Public Assistance

The process of providing public assistance funding after a disaster is a partnership between the federal, state and local governments.

Public Assistance (PA) programs are designed to support state and local authorities and certain nonprofit organizations so they can fund the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of a public facility or infrastructure, which is damaged or destroyed by a disaster.

FEMA approves PA projects for funding and awards the grant money directly to the state, and the state disburses the funds to the local applicant (although the state may require additional information of the local applicant before releasing the funds).

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to rebuild government buildings, roads and bridges, schools, water and sewer plans, recreational facilities owned by government agencies, some facilities owned by nonprofit agencies and other publicly owned facilities.

PA Simplified Procedures for Small Projects

In August, 2022, FEMA implemented a regulatory change to increase the small project maximum for the FEMA Public Assistance Program to $1 million for 2023. Simplified procedures allow FEMA to fund eligible small projects based on estimates, which expedites disaster recovery funding to applicants and reduces administrative burden. Find out more about how OEM is administering the new small project threshold.