FEMA tops $ 2 billion in COVID-19 funeral assistance, announces new campaign to raise program awareness

WASHINGTON – FEMA announced today that it has provided over $ 2 billion in COVID-19 funeral assistance to support more than 300,000 applicants struggling with the financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic. FEMA is also launching a new outreach campaign and continues to process applications to ensure that this program – already the largest offer of funeral assistance in FEMA’s history – reaches out to additional eligible families in need.

“FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program has helped provide critical financial relief to over 300,000 people in a time of such unexpected, unimaginable and widespread loss,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Our new outreach campaign is designed to reach out to families, especially across underserved communities, where the cost of a funeral can be a financial burden for a loved one. Our goal is to help families apply for help, as well as to submit all necessary documents for existing applications. “

Committed to reaching out to all affected communities, the agency will begin a targeted paid media campaign this month. FEMA recently hired a media contractor to tailor media efforts to reach the most influential population-specific businesses.

These new paid ads will target sites identified with high COVID-related deaths, low funeral assistance application rates, and high social vulnerability data.

The ads will help ensure that information about FEMA’s funeral assistance reaches out to underserved communities that have experienced a high COVID-19 death rate but who have low registrations for assistance.

The four selected areas will be in California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

FEMA also hosts media roundtables with several local businesses in African American, Latin American, and Latin American and Pacific American communities to encourage local press to help spread the word about the Funeral Assistance program. In addition, FEMA’s multilingual services, available through the Funeral Assistance Helpline, have provided assistance in 76 different languages ​​at the request of the caller.

Eligible applicants can qualify for up to $ 9,000 for each deceased person. application, with a maximum of $ 35,000 for families who may have additional funeral expenses due to COVID-19. Since aid began on April 12, 2021, the average amount of aid granted is $ 6,500.

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the President’s U.S. Rescue Plan gave FEMA the authority to provide COVID-19 funeral assistance and provided the funds for this program.

Further information, including eligibility requirements, can be found at COVID-19 Funeral Assistance | FEMA.gov. Individuals who have incurred funeral expenses in connection with a COVID-19-related death in the United States or its territories on or after January 20, 2020, may also apply by calling 888-684-6333, Monday – Friday, at 7 p.m. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT.

The “Applications” in the table below reflect the number of people who called to begin the assistance process. Please find state-specific information below: