CRF Local Government Forum

The CARES Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund when it passed Congress on March 24. Through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the CARES Act provides for payments to State, Local, and Tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Treasury will made payments from the Fund to States and eligible units of local government just before the first week of May. Guidance still suggests that only individual local governments jurisdictions with populations greater than 500,000 are eligible. The United States Treasury will use to distribute the funds using this methodology.

The CARES Act requires that the payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that—

1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19);
2. were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and
3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020.

Additional information on eligible uses of Fund disbursements by governments will be posted as it becomes available by the United States Treasury.

The purpose of this website is to provide a platform for information sharing among our members. In the spirit of sharing information, please use the below portal to submit information that may be helpful for members. Ensuring that there is a healthy flow of information and to ensure efficiency of the delivery of the information, GFOA will organize the comments by topic areas. Thank you for all that you do for GFOA.

For more information, please contact Emily Brock