Unlike other grants that fund proposed projects, Public Assistance is a reimbursement process. Therefore, supporting documentation, such as invoices and receipts, will be needed. Please note that PA is not meant to recover lost revenue. In addition, there is a 75/25 cost share. 

For the COVID-19 pandemic, the District of Columbia has been approved for Public Assistance Category B – Emergency Protective Measures funding for this COVID-19 preparations and response. The following categories are general examples of what may be considered eligible

• Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety
• Emergency medical care
• Medical sheltering
• Household pet sheltering and containment actions related to household pets in accordance with CDC guidelines
• Purchase and distribution of food, water, ice, medicine, and other consumable supplies, to include personal protective equipment and hazardous material suits movement of supplies and persons
• Security and law enforcement
• Communications of general health and safety information to the public
• Search and rescue to locate and recover members of the population requiring assistance

District of Columbia government agencies will apply to FEMA through the Grants Portal as sub-applicants, underneath the oversight and management of HSEMA at the overall state-level.

To sign up for Public Assistance, please contact DC HSEMA to receive guidance on the Public Assistance Program. The Public Assistance Program Manager for DC is Russell Gardner ([email protected]).   

Applicants must also have an organization and user account created in the Grants Portal. HSEMA will coordinate kickoff calls between DC agencies and FEMA to start the process of seeking PA reimbursement.

For more details, please visit:

• Emergency Protective Measures: https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2020/03/19/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-eligible-emergency-protective-measures
• COVID-19 FACT sheets and guidance: https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus/fact-sheets
• Procurement: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/186350
• Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (v.3.1): https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1525468328389-4a038bbef9081cd7dfe7538e7751aa9c/PAPPG_3.1_508_FINAL_5-4-2018.pdf
• Grants Portal: https://grantee.fema.gov/
• Grants Portal video series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIJp91Ds2IaVlR1t8uXcEKg