Disaster assistance is available for private nonprofit houses of worship through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Assistance may include the costs associated with emergency protective orders, debris removal, and repairing or replacing facilities damaged during a federally declared disaster. Depending on the house of worship’s classification, the application process will vary.
A house of worship is considered noncritical if it administers social services, such as community and senior citizen centers. A noncritical house of worship must apply for a loan through the SBA before applying to the Public Assistance program. The Public Assistance program is funded by FEMA and administered through the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). This classification is not required to take out a loan through the SBA. However, the Public Assistance program will not fund any associated permanent work unless the SBA has denied the loan application or the SBA loan will not fully cover the permanent work costs. The link to start the SBA loan application may be found at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/.
Houses of worship that administer medical and educational facilities are classified as critical. This classification is not required to first apply for a loan through the SBA. They may work directly with FDEM on a potential grant application. To start the grant application, visit grantee.fema.gov.
Regardless of a house of worship's classification, it will need to provide the following during the application process:
- The employer identification number and the unique entity identifier
- Proof of 501 (c) (3) status
- Legal responsibility to repair the damaged property
- Proof of insurance, if applicable
- Charter or articles of incorporation
- Bylaws
Impacted houses of worship may speak to representatives from the SBA and FEMA at the Disaster Recovery Center, which is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Florida Department of Health-Volusia, 1845 Holsonback Drive, Daytona Beach.
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