making through a racial and health equity framework.
Results
The project team achieved its goal of assessing Milwaukee County’s investments targeting social determinants of health and racial equity strategies. Collaborating with county leaders, they assessed the impact of distributed funding by categorizing data from state claims and federal expense reports. By reviewing county board meeting notes, the team gained insights into funding allocation decisions. Finally, a comprehensive literature review compared Milwaukee County’s equity tools and community engagement practices to those of other communities.
The analysis revealed that Milwaukee County made concerted efforts to ensure equity for marginalized populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The Small Business Recovery Grant program allocated $12 million to support small businesses, with a focus on minority, woman and veteran-owned businesses. Businesses that partnered with Wisconsin’s Ethnic and Diverse Business Coalition and provided letters of support received 100 percent of their eligible grant funds. Of the 1,551 businesses that received grants, 66 percent were minority, woman or veteran-owned. Grants were distributed across Milwaukee County’s supervisory districts, ranging from 45 to 153 grants per district. An interactive map was created by the Milwaukee County Department of Administrative Services Economic Development Division to visualize the locations of funded businesses.
