DENVER – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided an additional $42 million in funding for COVID-19 response efforts in Colorado. The assistance was made available under the major disaster declaration issued March 28 by President Trump.
A breakdown of the most recent funding is as follows:
• $37.8 million to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment to create and operate seven community-based testing sites to conduct COVID-19 testing and contracts for Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) tests, laboratory support and supplies;
• $4.5 million to the state of Colorado for emergency protective measures to lease and stage the Colorado Convention Center for use as an Alternate Care Site (ACS).
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding for emergency actions undertaken by communities to protect public safety, providing at least a 75-percent funding share for eligible costs. Remaining costs are the responsibility of the state and local applicants for assistance.
For the COVID-19 response, FEMA has simplified the Public Assistance application and funding process to address the magnitude of this event and to allow local officials to receive eligible funding more quickly. These reimbursements can play a critical role as state, local and tribal officials work tirelessly to assist their communities during this response.
To date, FEMA has provided more than $153 million in Public Assistance funding for the COVID-19 response in Colorado. Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be found at www.fema.gov/assistance/public.
FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
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