Last week, the U.S. Department of Treasury released its Guidance for the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. The CCPF provides $100 million to be distributed to Indian tribes in equal shares to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to COVID-19. Treasury anticipates that each tribe will receive approximately $167,504.00 in CCPF grant funding.
The guidance is available here.
Tribes must apply through the CCPF Application Portal to receive funding. The CCPF Application Portal will open on October 1, 2021 and applications must be submitted by June 1, 2022. Eligible projects must meet the following three criteria:
- Be designed to directly enable work, education, and health monitoring
- Address a critical need that resulted from or was made apparent or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency
- Address a critical need of the community to be served by it
Tribes that select a presumptively eligible project will have access to funds immediately after executing a grant agreement with Treasury. Examples of presumptively eligible projects include purchasing digital connectivity devices (computers or tablets to facilitate internet access), increasing Wi-Fi capabilities, supplementing another federal government broadband program, installing or enhancing broadband infrastructure, and constructing or improving buildings that are designed to jointly enable work, education, and health monitoring.
Treasury also states that tribes will be afforded broad flexibility to determine how CCPF funds will be utilized to best address the needs of their respective communities. However, projects that are not presumptively eligible will be reviewed by Treasury prior to the provision of funding.
Patterson Earnhart Real Bird & Wilson LLP actively monitors the Treasury Department for funding and updates to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic and is ready to assist with obtaining CCPF funds. To learn more about this issue and how we can assist, contact attorney Rollie Wilson in our D.C. office at (202) 434-8903.