How to Apply for a Disaster Grant

LSC's Disaster Grants program provides funding to LSC-funded organizations providing services to survivors of government-declared emergencies and coordinating preparation efforts for future natural disasters.

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Disaster Relief Emergency Grants (DREG)

  • Notice of Funds Availability and Public Notice
  • Eligibility
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Application Instructions
  • 2023 Special Grants Terms & Conditions
  • GrantEase Technical Training and Assistance

LSC his issued a Notice of Funds Availability describing the application and award process for the Disaster Response and Emergency Grants (DREG). The DREG provides funds as needed to LSC grantees in areas with government-declared emergencies. Those funds are for responses to damage sustained or a surge in demand for legal aid because of the emergency. 

In order to apply for an Emergency Relief Grant, your program must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a current LSC grantee and;
  • Provide services in an area where any government, tribal government, or equivalent has made an emergency declaration, including federally declared disasters as identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); or
  • Provide services in an area where there has been any other substantial emergency.

Please contact LSC if you are unsure if your emergency qualifies.

The questions in this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document originate from questions LSC has received from LSC grantees. Questions are revised or combined to appeal to a broader audience, where appropriate. This FAQ is a working document that will be updated as new questions are received fromLSC grantees throughout the application period. Each page includes when the latest update occurred.


All applicants are encouraged to schedule a technical assistance meeting with the Disaster Team prior to applying by contacting the LSC Disaster Team at LSCDisasterGrants@LSC.gov. This email is monitored daily, and responses to questions will be provided as timely as possible.

These Pre-Application and Application Instructions provide applicants important information about Disaster Relief Emergency Grants Funding Opportunity and detailed guidance on preparing and drafting your application.

The Instructions are organized into three main parts: the Structure of the Grant Application in GrantEase, steps for completing a DREG Pre-Application, and steps for completing a DREG Application. These instructions provide substantive information and the step-by-step process in GrantEase.

All applicants are encouraged to schedule a technical assistance meeting with the Disaster Team prior to applying by contacting the LSC Disaster Team at LSCDisasterGrants@LSC.gov. This email is monitored daily, and responses to questions will be provided as timely as possible

All grants awarded under this funding opportunity will be subject to LSC’s 2023 Special Grant Terms and Conditions.

By accepting this Disaster Relief Emergency Grant (Special Grant), you agree to the following terms and conditions, which will govern our relationship and your activities involving this Special Grant

Training and technical assistance videos and materials are available on the GrantEase Training Resources webpage.


Please open the Special Grants section and look for the entries for the Disaster Relief Emergency Grant.

2022 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Grants (Applications Closed)

  • Notice of Funds Availability and Public Notice
  • Eligibility
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Application Instructions
  • 2023 Special Grant Terms & Conditions
  • Informational Webinar
  • GrantEase Training and Technical Assistance

LSC has issued a Notice of Funds Availability describing the application and award process for the 2022 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation grants to support the delivery of legal services related to the consequences of hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, severe storms, and other extreme weather that occurred in calendar year 2022.

On March 20, 2023, LSC published a public notice in the Federal Register directing anyone interested to this webpage for additional information.

First, current LSC grantees engaging in activities and providing legal services related to the consequences of hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and other extreme weather that occurred in calendar year 2022 are eligible to apply for the Project Grant and/or Incurred Costs Grant funding opportunity. Please see the LSC List of Eligible Disasters for the 2022 Supplemental Appropriation Funding Opportunity, which includes disasters that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated as Major Disaster Declarations that include Individual Assistance and/or Public Assistance. This eligible disaster list will be regularly updated throughout the application period to ensure that new Major Disaster Declarations are added, where appropriate.

Second, any LSC Grantee, regardless of whether they have an eligible disaster in their service area, with extensive experience in disaster response and preparation may apply for a Project Grant to provide mentorship services to other LSC Grantees serving 2022 disaster survivors.

Finally, if low-income disasters survivors who were impacted by one of the eligible disasters have moved to your service area and are seeking disaster civil legal services from your organization, you may be eligible for funding. Please reach out to the LSC Disaster Team at LSCDisasterGrants@LSC.gov for confirmation.

The questions in this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document originate from questions LSC has received from LSC grantees. Questions are revised or combined to appeal to a broader audience, where appropriate. This FAQ is a working document that will be updated as new questions are received from LSC grantees throughout the application period. Each page includes when the latest update occurred.

All applicants are encouraged to schedule a technical assistance meeting with the Disaster Team prior to applying by contacting the LSC Disaster Team at LSCDisasterGrants@LSC.gov. This email is monitored daily, and responses to questions will be provided as timely as possible.

