About This Initiative

Considerable resources are being made available to local governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States Conference of Mayors is pleased to be working in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies on a new suite of supports to help you navigate, access, and deploy this federal aid. The City Fiscal Tracker and Federal Reimbursement Initiative aims to connect experts with mayors and their key city staff through webinars and our resource guide. The City Fiscal Tracking and Federal Reimbursement Initiative is offered as part of Bloomberg Philanthropies COVID-19 Local Response Initiative.

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Webinar Series

The Conference of Mayors and Bloomberg Philanthropies have co-hosted a series of webinars on this new initiative. Here are the resources from each session.

Webinar #1 – April 7

The in the first webinar of the City Fiscal Tracking and Federal Reimbursement initiative, learn from experts who worked on recovery in New York City from events such as the September 11th attacks and Hurricane Sandy.

Watch Webinar #1
Download Slides

Webinar #2 – May 4

In our second webinar of the City Fiscal Tracking and Federal Reimbursement initiative, we hear directly from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) officials and get answers to some of the top questions from cities.

Watch Webinar #2
Download Slides

Supplemental Materials from Webinar #2

Using Other Federal Funding to Meet Non-Federal Share Requirements

In response to a question about using other federal funding as a match for FEMA funding, Traci Brasher shared information from the Justice Department that indicates the Byrne JAG Emergency Supplemental Funding Program cannot be used to match other federal grants.

COVID-19 Applicants Briefing Slide Deck

FEMA has made available this comprehensive slide deck on the DR-4480 (COVID-19) Public Assistance Program, which was developed by the New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services Department for presentation to potential New York applicants for public assistance funding.  It should be helpful to city officials in all states, but you are encouraged to contact your state emergency management agency to get similar information that pertains specifically to potential grantees in your state and to connect with them if you haven’t already. Click here for a directory of these state agencies.

Webinar #3 – June 16

In our third webinar of the City Fiscal Tracking and Federal Reimbursement initiative, we talk about innovative uses of Community Development Block Grant funds in responding to COVID-19.

Watch Webinar #3

Webinar #4 – October 22

Now that we are more than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, our fourth webinar assists cities that are preparing and submitting reimbursement requests to FEMA.

Watch Webinar #4
Download Slides

Webinar #5 – December 2

Our fifth webinar is a follow up on the status of CDBG-CR funds and what’s new since our third webinar.

Watch Webinar #5
Download Slides

Webinar #6 – February 24

Our sixth webinar revisits FEMA reimbursement guidelines and answers questions around vaccine distribution-related costs.

Watch Webinar #6

Municipal Guide

The Conference and Bloomberg Philanthropies have developed a guide for cities on navigating federal reimbursement and tracking expenditures during this crisis.

Download Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ guide aggregates answers to questions posed by city leaders during and after the webinar and may further guide cities as they operationalize their emergency response to this crisis.

Download FAQ