Greetings,

The National Board for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) is sharing the attached advisory released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the humanitarian program.  Please see below for more detail.

On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced a $350 million funding opportunity for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board to fund the humanitarian portion of the program (EFSP-H). This humanitarian funding is designed to support local governments and nonprofit organizations as they assist migrant families and individuals encountered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the southern border.

Beginning March 6th, FEMA and the National Board will host a series of webinars for potential applicants of EFSP-H funds to explain how to apply, discuss any changes from the previous application guidance, and provide answers about the application process.  Six webinars will be offered via Zoom, see the schedule below.

• March 6, 2023 | 4 - 5 p.m. EST
• March 9, 2023 | 3 - 4 p.m. EST
• March 13, 2023 | 10 – 11 a.m. EST
• March 16, 2023 | 10 - 11 a.m. EST
• March 21, 2023 | 1 - 2 p.m. EST
• March 23, 2023 | 3 - 4 p.m. EST

If you are interested in participating in one of the webinars, registration links are available by clicking here.  To register for a webinar, please click on the link for the appropriate meeting date.

Greetings,

In FY 2022, FEMA awarded to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board the $130 million made available under the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. No. 117-103). The FY 2022 $130 million in annual funding is Phase 40 of the program and not the supplemental humanitarian relief funding.

This notification is to advise that awards are anticipated to be made to qualifying jurisdictions (counties and cities) and State Set-Aside (SSA) Committees across the country and posted on the EFSP website, www.efsp.unitedway.org, not later than Friday, October 21, 2022. Required National Board processes are underway for completion prior to the actual announcement of awards. Once the processes have been completed and National Board staff has finished updating materials to account for any new program policies and procedures, including within the EFSP Responsibilities and Requirements Manual (EFSP Manual), official award announcements will be made to each chair and point of contact for qualifying Local Boards and State Set-Aside Committees.

The National Board understands that agencies require time to thoughtfully identify services and spend funds in their local communities. Consequently, Phases 39, ARPAR, and 40 will run concurrently, and Local Boards will be given the option to extend their jurisdiction’s spending end dates. The spending begin date for all funded jurisdictions will be November 1, 2021, and the last spending end date option that Local Boards may select will be December 31, 2023. The National Board will allow LROs to charge eligible, properly documented expenditures back to the spending begin date (November 1, 2021).

Here is a link to the Phase 40 FY 2022 Preliminary Notification of Funding Awards. A schedule for implementing Phase 40 will be available on the EFSP website under FY2021/ARPAR/2022 Funding for your convenience.

As processes are completed and materials are finalized, the National Board will share updates via the EFSP website. Please continue to check Latest News on the EFSP website homepage for the most recent program information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a foundational member of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board and would like to share with our family of partner agencies information regarding its COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought grief to every corner of our nation, taking the lives of over 700,000 people. FEMA is committed to reducing the financial burden of these deaths and is providing individuals who incurred COVID-19-related funeral expenses with funding for eligible costs.  Since FEMA began the program, over one billion dollars in assistance has already been distributed.

FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020. Like other federal assistance, these funds cannot be used in duplication of other programs.  We are seeking your assistance to help get the word out to individuals who may be eligible to apply. Click here on FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance for guidance and eligibility requirements and types of services funded.  Instructions on how to apply for this assistance through FEMA’s dedicated helpline at 1-844-684-6333 can also be found on the website.

Helpline representatives are trained to provide personal application support and answer any questions regarding program eligibility. Since this program is not administered by United Way Worldwide or the EFSP National Board, all questions should be referred to the FEMA Helpline or its website, https://www.fema.gov/disaster/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance, for more information. 

We would greatly appreciate your assistance in sharing this program with your community and partner agencies so more people are aware of this financial resource.

Phase 40 (FY 2022) Local Board Plan Availability

The portal for Local Boards to process and submit Board Plans to the National Board is projected to be available on Friday, January 27, 2023.  An email notification will be sent to Local Boards and State Set-Aside (SSA) Committees. For additional information, please sign-in to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) website with your user ID and password.