These Application Instructions provide applicants important information about the 2022 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Funding Opportunity and detailed guidance on preparing and drafting your application.

The Application Instructions are organized into three main parts: the Structure of the Grant Application in GrantEase, steps for completing a Project Grant Application, and steps for completing an Incurred Costs Grant Application. These instructions provide substantive information and the step-by-step process in GrantEase.

All grants awarded under this funding opportunity will be subject to LSC’s 2023 Special Grant Terms and Conditions.


By accepting this Disaster Relief Emergency Grant (Special Grant), you agree to the following terms and conditions, which will govern our relationship and your activities involving this Special Grant.

 

The LSC Disaster Team and Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) hosted a webinar on Monday, April 17, 2023, to answer questions from any LSC grantees applying for a grant under the 2022 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Opportunity. Please watch this webinar to learn more about the application processes and guidelines for these Disaster Grants. Click below to watch the recording and click here to view the PowerPoint slides.

Training and technical assistance videos and materials are available on the GrantEase Training Resources webpage.


Please open the Special Grants section and look for the entries for Disaster Relief Emergency Grant.

Screenshot of the GrantEase training page showing with a red circle the Special Grants section and with a red arrow the planned location of a new link at the top of the list in that section.

2020–2021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Grants (Applications Closed)

  • Notice of Funds Availability
  • Eligibility
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Application Instructions
  • 2022 Special Grant Terms & Conditions
  • Useful Links
  • GrantEase Training and Technical Assistance

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issued a Notice of Funds Availability describing the application and award process for the 2020-2021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation grants to support the delivery of legal services related to the consequences of hurricanes, wildfires, other extreme weather, and earthquakes that occurred in calendar years 2020 and 2021.

Please see the LSC List of Eligible Disasters for the 2020 -2021 Supplemental Appropriation Funding Opportunity, which includes disasters that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated as Major Disaster Declarations that include Individual Assistance and/or Public Assistance. This eligible disaster list will be regularly updated throughout the application period to ensure that new Major Disaster Declarations are added, where appropriate.

Please contact LSC if you are unsure if your emergency qualifies.

The questions in this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document originate from questions LSC has received from LSC grantees. Questions are revised or combined to appeal to a broader audience, where appropriate. This FAQ is a working document that will be updated as new questions are received from LSC grantees throughout the application period. Each page includes when the latest update occurred.

All applicants are encouraged to schedule a technical assistance meeting with the Disaster Team prior to applying by contacting the Disaster Team at lscdisastergrants@lsc.gov. This email is monitored daily, and responses to questions will be provided as timely as possible.

These Application Instructions provide applicants important information about the 2020-2021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Funding Opportunity and detailed guidance on preparing and drafting your application.

The Application Instructions are organized into three main parts: the Structure of the Grant Application in GrantEase, steps for completing a Project Grant Application, and steps for completing an Incurred Costs Grant Application. These instructions provide substantive information and the step-by-step process in GrantEase.

All grants awarded under this funding opportunity will be subject to LSC’s 2022 Special Grant Terms and Conditions

By accepting this 20202021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Grant (Special Grant), you agree to the following terms and conditions, which will govern our relationship and your activities involving this Special Grant.

The links provided in this document contain information and guidance for completing applications under the 20202021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation Funding Opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to review the resources linked in this document prior to starting a grant application.

Training and technical assistance videos and materials are available on the GranteEase Training Resources webpage.

Please open the Special Grants section and look for the entries for 2020-2021 Disaster Supplemental Appropriation.

LSC COVID-19 Response Grant (Applications Closed)

  • Grant Description
  • Reporting, Compliance Requirements & Existing Law
  • COVID-19 Grant Questions

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) received $50 million in the $2 trillion CARES Act legislation passed by Congress in 2020 to stabilize households and businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The funding will help LSC’s 132 grantees assist low-income clients facing job losses, evictions and other problems stemming from the pandemic.

The next quarterly COVID report is due on July 10, 2021 at 11:59 EST. The final report is due October 10, 2021 at 11:59 EST. All COVID funds must be committed by the final reporting period ending September 30, 2021.

For questions about the COVID grant, please email COVIDReporting@lsc.gov

Email us with questions about the LSC COVID CARES Act Grant.

Download Files

Title of File or Publication Size Format
Updated Final COVID-19 Reporting Requirements 223.88kb PDF Download
FAQ COVID Reporting 192.92kb PDF Download
GrantEase COVID-19 Reporting Webinar 7.1.20 978.97kb PPTX Download
COVID-19 GrantEase Reporting Template 44.34kb XLSX Download