Funding Available for First Responders Fighting COVID-19

The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet has announced approximately $9 million in USDOJ Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Fund (CESF) Program funds available to local public safety agencies and local governments.  Allowable program expenses can include overtime, equipment (including law enforcement and medical equipment and personal protective equipment), supplies, training, travel (to distribute supplies), new hires and overtime pay exclusively related to COVID-19 response, and to address the medical needs of those in confined criminal justice settings.  The application period opens May 1, 2020 and will remain open until all funds have been awarded; the federal funding opportunity closes May 29, 2020. Applications must be submitted online through the USDOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance page: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/bja-2020-18553.

Similarly, FEMA has released the availability of $100 million in funding for the 2020 Assistance to Firefighters Grant – COVID-19 Supplemental Program (AFG-S).  This program will help provide personal protective equipment to firefighters and first responders who are managing emergencies during the Coronavirus pandemic.  The application period will open April 28, 2020 and close on Friday, May 15, 2020.  Applications must be submitted online through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program’s FEMA GO portal: https://go.fema.gov.

If you would like application assistance for these programs, please contact Angie Crawford ([email protected]) or Jared Nelson ([email protected]) at 270-886-9484.