Nonprofits, houses of worship have until Oct. 25 to apply for disaster public assistance

Time is running out for private nonprofits, houses of worship and government organizations to apply for a key type of federal assistance for the Hawai‘i wildfire disaster. Requests for public assistance funding from the Federal Emergency Management Administration must be filed no later than Wednesday, Oct. 25.

“These funds can reimburse nonprofits and houses of worship that provided vital support to the people of Maui,” said James Barros, Administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency. “With the deadline approaching, we want to make sure no one misses this opportunity if they are eligible.”

The disaster declaration covering the August 2023 wildfires in Hawai‘i authorizes Public Assistance funding to reimburse and pay for protective measures and hazard mitigation, including fire mitigation and environmental and historic preservation projects.

Private nonprofit organizations – including houses of worship and community groups – may be eligible for financial reimbursement for emergency protective measures, debris removal or restoration of certain facilities. More details on the program are available on the FEMA website for the Hawai‘i wildfire disaster.

“Nonprofits are part of what makes our community strong and resilient, and these FEMA Public Assistance funds can reimburse them for costs they incurred as a result of the wildfire disaster,” Barros said. “We’d hate to see them miss this opportunity.”

To learn more about FEMA Public Assistance grants, visit https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public.

To learn more about applying for Public Assistance for the Hawai‘i wildfires disaster, contact Brian Fisher with HI-EMA’s Resilience team at brian.j.fisher@hawaii.gov.