The American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on October 22, 2010 that describes how FEMA and the Red Cross will work together as co-leaders of the mass care portion of Emergency Support Function #6 (ESF-6) of the National Response Framework (NRF).

FEMA and the Red Cross now share the leadership of ESF-6 to include feeding, sheltering, bulk distribution and family reunification. This partnership enhances collaboration between voluntary organizations and government response partners by bringing together the resourcing strengths of FEMA and the mass care expertise of the Red Cross. As co-leads, FEMA and the Red Cross work together to help government agencies and community organizations plan, coordinate and provide a breadth of mass care services for people affected by disasters.

The MOA calls for FEMA, the Red Cross and National VOAD to strengthen response capacity by developing and promulgating a National Mass Care Strategy. The 2020 version of the FEMA – Red Cross MOA can be found at the link below.