Public Assistance Grant Program (PA)

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the MEMA Public Assistance Team at Maine.Recovery@maine.gov

What is Public Assistance (PA)?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Public Assistance (PA) Program is the agency’s largest grant program that provides funding to respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies declared by the President. These grants are for eligible work and expenses that are incurred to protect life, property, and return our communities to safe, livable spaces.

FEMA reimburses State, local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments, and certain types of Private Non-Profit (PNP) organizations for the cost of disaster-related debris removal, emergency measures to protect life and property, and permanent repair work to damaged or destroyed public infrastructure.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) “Public Assistance Program Policy Guide” (PAPPG) is a useful resource that contains consolidated Public Assistance (PA) Program policies and procedural requirements for the entire program delivery life cycle. The PAPPG provides comprehensive PA policy to use when evaluating eligibility. The PAPPG references and provides links to other FEMA policies and documents such as standard operating procedures and fact sheets that provide guidance for those involved with implementing each of the various steps.

The PAPPG Version 5.0 (PDF) applies to all disasters declared on or after January 6, 2025. 

The PAPPG Version 4.0 (PDF) applies to all disasters declared between June, 1, 2020  and January 5, 2025. 

The PAPPG Version 3.1 (PDF) applies to all disasters declared between August 23, 2017 and July 31, 2020. 

Immediately after a disaster strikes

MEMA requires potential Applicants to complete an Initial Damage Assessment Form. This information is used to estimate and document the impact and magnitude of the incident so MEMA can request a presidential disaster declaration which activates FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and potentially other federal grant programs. Take pictures of the damages as soon as feasible, preferably before any work is done to include both emergency and temporary measures. Ensure photos capture the damage from different angles including close-ups and take pictures of equipment tags which capture make, model, etc.

How does the state receive a disaster declaration? 

In addition to initiating the State’s emergency response systems and coordinating with county emergency management agencies (EMA) ahead of and during an event, MEMA is the lead for compiling post-event damage information and requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration, through the Governor’s Office, should the damages meet a critical financial threshold as set annually by FEMA.
In order to be eligible to request and receive a Presidential Disaster Declaration, Counties and the State have to clearly document they meet the qualifying threshold for damages (validated by a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment with FEMA). The qualifying financial thresholds change every year and are based on a per capita calculation. In addition to the overall state threshold, each county must meet their respective threshold in order to participate in a disaster declaration.
Towns provide initial damage assessments to their County EMAs, then the counties compile the individual damage assessments and send to the State. MEMA will send emails to County EMAs ahead of anticipated storms/events and then follow-up with a deadline for submittal of the preliminary damage assessments following the incident. County EMAs will share this information with their communities. 

Forms

Disaster - Local Damage Assessment - State Verifies Preliminary Damage Assessment Form - Request PDA from FEMA - Joint PDA - Request for Federal Assistance

What is the applicant briefing?

As soon as possible following the President’s disaster declaration, the State/MEMA hosts Applicant Briefings for all potential applicants (State, Territorial, Tribal and local government entities, and private non-profits (PNP)).  The State is responsible for notifying potential applicants of the Live Virtual Applicant’s Briefing.  The briefings are also pre-recorded and placed on MEMA’s website for anyone unable to attend.  To obtain maximum benefit from the information presented at the briefing, a potential applicant should send the person or persons that best represent emergency response, public works, and finance departments within their organization.  
During the briefing, the State provides high-level information regarding the Public Assistance (PA) Program, such as:

Overview of the Public Assistance Program delivery process (Grants Portal, application procedures, etc.) Program deadlines
  • General eligibility criteria
  • Project funding
  • Hazard mitigation
  • Alternative procedures
  • Compliance requirements (procurement, EHP, insurance)
  • Administrative requirements, including documentation and recordkeeping

See the List of Open Disasters for available applicant briefings.

How do I request or verify access to the Grants Portal?

Grants Portal is the forward-facing platform used by States (Recipients) and Applicants to manage PA project applications. FEMA uses Grants Manager to formulate and conduct all other pre-award functions. It is part of a two-part platform utilized by FEMA that promotes transparency and accountability for all stakeholders involved in the Public Assistance (PA) grant process.

Please contact MEMA at Maine.Recovery@maine.gov to set up a Grants Portal Account or verify if your organization has a Grants Portal account and request access.

