The Wisconsin Disaster Fund (WDF) is a state-funded reimbursement program that allows local governmental units – namely, counties, cities, townships, villages, and tribal units of government – to recoup costs incurred while responding to and recovering from disaster incidents. The state reimburses 70% of eligible costs after the local governmental unit submits a complete WDF application. The fund does not cover individuals, businesses, the agricultural sector, costs associated with snowstorms, damages covered by insurance, nor does it provide funds for mitigation activities. The fund does reimburse public disaster costs under three categories of work: Category A Debris Clearance, Category B Protective Measures, and Category C Road and Bridge Repair.

How to Apply

County and Tribal Emergency Management Directors submit the following documents:

  • Uniform Disaster Situation Report (UDSR) : submitted within 72 hours of an incident through WebEOC to WEM to provide basic information regarding the incident. This should be updated as better damage estimates are available
  • A County Notification form is submitted via email, which list the local jurisdictions seeking WDF reimbursement and their estimated recovery costs.

Local Applicant documentation is completed or uploaded into the EM Grants Pro system:

By 60 days from the end of the incident:
  • The Local Application and Damage Assessment is due 60-days from the end of the incident and is submitted through EM Grants Pro. While the final recovery work does not need to be completed by this timeframe, the application must include costs (actual and/or estimates). The Damage Assessment documentation can be submitted in a variety of ways, but must include the type of work, location (preferably GPS), dimensions (length, width, depth/height), and work necessary to bring the site back to pre-disaster condition. This must be done for all eligible categories of work (A, B, and C) as those are the only categories of work that are eligible for reimbursement. Photos are highly recommended to be included as they provide additional information on the damages.
By 90 days from the end of the incident:
  • All work should be completed. The final supporting documentation should be uploaded to EM Grants Pro. The supporting documentation includes timesheets for Force Account employee labor and equipment costs; invoices for materials and/or contract work and any other supporting documentation for the jurisdiction’s claim.
  • If additional time is needed to complete the recovery work, the applicant must submit a time extension through EM Grants Pro on or before the 90-day deadline.


WDF Contact Information

Kelsey Brown

Wisconsin Disaster Fund Coordinator

Phone: 608-242-3259 

Email:  widisasterfund@widma.gov