Chapter 3 › I–III Applicant Eligibility; Applicant Briefing; Request for Public Assistance

How do we apply for Public Assistance, and what is the deadline?

FEMA term

Request for Public Assistance (RPA); applicant briefing

Short answer

Submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) in FEMA’s PA Grants Portal within 30 days after your area is designated. Once FEMA approves it, you become an applicant and can submit projects. Two kinds of organizations can apply: state, local, tribal and territorial governments, and eligible private nonprofits, including houses of worship.

What FEMA requires

FEMA must first decide the applicant is eligible before evaluating any claim. FEMA and the recipient review the RPA to decide.
The recipient holds applicant briefings as soon as possible after the declaration and notifies potential applicants of the date, time and place.
Submit the RPA through PA Grants Portal within 30 days after the area is designated. Recipients must also submit an RPA.
FEMA extends the deadline only if the recipient asks in writing with justification based on circumstances beyond the applicant’s or recipient’s control. Examples: you are only claiming categories of work added after the initial declaration; delays were caused by FEMA; Grants Portal was down on the deadline day when you tried to submit; or communications were down for an extended period.
The recipient reviews each RPA, assesses the applicant’s risk of noncompliance under 2 CFR 200.332(c), and recommends whether FEMA should approve it.

Documentation

A Request for Public Assistance submitted in FEMA’s PA Grants Portal, with proof of the submission date; and for a late request, the recipient’s written extension request with its justification.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Thirty days goes fast after a disaster, and late RPAs are only accepted for reasons outside your control. File the RPA first, even before you know the extent of the damage; you add the details later on the impact list.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.