FEMA Awards City of Providence Almost $4 Million for COVID School Cleaning Costs

BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $4 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the City of Providence for the costs of cleaning and disinfecting the city’s public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $3,957,996 FEMA Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Providence Public School District for the cost of contracting for cleaning and disinfecting public school facilities between July 2021 and June 2022, allowing them to safely re-open and operate.

“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the City of Providence with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic fight is critical to their success, and to our success as a nation.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.

This grant brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode Island to almost $614 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.

Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program is available at https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit. To learn more about the COVID-19 response in Rhode Island, please visit https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4505