FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental grants to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, and certain types of private non-profits so communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies.
After an event like a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or wildfire, communities need help to cover their costs for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and restoring public infrastructure.
FEMA also encourages protecting these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
GRANTS PORTAL
Applicants, recipients and subrecipents login: grantee.fema.gov.
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Public Assistance Program & Policy Guide (PAPPG)
Version 4 of FEMA's PAPPG is applicable to emergencies and major disasters declared on or after June 1, 2020.
FEMA Increases Public Assistance Small Project Maximum to $1 Million
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced that the agency is moving forward in reducing the administrative burden on government entities and nonprofit organizations receiving FEMA grants following a disaster.
Eligibility for Public Assistance Grant Funding
The four basic components of eligibility are applicant, facility, work and cost.
An applicant must be a state, territory, tribe, local government or private nonprofit organization.
A facility must be a building, public works system, equipment or natural feature.
Work is categorized as either "emergency" or "permanent." It must be required as a result of the declared incident, located within the designated disaster area, and is the legal responsibility of the applicant.
Cost is the funding tied directly to eligible work, and must be adequately documented, authorized, necessary and reasonable. Eligible costs include labor, equipment, materials, contract work, as well as direct and indirect administrative costs.
Get Started
Overview of the process from when the disaster is declared to closeout of the grant.
Overview of the appeals and audit process, including the searchable database of FEMA responses to applicant appeals for assistance.
The Community Disaster Loan Program provides funding for local governments to operate their essential community services after substantial revenue loss caused by a disaster.
Video tutorials and tips to guide the process of applying for a Public Assistance grant.
Official guidance, policies, news advisories and related publications that govern the program.
Funding for the mitigation, management and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands.
Tools and Resources
Explore resources to help with the application and appeals process, including:
- Cooperative Purchasing Programs
- Cost Estimating Tools
- Forms
- Per Capita Impact Indicator
- Procurement and Contracting
- Schedule of Equipment Rates
- Statistics
- Training
- Worksheets
Access Our Suite of Tools