Date: April 29, 2020
To: Colorado Emergency Managers
From: Michael Willis, Director, Office of Emergency Management
Subject: EMPG Supplemental Allocations
On April 14, 2020, FEMA announced an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Supplemental Allocation for an additional $100 million in funds. The funds are to be used to assist governments in their public health and emergency management activities supporting the prevention of and response to COVID-19. The State of Colorado was awarded $1,791,332 for this supplemental grant.
After careful and deliberate consideration of the statewide needs and limited available funding, the decision was made to retain the EMPG supplemental funds at the state level in an effort to achieve the widest local impacts possible. The EMPG funds will allow the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) to make necessary investments in order to increase statewide capability.
Specifically, the State of Colorado will utilize these funds to hire positions and cover associated operational costs in both the Recovery and Field Services sections, as well as make necessary improvements to the WebEOC platform. These projects are deemed critical in order to provide statewide response and recovery efforts in support of local and tribal governments.
DHSEM will lead a webinar/phone call to discuss the decision to use the supplemental funds at the state level on May 6, 2020, at 6 p.m. Details for this call will be provided shortly.
Unrelated, but relevant to EMPG, the Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committee (HSAC) will be meeting on May 11th to discuss the proposed 2021 EMPG funding formula. Those discussions are not related, nor will they have any impact on the EMPG supplemental allocation discussed in this letter.