Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF)

The Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Formula Grant Program is a partnership between federal, state and local governments to provide funding to assist local units of government in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus. 

Funds awarded under the CESF Program must be utilized to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Allowable projects and purchases include, but are not limited to, overtime (when approved by OCJP), equipment (including law enforcement and medical personal protective equipment), hiring, supplies (such as gloves, masks, sanitizer), training, travel expenses (particularly related to the distribution of resources to the most impacted areas), and addressing the medical needs of inmates in state, local, and tribal prisons, jails, and detention centers.

The intent of the CESF Program is to provide federal assistance to state agencies, local units of government, and non-profit organizations. The Department of Justice has defined a unit of local government as a general-purpose political subdivision of a state, such as a judicial district, city or county. Grants from this program can only be awarded to such entities.

CESF subrecipients must meet all allowable and unallowable cost requirements as authorized by Division B of H.R. 748, Pub. L. No. 116- 136 (Emergency Appropriations for Coronavirus Health Response and Agency Operations); 28 U.S.C. 530C.

In addition, state specific requirements and clarification are listed below. For further clarification contact your OCJP Program Manager.

A.  Examples of allowable costs include: 

• Temporary Staff
• Operational Costs
• Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE; i.e. gloves, masks, sanitizer, disinfectant)
• Clothing, Equipment and Furniture
• Professional Fees
• Publication of Documents and Electronic Media
• Technology (i.e. Computer Software and Hardware)
• Travel, Training, Conferences, and Meetings
  •  CESF funds can support costs such as travel, meals, lodging, and registration fees to attend training within the state or a similar geographical area. Subrecipients are encouraged to first look for available training within their immediate geographical area. However, when needed training is unavailable within the immediate area, OCJP must be contacted for prior approval for travel outside the state. Expenses and reimbursements for all in state and out of state travel must follow the State of Tennessee Comprehensive Travel Regulations or the subrecipient travel regulations/rates, if lower.
• Medical care for inmates that have tested positive for COVID-19
• Any other costs associated with the implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Guidance documents, specifically:
  • Interim Guidance on Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Correctional and Detention Facilities
  • What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States
  • Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), May 2020

B.  Items requiring PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL from OCJP:

• Overtime / Personnel Costs
• Firearms and any other weapons
• Vehicle Purchases
  • Subrecipients may use CESF funds to purchase or lease vehicles if they can demonstrate to OCJP that such expenditure is essential to assist local units of government in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus.  OCJP must give PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL for all such purchases.
• Individual items costing $500,000 or more
• Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aircraft (UA), and/or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
• Body Armor
  • Ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant body armor purchased with award funds may be purchased at any threat level, make or model, from any distributor or manufacturer, as long as the body armor has been tested and found to comply with applicable National Institute of Justice ballistic or stab standards and is listed on the NIJ Compliant Body Armor Model List (https://nij.gov/topics/technology/body-armor/Pages/compliant-ballistic-armor.aspx). In addition, ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant body armor purchased must be made in the United States and must be uniquely fitted, as set forth in 34 U.S.C. 10202(c)(1)(A). The latest NIJ standard information can be found here: https:/ / nij.gov/ topics/ technology/ body-armor/ pages/ safety-initiative.aspx.

C.  Example of unallowable costs include:

• Forgone Revenue
• Food and Beverages
• Construction
• Land Acquisition
• Lobbying
  • Should any question arise as to whether a particular use of federal funds by a recipient (or subrecipient) would or might fall within the scope of these prohibitions, the recipient is to contact OCJP for guidance, and may not proceed without the express prior written approval of OCJP.

See All Fund Sources: Chapters XIV. Allowable Costs and XV. Unallowable Costs for more information.

Publication shall be construed as the initiation of the procurement of writing, editing, preparation of related illustration material, including videos, from recipients/subrecipients, or the internal printing requirements of the recipient/subrecipient necessary for compliance with the terms of the project. However, individuals are authorized to make or have made by any means available to them, without regard to the copyright of the journal and without royalty, a single copy of any such article for their own use.

Project Directors are encouraged to make the results and accomplishments of their activities available to the public. A recipient/subrecipient who publicizes project activities and results shall adhere to the terms and conditions of the award as well as the following:

• Responsibility for the direction of the project activity should not be ascribed to OCJP or DOJ. All reports, studies, notices, informational pamphlets, press releases, signs, billboards, DVDs, public awareness kits, training curricula, webinars, websites, and similar public notices (written, visual or sound) prepared and released by the Grantee shall include the statement:

"This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs and is supported by Award #______________ awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, USDOJ."

• Additionally, studies and research/report type publications expressing the direction of project activity must also contain the following federal funding statement:

“The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations contained within this document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.”

• Prior to any printing or publication, all subrecipients will contact their OCJP Program Manager to obtain their verified Federal Award Number.
• A recipient/subrecipient is expected to publish or otherwise make widely available to the public, as requested by OCJP or OVC, the results of work conducted or produced under an award.
• All publication and distribution agreements with a publisher will include provisions giving the Federal government and State of Tennessee a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use and to authorize others to use the publication for Federal government purposes.
• Unless otherwise specified in the award, the recipient/subrecipient may copyright any books, publications, films, or other copyrightable material developed or purchased as a result of award activities. Copyrighted material shall be subject to the same provisions of the Federal government.
• The recipient/subrecipient shall submit a publication and distribution plan to OCJP before materials developed under an award are commercially published or distributed. The plan shall include a description of the materials, the rationale for commercial publication and distribution, the criteria to be used in the selection of a publisher, and, to assure reasonable competition, the identification of firms that will be approached.  Prior OCJP approval of this plan is required for publishing project activities and results when Federal funds are used to pay for the publication.

The above information is specific to CESF funds. For additional requirements regarding publications, see Chapter XI Printing,Publications and Media. 

CESF subrecipients must collect, maintain, and provide to OCJP, data that measure the performance and effectiveness of activities under this award, in the manner, and within the timeframes, specified in the program solicitation, or as otherwise specified by OCJP. Data collection supports compliance with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and the GPRA Modernization Act, and other applicable laws. 

This section will be updated as further guidance from DOJ is provided.   

Reporting should include, but is not limited to:

• an annual report that outlines/could include how many individuals are estimated to receive services
• types of trainings
• what equipment and/or supplies were used and how were they used to prevent, prepare and respond to Covid 19

The Project Director is responsible for timely submission of completed program and fiscal reports. Inability to submit required reports in a timely fashion is considered a failure of required contract obligations. Unless otherwise stated, CESF subrecipients are expected to participate in all report training events.

NOTE: The subrecipient is required to gather and maintain statistical data relating to grant project activities as required by the Office of Criminal Justice Programs. The data collected should support the information submitted on all reports. OCJP may periodically request to see the back-up data that supports the information submitted on your output and outcome reports.