In May, Governor Inslee announced that the state would award $300 million of the state’s CARES funding to local governments that did not receive direct distributions under the CARES Act. On August 31^st the Governor announced an increase of $125 million awarded to local governments for a total of $420 million.

CRF funding may be used to reimburse local governments in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency during the period of March 1, 2020 thru Oct. 31, 2020. Reimbursements may include expenditures incurred to allow the local government to respond directly to the emergency, such as by addressing medical or public health needs, as well as expenditures in response to second-order effects of the emergency, such as economic support to those suffering from employment or business interruptions due to COVID-19-related business closures. 

Funds will be provided to cities and counties with populations under 500,000 that were ineligible to receive direct funding under the CARES Act. Cities and counties below 500,000-population will receive a per capita distribution. Counties will receive a minimum distribution of $300,000 and $30,000 for cities and towns. The specific distribution allocations were determined by the Office of Financial Management (OFM). For a complete list of recipients and eligibility criteria please visit the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund page.