Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)

A federal program governed by a National Board composed of representatives from American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, Jewish Federations of North America, National Council of Churches, Salvation Army, and United Way Worldwide. The program began in 1983 with a $50 million federal appropriation.

Program History: Over 39 years of operation, the program has disbursed over $5.953 billion to over 14,000 local providers in more than 2,500 counties and cities.

Geographic Scope: United States and territories; United Way of West Alabama serves Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa counties

Purpose: Help meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States

Guiding Principles:

• Efficiency: Fiscal administration, reporting, and procedural guidance
• Accountability: Good steward of taxpayers' dollars through reasonable oversight and transparency
• Responsiveness: Prioritize allocation of supplemental funds to neediest areas
• Partnership: Promote and strengthen collaboration between nonprofit organizations and public sector
• Facilitating: Maximize appropriate local decision-making through clear guidance and training

Allowable Uses of Funds:

• Food (served meals or groceries)
• Lodging in mass shelter or hotel
• One month's rent or mortgage payment
• One month's utility bill
• Equipment necessary to feed or shelter people (up to $300 limit per item)

Eligible Applicants:

• Local nonprofit organizations
• Government organizations
• Organizations in funded jurisdictions only

What They Don't Fund: Direct client assistance is not provided by the EFSP National Board; funds are allocated through local boards and local organizations

Required Information: All agencies must provide:

• UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) - Apply at https://sam.gov
• FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) - Apply at www.irs.gov

Contact Information:

• Phone: (205) 345-6640
• Address: 2720 Gary Fitts St. Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
• Website: uwwa.org

Application Process

Important: There is no national application process. Applications are submitted to your Local Board when a jurisdiction is funded.

Steps:

1. When a jurisdiction is funded, the Local Board must advertise the availability of funds
2. Local nonprofit or governmental organizations may apply directly to the Local Board
3. The Local Board reviews all applications and determines which organizations will receive funds
4. The Local Board also determines which services are funded

Required Documentation:

• UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) - Obtain at https://sam.gov (as of April 4, 2022, replaces DUNS Number)
• FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) - Obtain at www.irs.gov at no cost

Important Note: Failure to provide UEI and FEIN numbers will prevent or delay the release of funds to agencies if they are awarded by the Local Board.

Contact: Use the contact form at uwwa.org or call (205) 345-6640 to inquire about application availability in your jurisdiction.