FY_2017_NSGP_NOFO_Final.pdf

FY 2017 NSGP NOFO

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)

NOTE: Eligible recipients who plan to apply for this funding opportunity but who have not obtained a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and/or are not currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), should take immediate action to obtain a DUNS Number, if applicable, and then to register immediately in SAM. New registration can take an average of 7-10 business days to process in SAM. SAM must send out some information for validation with outside parties before your registration can be activated; this includes Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) validation with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) validation/assignment with Department of Defense (DoD). This timeframe may be longer if the information you provide is flagged for manual validation by either party. If you notice your registration has had a ‘Submitted’ status for longer than 10 business days, and you have not otherwise been contacted to correct or update information, please contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220 or https://www.fsd.gov. Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in SAM is available from Grants.gov at: http://www.Grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. Detailed information regarding DUNS and SAM is also provided in Section D of this NOFO, subsection, Content and Form of Application Submission.

A. Program Description

Issued By U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Grant Programs Directorate (GPD)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 97.008

CFDA Title Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title Nonprofit Security Grant Program

NOFO Number

DHS-17-GPD- 008-00-01

Authorizing Authority for Program Section 2003 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (Pub. L. No. 107-296) (6 U.S.C. § 604)

Appropriation Authority for Program Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. No. 115-31)

Program Type New

Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

Overview The FY 2017 NSGP provides funding support for physical security enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack and located within one of the urban areas receiving funding under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). The program seeks to integrate the preparedness activities of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack with broader state and local preparedness efforts. The NSGP also promotes emergency preparedness coordination and collaboration activities between public and private community representatives as well as state and local government agencies. Among the five basic homeland security missions noted in the DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, the NSGP supports the goal to Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience.

Objectives The FY 2017 NSGP objectives are to support efforts that:

Build and sustain core capabilities Strengthen governance integration between private nonprofit entities and Federal, state, and local governments Encourage a whole community approach to security and emergency management

Priorities The National Preparedness Goal (the Goal) defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies. The National Preparedness System is the instrument the Nation employs to build, sustain, and deliver core capabilities in order to achieve the Goal of a secure and resilient Nation. The FY 2017 NSGP plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the development and sustainment of core capabilities. The core capabilities, outlined in the Goal are essential for the execution of the five mission areas—Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery—and the realization of a secure and resilient Nation. The development and sustainment of these core capabilities are not exclusive to any single organization, but rather require the combined effort of the whole community. The FY 2017 NSGP’s allowable costs support efforts to build and sustain core capabilities across mission areas. For additional details on priorities and additional costs for this program, please refer to Appendix B – NSGP Priorities.

B. Federal Award Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for the NSGP: $25,000,000 Each nonprofit organization may apply for up to $75,000 and must apply through their respective State Administrative Agency (SAA).

Period of Performance: Thirty-six (36) months Extensions to the period of performance are allowed. For additional information on period of performance extensions, refer to Section H of this NOFO, Additional Information - Extensions.

Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): September 1, 2017

Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): August 31, 2020

Funding Instrument: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants The SAA is the only entity eligible to apply for FY 2017 NSGP funds on behalf of eligible nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit organizations must apply for FY 2017 NSGP through their SAA.

A list of SAA points of contact is available at: http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28689?id=6363. Nonprofit organizations may not apply directly to DHS/FEMA for FY 2017 NSGP funds.

SAAs, in coordination with the Urban Area Working Groups (UAWG), are encouraged to notify and actively inform eligible nonprofit organizations of the availability of FY 2017 NSGP funding.

Eligibility Criteria Eligible nonprofit organizations are those organizations that are:

1) Described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such code; refer to links below for additional information:

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/exemption-requirements-section-501-c-3-organizations https://www.irs.gov/publications/p557/ch03.html https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits

Note: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not require certain organizations such as churches, mosques, and synagogues to apply for and receive a recognition of exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC. Such organizations are automatically exempt if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3). These organizations are not required to provide recognition of exemption. For organizations that the IRS requires to apply for and receive a recognition of exemption under 501(c)(3), the state may or may not require recognition of exemption, as long as the method chosen is applied consistently.

