Because the federal government declared a nationwide emergency due to COVID-19 on March 13, 2020, local governments, including Ohio school districts, became eligible for federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program. The purpose of this grant program is to support communities’ recovery from major disasters by providing them with financial assistance for life-saving emergency protective measures and restoring public infrastructure. In Ohio, this program is administered by Ohio’s Emergency Management Agency (OEM).

While there is a list of eligible expenditures that could potentially have applied to schools, OEM confirmed that FEMA has stated schools are only eligible for reimbursement for disinfection of school facilities. Increased operating expenses for tele-schools or costs for meal provision, for example, are not eligible expenses for schools at this time, according to OEM. Schools may be eligible for reimbursement for staff overtime costs for disinfection efforts as well. There is no maximum amount of funding available to each applicant for actual costs for eligible work. There is a minimum of $3,300 for each grant.

The application is available here, and may be filed by email to emarecovery@dps.ohio.gov. Schools and other entities are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, although the typical 30-day application window has been extended for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. OEM confirmed that some Ohio school districts have already taken advantage of this grant money for their disinfecting efforts.