Department of the Treasury: Coronavirus Relief Fund Allocations to Tribal Governments

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Posted: May 5, 2020

The Department of the Treasury on May 5, 2020, released a new document regarding distribution of the $8 billion coronavirus relief fund promised to tribal governments.

“Coronavirus Relief Fund Allocations to Tribal Governments” explains the reasoning behind Treasury’s decision to bring in new information in determining relief awards to tribes. The awards will be linked to data used for Indian Housing Block Grants (IHBG), as well as certifications tribes made during the CARES Act process.

“Based on a reasonable assessment of the reliability, verifiability, and relevance of available data and after consulting with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Tribes, Treasury has determined that it is reasonable and appropriate to allocate payments based on a formula takes into account population data, employment data, and expenditure data,” the document reads. “This determination is also based on considerations of administrative feasibility—a particularly important factor in light of the need for prompt payment to Tribal governments to meet immediate needs.”

PDF: Coronavirus Relief Fund Allocations to Tribal Governments

Treasury will base 60 percent of the funding, or $4.8 billion, on the IHBG population data. The document explains how this information will be used for individual awards to tribes.

“Treasury will follow the IHBG practice of calculating a payment amount for each Tribal government based on single-race and then multi-race data and allocating the larger calculation amount for each Tribe,” the document reads.

The document, in a footnote, offers a link to a Department of Housing and Urban Development spreadsheet [XSLX] of IHBG data that will be used. For those having trouble accessing it, here is the file in PDF form.