A Closer Look at Boston’s Federal Funds

One-time COVID-19 Funds Have Temporarily Boosted City’s Federal Expenditures

The amount of federal funds that Boston spends has drastically increased in the past decade, from $190.4M in FY15 to $563.5M in FY24. Grants from the federal government made up 11.2% of Boston’s all-funds expenditures in FY24. What has driven this change in the City’s receipt of external funds? How much of this increase is due to COVID-19 relief funds? How reliant is Boston on federal funding for its operations? What federal departments does Boston receive funding from? What are the goals of the largest grants that the City receives?

Report Objectives

This report provides information and insights on:

• Reliance on federal funds for city operations
• Changes to Boston’s federal expenditures over time
• Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on federal expenditures
• Boston’s largest sources of federal funds
• Methods of distribution for federal funds

To learn more about Boston’s federal funds, read the full report here: