Emergency Food and Shelter Program Announces Round Two Funding Available

(February 13, 2020 , ALEXANDRIA, Va.)-- United Way Worldwide, on behalf of the National Board for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, today announced that a Round Two Application Period will begin for reimbursing eligible nonprofit, faith-based, and government entities that provided humanitarian aid to migrants released from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody at the southern border from January 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020. The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act was signed into law on July 1, 2019 and provides $30 million for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to reimburse local communities that have been supporting a significant influx of southern border migrants. The round one application period covered reimbursing expenses from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019. Round one awarded over $8 million to reimburse over 80 entities.

State and local social service organizations, including nonprofit, faith-based, and governmental, that have assisted migrants released from DHS custody at the southern border with shelter, food, and supportive services are eligible to apply for this supplemental funding. Agencies that participated in the Round 1 Application Period for EFSP Supplemental Funding may apply in the Round 2 Application Period for new eligible costs incurred from January 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020 that were not previously reimbursed in round one.

Any nonprofit, faith-based, or government agency may apply for funds, regardless of current or former EFSP participation. The application to apply will be made available on the EFSP website on February 17, 2020. More information about the application process, updated guidance for Round 2 funding, and EFSP Local Board and State Set Aside Committee contacts, can be found here.

The Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance grant provides funding to the EFSP National Board to disburse to state and local social service organizations to defray their costs in aiding southern border migrants in need of food, shelter, and other supportive services. $25 million has been allocated to reimburse eligible services within Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas and $5 million has been allocated to reimburse eligible services in all states nationwide.

This is a competitive grant, so no application is guaranteed an award and only eligible expenses can be reimbursed.

About the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)

EFSP was established by Congress in 1983, in response to the 1982 Recession, which brought to light that public and charitable institutions at the state and local levels could not adequately respond to the nation’s homeless and food insecurity crises without Federal support. The program funds can be used for a broad range of services, including mass shelter; mass feeding; food distribution through food pantries and food banks; one-month assistance with rent or mortgage payments, and/or utility payments, to prevent evictions; and transition assistance from shelters to stable living conditions. EFSP is administered by a National Board chaired by FEMA, in partnership with American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., The Salvation Army, The Jewish Federations of North America, and United Way Worldwide, which serves as the National Board’s Secretariat and Fiscal Agent. Through the network of leading charitable organizations, the program is far-reaching, supporting the work of more than 10,000 local nonprofit and public social service agencies in more than 2,500 counties and cities across the country.