2) Located within one of the FY 2017 UASI-designated urban areas, listed in Appendix A- FY 2017 NSGP UASI- Designated Urban Areas; and

3) Determined to be at high risk of a terrorist attack by the Secretary of DHS.

Other Eligibility Criteria

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation Prior to allocation of any Federal preparedness awards in FY 2017, recipients must ensure and maintain adoption and implementation of NIMS. DHS/FEMA describes the specific training and activities involved in NIMS implementation in the NIMS Training Program https://www.fema.gov/training-0 and the NIMS Implementation Objectives https://www.fema.gov/implementation-guidance-and-reporting.

Incident management activities require carefully managed resources (personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and/or supplies). Utilization of the standardized resource management concepts such as typing, credentialing, and inventorying promote a strong national mutual aid capability needed to support delivery of core capabilities. Recipients should manage resources purchased or supported with DHS/FEMA grant funding according to NIMS resource management guidance. Additional information on resource management and NIMS resource typing definitions and job titles/position qualifications is available on DHS/FEMA’s website under http://www.fema.gov/resource-management-mutual-aid.

Nonprofit subrecipients are not required to maintain adoption and implementation of

NIMS.

Cost Share or Match There is no cost share requirement for the FY 2017 NSGP.

D. Application and Submission Information

Key Dates and Times

Date Posted to Grants.gov: June 2, 2017

Application Submission Deadline for the SAA: June 22, 2017, 5:00PM EDT

Application Submission Deadline for Nonprofit Organizations:

SAAs establish all requirements and deadlines to manage their nonprofit sub-application process in support of their submissions to DHS/FEMA. Deadlines and state requirements may vary from state to state. Contact the SAA for submission deadlines or additional information.

Nonprofit applications are due to the SAA before the application submission deadline for SAAs of June 22, 2017.

All applications must be received by the established deadline. The Non-Disaster (ND) Grants System has a date stamp that indicates when an application is submitted.

Applicants will receive an electronic message confirming receipt of the full application.

Due to the competitive nature of the NSGP, DHS/FEMA will not review applications that are not received by the deadline or consider them for funding. DHS/FEMA may, however, extend the application deadline by request for any applicant who can demonstrate that good cause exists to justify extending the deadline. Good cause for an extension may include technical problems outside of the applicant’s control that prevent submission of the application by the deadline, or other exigent or emergency circumstances. Applicants who experience technical issues must notify their DHS/FEMA Headquarters (HQ) Program Analyst before the application deadline.

Applicants should contact the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) for FEMA HQ Program Analyst contact information. CSID can be reached by phone at

(800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at askcsid@dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: September 1, 2017

Anticipated Award Date: No later than September 30, 2017

Address to Request Application Package Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov (hardcopies of the NOFO and associated application materials are not available). To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov , select “Applicants” then “Apply for Grants,” read the registration requirements, and register, if necessary (Allow up to 7-10 business days after submitting before the registration is active in SAM, then an additional 24 hours for Grants.gov to recognize the information). In order to obtain the application package select “Download a Grant Application Package.” Enter the CFDA and/or the funding opportunity number located on the cover of this NOFO, select “Download Package,” and then follow the prompts to download the application package.

Applicants experiencing difficulties accessing information or which have any questions should call the Grants.gov customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726.

In addition, the following Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) and/or Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) number available for this Notice is: (800) 462-7585.

Applications will be processed through the Grants.gov portal and DHS/FEMA’s Non- Disaster Grants (ND Grants) System.

Content and Form of Application Submission Applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process. To ensure that an application is submitted on time, applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their submission. Failure of an applicant to comply with any of the required steps before the deadline for submitting the application may disqualify the application from funding.

The steps for applicants to follow in applying for an award under this program are:

1. Applying for, updating, or verifying their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number;

2. Applying for, updating, or verifying their Employer Identification Number (EIN);

3. Updating or verifying their System for Award Management (SAM) Registration;

4. Establishing an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in Grants.gov;

5. Submitting an initial application in Grants.gov; and

6. Submitting the final application in the Non Disaster Grants (ND Grants) system.

Each of the required steps associated with the application process are explained in the sections below.

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Before applying for a DHS/FEMA grant at Grants.gov, applicants must have a DUNS number, be registered in SAM, and be approved as an AOR. The steps for completing these pre-application processes are outlined below.

NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to register early. The registration processes can take four weeks or more to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the applicant’s ability to meet required submission deadlines.

Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number The DUNS number must be included in the data entry field labeled "Organizational DUNS" on the SF-424 form in Grants.gov. Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number can be found at the following website:

http://www.grants.gov//web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html.

The applicant must provide a DUNS number with their application. This number is a required field for all subsequent steps in the application submission. Applicants should verify they have a DUNS number, or take the steps necessary to obtain one.

Applicants can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the DUNS number request line at (866) 705-5711. DHS/FEMA cannot assist applicants with questions related to obtaining a current DUNS number.

Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) DHS/FEMA requires both the EIN and a DUNS number prior to the issuance of a financial assistance award and for grant award payment; both the EIN and a DUNS number are required to register with SAM. The EIN base for an organization is the IRS Tax ID number; for individuals it is their social security number. The social security and

IRS Tax ID numbers are both nine-digit numbers. Organizations and individuals submitting their applications must correctly identify the EIN from the DUNS number since both are 9-digit numbers. If these numbers are not correctly identified in the application, a delay in the issuance of the funding award and/or incorrect payment to a recipient organization may result.

Organizations applying for an EIN should plan on a minimum of two full weeks to obtain an EIN. For assistance registering an EIN please contact the IRS helpline. DHS/FEMA cannot assist applicants with questions related to obtaining a current EIN.

Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants applying for grant funds electronically through Grants.gov must register with SAM. Step-by-step instructions for registering with SAM can be found here:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html. All applicants must register with SAM in order to apply online. Failure to register with the SAM will result in the application being rejected by Grants.gov during the submissions process.

Payment under any DHS/FEMA award is contingent on the recipient’s having a current SAM registration. The SAM registration process must be completed by the applicant. It is imperative that the information provided by the applicant is correct and current. Please ensure that the organization’s name, address, DUNS number and EIN are up to date in SAM and that the DUNS number used in SAM is the same one used to apply for all other DHS/FEMA awards.

SAM registration is a multi-step process including validating the EIN with the IRS to obtain a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code. The CAGE code is only valid for one year after issuance and must be current at the time of application.

SAM sends notifications to the registered user via email 60, 30, and 15 days prior to expiration of the SAM registration for the Entity. SAM registration may lapse due to inactivity. To update or renew Entity records(s) in SAM, applicants will need to create a SAM User Account and link it to the migrated Entity records.

For assistance registering, please go to SAM or call 866-606-8220. DHS/FEMA cannot assist applicants with questions related to registering in SAM or obtaining a current CAGE code.

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an AOR. AORs will need to know the DUNS number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process.

Applicants must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization as the AOR. This step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html.

AOR Authorization After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz Point of Contact (POC), a representative from the applicant organization who is the contact listed for SAM, will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. The E-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an applicant as the AOR, thereby giving granting permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html.To track an AOR status visit:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html.

Applicants are encouraged to register early. The registration process can take four weeks or more to be completed. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not jeopardize required submission deadlines. Approval as an AOR is necessary in order to submit applications online.

Electronic Signature Applications submitted through Grants.gov constitute an electronically signed application. When submitting the application through Grants.gov, the name of the applicant’s AOR will be inserted into the signature line of the application.

Applicants experiencing difficulties accessing information or who have any questions should call the Grants.gov customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726 or email Grants.gov at support@grants.gov.

The Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

Submitting an Initial Application in Grants.gov Following completion of the pre-application procedures above, applicants must submit their initial application through Grants.gov. Applicants may need to first create a Grants.gov user profile by visiting the Get Registered section of the Grants.gov website.

Successful completion of this step is necessary for DHS/FEMA to determine applicant eligibility. Applicants should complete this initial step on-line which requires completing:

Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance, and Grants.gov Certification Regarding Lobbying.

Both forms are available in the Forms tab under SF-424 Family. The initial application cannot be started or submitted in Grants.gov unless the applicant’s registration in SAM is confirmed.

Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov by selecting Apply for Grants. Enter the CFDA number or the Opportunity ID Number noted in this NOFO, select Download Application Package, and follow the prompts to download the application package. The information submitted in Grants.gov will be retrieved by ND Grants, which will allow DHS/FEMA to determine if an applicant is eligible. Applicants are encouraged to submit their initial application in Grants.gov at least ten days before the June 22, 2017, 5:00 PM (EDT) application deadline.

For assistance applying through Grants.gov, please go to the Grant Application page, contact support@grants.gov, or call 800-518-4726. DHS/FEMA cannot assist applicants with questions related to registering with Grants.gov.

Submitting the Final Application in Non Disaster Grants System (ND Grants) After submitting the initial application in Grants.gov, eligible applicants will be notified by DHS/FEMA and asked to proceed with submitting their complete application package in ND Grants. Applicants can register early with ND Grants and are encouraged to begin their ND Grants registration at the time of this announcement. Early registration will allow applicants to have adequate time to start and complete their application.

In ND Grants applicants will be prompted to submit all of the information contained in the following forms. Applicants should review these forms before applying to ensure they have included all information required:

Standard Form 424A, Budget Information (Non-construction);

Standard Form 424B, Standard Assurances (Non-construction); and Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

In addition applicants must submit copies of the following in ND Grants:

Investment Justifications from eligible nonprofits;

Standard Form 424D, Standard Assurances (Construction) if applying for funds to use for construction;

Standard Form 424 C Budget Information (Construction) if applying for funds to use for construction;

SAA Prioritization of Investment Justifications (in rank order) in DHS/FEMA-provided template (OMB Control Number: 1660-0110/FEMA Form 089-24); and Indirect Cost Agreement if applicable.

The standard forms can be found here: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 For assistance registering for the ND Grants system, please contact ndgrants@fema.gov or (800) 865-4076.

NSGP Nonprofit Application As part of the FY 2017 NSGP application each eligible nonprofit sub-applicant must submit the following three documents to the SAA:

NSGP Investment Justification (IJ)

Each sub-applicant, must develop a formal IJ that addresses each investment proposed for funding. Security enhancements must be for the locations that the nonprofit occupies at the time of application. The investments or projects described in the IJ must:

1. Address an identified risk, including threat and vulnerability, and build or sustain a core capability identified in the Goal;

2. Demonstrate the ability to provide enhancements consistent with the purpose of the program and guidance provided by DHS/FEMA;

3. Be both feasible and effective at reducing the risks for which the project was designed;

4. Be able to be fully completed within the three-year period of performance;

and

5. Be consistent with all applicable requirements outlined in the NOFO.

Vulnerability/Risk Assessment

Each sub-applicant must include its vulnerability/risk assessment on which the request in the IJ is based.

Mission Statement

Each sub-applicant must include its Mission Statement and any mission implementing policies or practices that may elevate the organization’s risk.

Recognizing the impact an organization’s ideology, beliefs, or mission may have on their risk of potential terrorist threats, SAA’s will use the Mission Statement along with information provided in the applicant’s IJ in order to validate the organization type. The central purpose of the organization described in the Mission Statement will be used to validate the organization type identified in the IJ as one of the following: 1) Ideology-based/Spiritual/Religious; 2) Educational;

3) Medical; or 4) Other.

The organization type is a factor when calculating the final score of the application; see Section E. Application Review Information – Final Score.

The Vulnerability/Risk Assessment and the Mission Statement are not to be submitted in ND Grants but should be maintained by the SAA and must be made available to DHS/FEMA upon request.

Applicants will find additional information regarding the NSGP IJ template, DHS/FEMA Form 089-24 (OMB Control Number: 1660-0110), in Appendix D –NSGP Investment Justification and Scoring Criteria.

Intergovernmental Review An intergovernmental review may be required. Applicants must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372 (see http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf). Name and addresses of the SPOCs are maintained at the Office of Management and Budget’s home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc to ensure currency.

Funding Restrictions Federal funds made available through this award may only be used for the purpose set forth in this award and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award.

Award funds may not be used for matching funds for any other Federal award, lobbying, or intervention in Federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, Federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal Government or any other government entity.

Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance As a Federal agency, DHS/FEMA is required to consider the effects of its actions on the environment and/or historic properties to ensure that all activities and programs funded by the agency, including grant funded projects, comply with Federal EHP regulations, laws and Executive Orders as applicable. Recipients and subrecipients proposing projects that have the potential to impact the environment, including but not limited to construction of communication towers, modification or renovation of existing buildings, structures and facilities, or new construction including replacement of facilities, must participate in the DHS/FEMA EHP review process. The EHP review process involves the submission of a detailed project description along with supporting documentation so that DHS/FEMA may determine whether the proposed project has the potential to impact environmental resources and/or historic properties. In some cases, DHS/FEMA is also required to consult with other regulatory agencies and the public in order to complete the review process. The EHP review process must be completed before funds are released to carry out the proposed project; otherwise DHS/FEMA may not be able to fund the project due to non-compliance with EHP laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies.

Additionally, all recipients are required to comply with DHS/FEMA EHP Policy Guidance. This EHP Policy Guidance can be found in FP 108-023-1, Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation Policy Guidance, and GPD EHP Compliance and Reference Documentation at: https://www.fema.gov/environmental-planning-and-historic-preservation-compliance.

SAFECOM

Recipients (including subrecipients) who receive awards under NSGP that wholly or partially provide funding for emergency communication projects and related activities must comply with the most recent version of the SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants. This guidance provides recommendations to recipients regarding interoperable emergency communications projects, including allowable costs, eligible activities, grants management best practices for emergency communications grants, and information on technical standards that ensure greater interoperability. The guidance is intended to ensure that Federally-funded investments are compatible, interoperable, and support the national goals and objectives for improving emergency communications nationwide.

Pre-award Costs

Pre-award costs are allowable only with the prior written approval of DHS/FEMA and if they are included in the award agreement. To request pre-award costs a written request must be included with the application and signed by the Representative of the entity. The letter must outline what the pre-award costs are for, including a detailed budget break-out of pre-award costs from the post-award costs, and a justification for approval.

Cost Principles Costs charged to this award must be consistent with the Cost Principles for Federal Awards located at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E.

Direct Costs

Planning Planning related costs are not allowed under this program.

Organization Organization related costs are not allowed under this program.

Equipment Equipment related costs are allowed under this program only as described in this

NOFO.

Applicants should analyze the cost benefits of purchasing versus leasing equipment, especially high cost items and those subject to rapid technical advances. Large equipment purchases must be identified and explained. For more information regarding property management standards for equipment, please reference 2 C.F.R. § 200.313, located at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c836a011886f180dac489e15c059b1aa&node=sg2.1.200_1309.sg2&rgn=div7.

Training Training related costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO.

Exercises Exercise related costs are not allowed under this program.

Travel Travel costs are not allowed under this program.

Construction and Renovation Construction and renovation costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO.

Operational Overtime Operational Overtime costs are not allowed under this program.

Maintenance and Sustainment Maintenance and Sustainment related costs, such as maintenance contracts, warranties, repair or replacement costs, upgrades, and user fees are allowable as described in DHS/FEMA Policy FP 205-402-125-1 (http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32474).

For additional details on allowable costs under the NSGP, see Appendix C – Funding Guidelines of this NOFO.

Management and Administration (M&A) Costs M&A are costs for activities directly related to the management and administration of the award. M&A costs are allowed under this program as described below.

State (recipient) M&A:

The NSGP is a sub-component of the UASI program and states must ensure that 100 percent (100%) of each individual NSGP award is passed through to the nonprofit organizations awarded funding by DHS/FEMA.

The state may use UASI funding for M&A purposes associated with administering the NSGP award. However, the state’s overall M&A withholding for the NSGP and UASI programs may not exceed five percent (5%) of the sum total of the state’s combined UASI and NSGP awards.

Nonprofit (subrecipient) M&A:

Nonprofit organizations that receive a subaward under this program may use and expend up to five percent (5%) of their FY 2017 NSGP funds for M&A purposes associated with the subaward.

M&A activities are those defined as directly relating to the management and administration of NSGP funds, such as financial management and monitoring.

Management and administrative expenses must be based on actual expenses or known contractual costs. Requests that are simple percentages of the award, without supporting justification, will not be allowed or considered for reimbursement.

M&A costs are not operational costs, they are the necessary costs incurred in direct support of the grant or as a consequence of the grant and should be allocated across the entire lifecycle of the grant. Examples include preparing and submitting required programmatic and financial reports, establishing and/or maintaining equipment inventory, documenting operational and equipment expenditures for financial accounting purposes; and responding to official informational requests from state and federal oversight authorities.

Indirect (Facilities & Administrative [F&A]) Costs Indirect costs are allowable under this program as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.414. With the exception of recipients who have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), recipients must have an approved indirect cost rate agreement with their cognizant Federal agency to charge indirect costs to this award. A copy of the approved rate (a fully executed, agreement negotiated with the applicant’s cognizant Federal agency) is required at the time of application and must be provided to DHS/FEMA before indirect costs are charged to the award.

See Appendix C - Funding Guidelines for additional details.

E. Application Review Information

Application Evaluation Criteria Prior to making a Federal award, FEMA is required by 31 U.S.C. § 3321 and 41 U.S.C. § 2313 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information. Therefore application evaluation criteria may include the following risk based considerations of the applicant: (1) financial stability; (2) quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards; (3) history of performance in managing Federal award; (4) reports and findings from audits; and (5) ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

FY 2017 NSGP applications are to be submitted by nonprofit organizations to their respective SAA and the UAWG. FY 2017 NSGP applications will be reviewed through a two-phased State and Federal review process for completeness, adherence to programmatic guidelines, feasibility, and how well the IJ (project description and justification) addresses the identified risk.

Criteria The following are FY 2017 NSGP evaluation criteria:

State and Federal verification that the nonprofit organization is located within one of the FY 2017 UASI-designated urban areas, listed in Appendix A – FY 2017 NSGP UASI-Designated Urban Areas

Identification and substantiation of current or persistent threats or attacks (from within or outside the U.S.) by a terrorist organization, network, or cell against the applicant based on their ideology, beliefs, or mission

Symbolic value of the site(s) as a highly recognized regional and/or national or historical institution(s) that renders the site a possible target of terrorism

Role of the applicant nonprofit organization in responding to or recovering from terrorist attacks

Findings from previously conducted threat and/or vulnerability assessments Integration of nonprofit preparedness with broader state and local preparedness efforts Complete and feasible IJ that addresses an identified risk, including the assessed threat, vulnerability, and consequence of the risk, and proposes building or sustaining a core capability identified in the Goal

History of prior funding under NSGP. Not having received prior year funding is a positive factor when calculating the state score of the application; see Section E.

Application Review Information – Review and Selection Process for additional information.

For complete information on the criteria used to review and score IJs at the state and Federal levels, please refer to Appendix D – NSGP Investment Justification and Scoring Criteria.

Grant projects must be: 1) both feasible and effective at reducing the risks for which the project was designed; and 2) able to be fully completed within the 3-year period of performance.

DHS/FEMA will use the information provided in the application, as well as any supporting documentation, to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the grant project. Information that would assist in the feasibility and effectiveness determination includes the following:

Scope of work (purpose and objectives of the project, identification of what is being protected) Desired outcomes, including expected long-term impact where applicable Summary of status of planning and design accomplished to date (e.g. included in a capital improvement plan) Project schedule

Recipients (and subrecipients) are expected to conform, as applicable, with accepted engineering practices, established codes, standards, modeling techniques, and best practices.

Review and Selection Process State Review Application packages are submitted by the nonprofit organization to the SAA and the UAWG based on the established criteria.

As part of the State Review, the SAAs must:

Conduct an eligibility review, in coordination with the UAWG;

Verify that the nonprofit is located within a FY 2017 UASI designated urban area;

Review and score all complete application packages (including mission statements and vulnerability assessments) using the NSGP Scoring Worksheet provided by DHS/FEMA; see Appendix E – NSGP Investment Justification Scoring Worksheet; Note: A bonus point will be added to the state score for all organizations that have not received NSGP funding in previous years; this will be the final state score;

Validate the organization type listed in the IJ by assessing the central purpose of the organization described in the Mission Statement, as either 1) Ideology-based/Spiritual/Religious; 2) Educational; 3) Medical; or 4) Other; and

Prioritize all NSGP IJs by ranking each IJ. Each IJ will receive a unique rank (#1 [one] being the highest ranked through the total number of applications the SAA scored).

