Initial Directives from US Treasury for Counties to Receive Federal Funds

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The U.S. Department of Treasury issued its initial information on what counties need to do to begin the process of receiving their allocation from the American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund on April 15, 2021. Treasury also launched a website with resources and information about the Recovery Fund. These initial “pre-award requirements” outline immediate steps counties must take to receive direct payments from the U.S. Treasury.

As outlined in Treasury’s directives, counties should complete the following steps as soon as possible:

  1. Ensure the entity has a valid DUNS number.A DUNS number is a unique nine-character number used to identify an organization and is issued by Dun & Bradstreet. The federal government uses the DUNS number to track how federal money is allocated. A DUNS number is required prior to registering with the SAM database, which is outlined below. Registering for a DUNS number is free of charge. If an entity does not have a valid DUNS number, please visit https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ or call 1-866-705-5711 to begin the registration process. 
  2. Ensure the entity has an active SAM registration. SAM is the official government-wide database to register with in order to do business with the U.S. government. All Federal financial assistance recipients must register on govand renew their SAM registration annually to maintain an active status to be eligible to receive Federal financial assistance. There is no charge to register or maintain your entity SAM registration. If an entity does not have an active SAM registration, please visit SAM.gov to begin the entity registration or renewal process. Please note that SAM registration can take up to three weeks; delay in registering in SAM could impact timely payment of funds. Click here for a quick overview for SAM registration
  3. Gather the entity’s payment information, including:
  • Entity Identification Number (EIN), name, and contact information
  • Name and title of an authorized representative of the entity
  • Financial institution information (e.g., routing and account number, financial institution name and contact information)

Please begin this process immediately so your county is positioned to receive its funding as timely as possible. If you have any questions or issues in completing these initial steps please call SCAC staff member John Wienges at (803) 664-0774.

NACo held a membership call on April 21, 2021. The presentation slides shared during the call include the latest information on the US Treasury’s Guidance on the American Rescue Plan and steps counties need to take immediately to receive these federal funds once they become available.