COVID-19 FEMA Public Assistance

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FEMA Public Assistance

As part of President Trump's emergency declaration on March 13, 2020, local governments and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations are eligible to apply for reimbursement for eligible emergency protective measures taken to respond to the COVID-19 emergency under Category B of FEMA's Public Assistance Program.

State, territorial, tribal, and local government entities and certain private non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for Public Assistance. FEMA assistance will be provided at a 75 percent federal cost share. This assistance will require execution of a FEMA-State/Tribal/Territory Agreement, as appropriate, and execution of an applicable emergency plan. Local governments and other eligible public assistance applicants will apply through their respective state, tribal or territorial jurisdictions. Please see FEMA's press release and Fact Sheet for more detailed information.

Local governments and certain private non-profits are encouraged to carefully read the information including FEMA's Procurement Under Grants document and begin thoroughly documenting all expenses. Please contact Julie Slevin, the State Public Assistance Officer 503.378.2235, julie.slevin@state.or.us, if you have any questions or need additional information.

Public Assistance and Policy Guide Eligibility of Private Nonprofit Organization

COVID-19 Questions and Answers

COVID-19 Pandemic: Purchase & Distribution of Food Eligible for Public Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

What is FEMA Category B?

Emergency protective measures conducted before, during and after an incident if the measures:

Eliminate or lessen immediate threats to lives, public health, or safety; or
Eliminate or lessen immediate threat of significant additional damage to improved public or private property in a cost effective manner

Some of the detail actions are discussed in the Public Assistance and Policy Guide starting on page 57.

Examples of Category B Activities

Transporting and pre-posting equipment and other resources for response
EOC related costs
Supplies and commodities (page 63)
Medical care and transportation (page 63)
Evacuation and sheltering (page 66 & 67)
Security, such as barricades, fencing and law enforcement
Dissemination of information to the public to provide warnings and guidance about health and safety hazards using various strategies, such as flyers, public service announcement, or newspaper campaigns
Mass mortuary services

This list is not all inclusive, jurisdictions might encounter unusual needs or costs and if that is the case, jurisdictions should document why they made the decision as the most prudent measure taken.

Tracking Costs by Activity

Each local jurisdiction should track their cost by activity. Emergency protective measures should be directly related to the prudent measures as provided by public health guidance.

For file management and tracking of costs, FEMA has available summary forms, you may use the FEMA summary forms or your own, as long as it captures the same information.

FEMA Summary Form