The SAA will base the ranking on the SAA’s subject matter expertise and discretion with consideration to the following factors:

o Need: The relative need for the nonprofit organization compared to the other applicants; and o Impact: The feasibility of the proposed project and how effectively the proposed project addresses the identified need.

Submit the scores from the state review along with the prioritized list of all NSGP projects to DHS/FEMA using the SAA Prioritization Tracker.

Retain the mission statements and vulnerability assessments submitted by each nonprofit organization.

Federal Review The highest-scoring IJs from each submitting urban area (at least one from each urban area) are reviewed by a panel made up of DHS/FEMA HQ Program Analysts and Regional Program Analysts or Grants Management Specialists. Federal staff will verify that the nonprofit is located within a FY 2017 UASI designated urban area. Two Federal reviewers will score each IJ using the NSGP Investment Justification Scoring Worksheet.

Determining the number of applications that will advance to the Federal Review:

1) FEMA will organize applications in rank order (based on the state scores) from highest to lowest score.

2) Federal reviewers will come up with the federal review pool by reviewing the highest scored projects equal to 150% of the available funding, which is $37.5 million this year. At least one IJ from each submitting Urban Area is guaranteed to be a part of the federal review pool.

Final Score To calculate an application’s final score, the sum of the applicant’s state score and the average of the two Federal reviewers’ scores will be multiplied:

By a factor of three for nonprofit groups that are at a high risk of terrorist attacks due to their ideology, beliefs, or mission;

By a factor of two for medical and educational institutions; and By a factor of one for all other nonprofit organizations.

All final application scores will then be sorted in descending order, regardless of urban area, and applicants will be selected from highest to lowest until available FY 2017 NSGP funding has been exhausted. In the event of a tie during the funding determination process, priority will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior year funding, then those ranked highest by their SAA.

DHS/FEMA will use the final results to make funding recommendations to the Secretary of DHS. All final funding determinations will be made by the Secretary of DHS, who retains the discretion to consider other factors and information in addition to DHS/FEMA’s funding recommendations.

Financial Review DHS/FEMA HQ Grants Management Specialists will conduct a financial risk assessment using the following criteria:

Allowability, allocability, and financial reasonableness of the proposed budget and investment information.

Whether the recipient meets the financial and legal requirements listed in 2 C.F.R.

Part 200.

Prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $150,000, DHS/FEMA is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS).

An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.

DHS/FEMA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. §

200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Notice of Award Notification of award approval is made through the ND Grants system through an automatic e-mail to the awardee point of contact (the “authorized official”) listed in the initial application. The “award date” for NSGP will be the date that DHS/FEMA approves the award. The recipient should follow the directions in the notification to confirm acceptance of the award.

Funds will remain on hold until the recipient accepts the award through the ND Grants system and all other conditions of award have been satisfied, or the award is otherwise rescinded. Failure to accept the grant award within the 90 day timeframe may result in a loss of funds.

Recipients must accept their awards no later than 90 days from the award date. The recipient shall notify the awarding agency of its intent to accept and proceed with work under the award through the ND Grants system. Instructions on how to accept or decline an award in the ND Grants system is in the ND Grants Grantee Training Manual.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements All successful applicants for all DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions, which are available online at: DHS Standard Terms and Conditions.

The applicable DHS Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions will be those in effect at the time the award was made.

Before accepting the award the AOR should carefully review the award package. The award package includes instructions on administering the grant award and the terms and conditions associated with responsibilities under Federal Awards. Recipients must accept all conditions in this NOFO as well as any Special Terms and Conditions in the Notice of Award to receive an award under this program.

Pass-through Funding Requirements Pass-through funding is required under this program.

Awards made to the SAA for the FY 2017 NSGP carry additional pass-through requirements. Pass-through is defined as an obligation on the part of the state to make subawards to selected nonprofit organizations. The SAA must provide 100 percent (100 %) of funds awarded under NSGP to successful nonprofit applicants within 45 days of receipt of the funds. A letter of intent (or equivalent) to distribute funds is not sufficient.

Award subrecipients that are selected for funding under this program must be provided with funding within 45 days from the date the funds are first made available to the recipient so that they can initiate implementation of approved investments.

