Our partner, Vision Granted, put together this simple guide to the fund established by the Kentucky Legislature’s special session. Please note: this is only a summary of publicly available information. All applicants should read the House Bill and application before applying to make sure they fully understand eligibility, the allowable use of funds, and follow all the requirements.
FUNDING SUMMARY: EKSafe Funds, SSHB 1/GA
| Funding Source | General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Administered by the Department of Military Affairs, Division of Emergency Management *bill.pdf (ky.gov) |
| Purpose | To provide financial assistance and support to those areas impacted by the July 2022 storms and flooding in eastern Kentucky as designated in Presidential Major Disaster Declaration FEMA 4663-DR-KY and in accordance with 2022 Special Session House Bill 1. |
| Amount | $200M including: *note: funding amount may be subject to change • $75m for “financial assistance” in accordance with Section 1 of the Act • $40m for advances to “school districts and nonprofit or public utility service providers” • $40m for school districts • $45m for infrastructure (to KYTC) |
| Period of Performance | September 10, 2022 – July 10, 2024 *note: dates may be subject to change |
| Eligibility | The recipient must be located in the areas of the Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster and have disaster related needs in response to the storms, and be one of the following: • City, county, or • Nonprofit or public utility service provider, or • State agency, or • School district. |
| Unallowable Costs | The financial support shall not cover any new construction inside the one hundred (100) year floodplain area. |
| Eligible Expenses | 1. Funding to cities, counties, and publicly owned utilities for the costs of replacement or repair of publicly owned buildings and their contents due to the damage from the storms and flooding, but only to the extent of damage directly caused by the storms and flooding. 2. Reimbursement for services, personnel, and equipment provided during the response and recovery to communities impacted by the storms and flooding, but only to the extent of damage directly caused by the storms and flooding. 3. Assistance to cities and counties for expenses related to planning efforts for rebuilding and recovering from the damage, but only to the extent of damage directly caused by the storms and flooding. 4. Assistance to support disaster recovery and relief needs of local school districts, but only to the extent of loss or damage directly caused by the storms and flooding, including but not limited to: a. Financial support for school districts that will experience a default in bond payments; and b. Financial support to assist school districts with building and tangible property replacement needs 5. Contracted employees to administer and report on the funds. 6. Moneys in the EKSAFE fund may be used for the advancement of moneys to cities, counties, school districts, and nonprofit or public utility service providers experiencing strained fiscal liquidity while awaiting reimbursement from federal emergency management assistance or insurance claims and shall not be used for capital improvements. |
| Requirements | a. Applicants must apply in a timely manner (and retain documentation of the application for and reimbursements of) to FEMA/federal disaster assistance, other disaster assistance, and insurance proceeds if available. b. If a recipient of moneys from the EKSAFE fund subsequently receives moneys from any other source, the recipient shall reimburse the Commonwealth for the amount of the moneys received from the EKSAFE fund. c. Retain and provide supporting documentation of expenditures of EKSAFE awards. d. After June 30, 2024, all moneys reimbursed to the Commonwealth under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be deposited into the budget reserve trust fund account… |
| How to Apply | Submit the 2-pg EKSAFE application signed by the appropriate Chief Local Government Official or ranking officer of school district, state agency, or eligible utility. Then scan and submit to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management at pa.help@ky-em.org |
