Giving Compass' Take:

• Government leaders have the opportunity to make substantial investments in infrastructure to rebuild after COVID-19, which could potentially jumpstart the economy. 

• What is the role of donors in collaborating with governments to expand investment? In what other ways can donors support rebuilding plans? 

• Read about rebuilding schools and learning after the pandemic. 

Not since World War II has our country been confronted with a challenge as immense as it faces right now. Thousands of Americans are grieving for loved ones, and the COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed the United States' economy, costing millions their jobs and livelihoods and resulting in the loss of billions of dollars — with potentially billions more to follow.

After we flatten the curve, what comes next for our nation? With unemployment reaching levels unseen since the Great Depression, how will we get people back to work and stimulate economic recovery?

The answer, as it often does, lies in history. Significant federal investments in infrastructure during times of emergency have proven to have a transformative effect on our country. Infrastructure across the United States is increasingly strained and in need of repair, and we can get people working again with a response that matches the gravity of the situation: a comprehensive, nationwide plan on the scale of, or greater than, the New Deal.

As leaders in government consider additional phases of the COVID-19 response stimulus, they have an opportunity to mobilize all our resources in a renewed effort to get this country up and running again, and that begins with an unprecedented investment in building our infrastructure. Doing so will jumpstart our economy, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, counter the millions lost in wages, add billions in economic growth across the United States and support the businesses that are the backbone of this country.

Read the full article about investing in infrastructure by Carlo Scissura at Smart Cities Dive.