To set up a new Grants Portal account, you will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Applicant Name
  • County
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number (previously DUNS Number)
    • In April 2022, the DUNS Number was replaced by a new, non-proprietary identifier that is provided by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). The new identifier is the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), or the Entity ID. To find or request a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), please visit www.sam.gov
      To request a new Unique Entity ID, click on “Get Started”
    • UEI 'Get Started' dialog
    • To find your Unique Entity ID, you can follow the step-by-step instructions: 
      If you have a role with your entity.
      If your entity is available for public search.
  • Organization Type
  • Primary and Alternate Contacts (Name, Title, Phone, Email)
  • Physical and Mailing Addresses

After contacting the State and providing the above information, the Grants Portal account will be created, and you will receive a system-generated email with a username and temporary password. Follow the instructions provided in the email, using the provided username and temporary password, to log into Grants Portal for the first time. Grants Portal will then prompt you to create a permanent password. 

How do I submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA)? (For existing Grants Portal users)

If a State, local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government entity or Private Non-Profit (PNP) wishes to seek Public Assistance (PA) funding, they must first submit an RPA to FEMA, through Grants Portal and the State. If a Tribal government is its own Recipient, it submits its RPA directly to FEMA via Grants Portal. Prior to submitting RPAs to FEMA, the State will review and approve each RPA and provide its assessment of the Applicant’s risk of noncompliance with Federal statues, regulations, and the terms and conditions (2 C.F.R. § 200.331(b)).

FEMA accepts RPAs up to 30 days from the date the respective area received a presidential disaster declaration. FEMA may extend the deadline for submitting an RPA if Recipient/MEMA submits a request in writing with justification based on extenuating circumstances beyond the Applicant’s or State’s control.

Once the RPA is approved and FEMA assigns a Program Delivery Manager (PDMG), an Exploratory Call will be scheduled with FEMA and MEMA.

Guidance

Navigate Grants Portal (Step-by-Step Instructions)

FEMA training video

Organizational Documents Required

  • Insurance policy(ies)
  • Payroll Policy
  • Procurement Policy
  • Mutual Aid Agreements, if applicable

Navigate Grants Portal (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Private Non-Profit (PNP) Organizations

Only certain PNPs are eligible Applicants (“PNP Eligible Facilities”). Therefore, FEMA requires additional documentation and information with the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) to evaluate eligibility. PNP Applicants must submit its facility-specific information in Grants Portal with all applicable documentation listed in “PNP Documentation Requirements”.

PNP’s that provide non-critical services are required to apply to the Small Business Administration (SBA) before seeking FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funding; critical services do not require application to the SBA.

The RPA should be submitted before the deadline even if a determination letter from the SBA has not been received. There will also set a deadline to apply to the SBA. If this deadline is not met, FEMA funding will not be eligible.

Policy/Guidance

Questionnaire

Navigate Grants Portal (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Overview of Public Assistance Program

Graphic showing the process leading from disaster declaration to final grant approval

National workflows

These process step charts provide a step by step of the life cycle of the Public Assistance process.

Basic components of eligibility

Applicant - State and Territorial Governments, Tribal Governments, Local Governments, or certain types of Private Nonprofit Organizations.

Facility - A building, system, equipment, built or manufactured, or an improved and maintained natural feature.

Work - Categorized as either “emergency” or “permanent”.

Minimum Work Eligibility Criteria:

  • Be required as a result of the declared incident
  • Be located within the designated area
  • Be the legal responsibility of an eligible Applicant

Costs - Eligible costs include labor, equipment, materials, contract work, and management.

To be eligible costs must be:

  • Directly tied to the performance of eligible work
  • Adequately documented
  • Reduced by all applicable credits, such as insurance proceeds and salvage values
  • Authorized and not prohibited under Federal or State, local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government laws or regulations
  • Consistent with the Applicant’s internal policies, regulations, and procedures that apply uniformly to both Federal awards and other activities of the Applicant
  • Necessary and reasonable to accomplish the work properly and efficiently

Eligible categories of work

Emergency Work must be completed within six months of the declaration date (unless extended by FEMA or time extension requested.)

Category A: Debris Removal

Category B: Emergency Protective Measures - work that must be done immediately to:

  • Save lives;
  • Protect public health and safety;
  • Protect improved property;
  • or Eliminate or lessen an immediate threat of additional damage.

Permanent Work must be completed within 18 months of the declaration date(unless extended by FEMA or time extension requested.)

Category C: Roads and Bridges

Category D: Water Control Facilities

Category E: Public Buildings, Vehicles, and Equipment

Category F: Public Utilities

Category G: Parks, Recreational, and Other Facilities

Management Costs

Category Z

FEMA abbreviations and acronyms

FEMA training webinars

FEMA’s YouTube Channel