PRIVATE NONPROFITS, INCLUDING HOUSES OF WORSHIP, MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR
DISASTER ASSISTANCE
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20231002/private-nonprofits-including-houses-worship-may-be-eligible-disaster]


Release Date: 
九月 30, 2023 

HONOLULU – Private nonprofits, including houses of worship and
other faith-based organizations, may be eligible to apply for federal
disaster assistance to help recover from the Aug. 8 wildfires on Maui
and the Big Island.

The deadline to submit an application for FEMA’s Public Assistance
program is TUESDAY, OCT. 10.

Under the Aug. 10 major presidential disaster declaration, funding
from the Public Assistance program can be used to pay for debris
removal, emergency protective measures and restoration of
disaster-damaged facilities in Maui County.

Hawaiʻi County is designated to apply for eligible expenses for
emergency protective measures.

The application process depends on whether a private nonprofit
organization is classified as offering critical services or essential,
noncritical social services.

Private nonprofit organizations that provide critical services such as
health-care facilities and utilities can apply directly to FEMA for
funding. Other examples of critical services include water, sewer and
electrical systems; private schools providing primary or secondary
education; or institutions of higher education.

Private nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, can also
be classified as providing essential noncritical social services. For
these organizations, FEMA provides only Public Assistance funding for
eligible permanent work costs. But first, apply for a low-interest
disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Private
nonprofit organizations in Maui County may then apply for FEMA Public
Assistance, a program which reimburses the state, local governments
and certain nonprofits for eligible disaster-related expenses.

If a house of worship or other nonprofit organization offering
essential non-critical social services in Maui County is turned down
for an SBA loan, or if the loan amount does not cover the cost of all
permanent repairs, FEMA may be able to help. FEMA may provide funds to
pay for what SBA or insurance does not cover. 

If SBA offers a loan to an applicant, which then chooses not to accept
the loan, the applicant would not be eligible for FEMA funding.

Besides houses of worship, other examples of non-critical essential
services include educational enrichment activities, supervised care
and daycare services, residential services for people with
disabilities, assisted living and low-income housing, homeless
shelters and rehabilitation service, and community and performing arts
centers.

Houses of worship and other nonprofits in Maui County are encouraged
to file an application for Public Assistance as soon as possible. The
application is called a Request for Public Assistance. Interested
applicants can contact Brian Fisher, the Public Assistance lead for
the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, by calling 808-518-7985 or
emailing Brian.j.fisher@hawaii.gov.

SBA applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster
assistance information, and download applications
at https://www.sba.gov/hawaii-wildfires.
[https://www.sba.gov/hawaii-wildfires] Applicants may also call
SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or
email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA
disaster assistance.

Personal help with completing loan applications is available at any of
the Disaster Recovery Centers or SBA’s Business Recovery Centers.
For locations and hours, go to https://go.dhs.gov/oAz.

More information about assistance for houses of worship is also
available at What Houses of Worship Need to Know About FEMA's
Disaster Relief Process | FEMA.gov
[https://www.fema.gov/node/what-houses-worship-need-know-about-fema-disaster-aid-process-flyer]
in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, French, German,
Haitian Creole, Korean and Portuguese.

For the latest information on the Maui wildfire recovery efforts,
visit mauicounty.gov [https://www.mauicounty.gov/] and
fema.gov/disaster/4724. [https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4724] Follow
FEMA on social media: @FEMARegion9 [https://twitter.com/femaregion9]
and facebook.com/fema [http://www.facebook.com/fema].