For the SAA to successfully meet the pass-through requirement and provide funding to the subrecipients, the SAA must meet the following four requirements:

There must be some action by the SAA to establish a firm commitment to award the funds to the selected nonprofit organization;

The action must be unconditional on the part of the SAA (i.e., no contingencies for availability of SAA funds);

There must be documentary evidence of the commitment of the award of funding to the selected nonprofit organization; and

The SAA must communicate the terms of the subaward to the selected nonprofit organization.

If a nonprofit organization is selected for a FY 2017 NSGP award and elects to decline the award, the SAA must notify their HQ Program Analyst. The SAA may not re-obligate to another subrecipient.

Reporting Recipients are required to submit various financial and programmatic reports as a condition of award acceptance. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if these reports are delinquent.

Federal Financial Reporting Requirements

Federal Financial Report (FFR) Recipients must report obligations and expenditures ported on a quarterly basis through the FFR (SF-425) to DHS/FEMA. Recipients must file the FFR electronically using the Payment and Reporting Systems (PARS). A FFR must be submitted quarterly throughout the period of performance, including partial calendar quarters, as well as for periods where no grant award activity occurs. The final FFR is due 90 days after the end of the performance period. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if these reports are delinquent, demonstrate lack of progress, or are insufficient in detail.

The Federal Financial Reporting Form (FFR) is available online at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1, SF-425 OMB #4040-0014.

Financial Reporting Periods and Due Dates The following reporting periods and due dates apply for the FFR:

Reporting Period Report Due Date

October 1 – December 31 January 30 January 1 – March 31 April 30 April 1 – June 30 July 30 July 1 – September 30 October 30

Financial and Compliance Audit Report For audits of fiscal years beginning on or after December 26, 2014, recipients that expend $750,000 or more from all Federal funding sources during their fiscal year are required to submit an organization-wide financial and compliance audit report. The audit must be performed in accordance with the requirements of Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Government Auditing Standards, located at http://www.gao.gov/govaud/ybk01.htm, and the requirements of Subpart F of 2 C.F.R.

Part 200, located at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=sp2.1.200.f.

Program Performance Reporting Requirements

Performance Progress Reports (PPR) Recipients will be required to report on progress towards implementing projects described in their application on a biannual basis.

Program Performance Reporting Periods and Due Dates The following reporting periods and due dates apply for the PPR:

Reporting Period Report Due Date January 1 – June 30 July 30 July 1 – December 31 January 30

Biannual Strategy Implementation Reports (BSIR) In addition to the quarterly financial and biannual performance progress reports, recipients are responsible for completing and submitting summer and winter BSIRs in the Grants Reporting Tool (GRT). The BSIR is due within 30 days after the end of the reporting period (July 30 for the reporting period of January 1 through June 30 (the summer BSIR report); and January 30 for the reporting period of July 1 through December 31 (winter BSIR report).

The Grants Reporting Tool (GRT) is the system in which NSGP recipients will submit their BSIR information. Recipients should go to the following link and follow the links to create a new account as needed: https://www.reporting.odp.dhs.gov/. This report is used to track the progress toward the completion of projects.

Closeout Reporting Requirements

DHS/FEMA will close out the grant award when it determines that all applicable administrative actions and all required work of the NSGP award have been completed by the recipient. This section summarizes the actions that the recipient must take to complete the closeout process in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.343 at the end of the grant’s period of performance or the issuance of a Grant Amendment Notice issued to close out the grant.

Within 90 days after the end of the period of performance, or after an amendment has been issued to close out a grant, whichever comes first, recipients must submit a final FFR and final progress report detailing all accomplishments and a qualitative summary of the impact of those accomplishments throughout the period of performance, as well as the following documentation:

1) Final request for payment, if applicable;

2) SF-425 – Final Federal Financial Report;

3) Final Performance Progress Report;

4) A qualitative summary of the impact of accomplishments throughout the entire period of performance. This summary is submitted to the respective FEMA HQ Program Analyst in a Word document; and

5) Other documents required by program guidance or terms and conditions of the award.

Additionally, the recipient must liquidate all obligations incurred under the NSGP award no later than 90 calendar days after the end date of the period of performance or issuance of a Grant Amendment Notice that closes out the award, whichever comes first. If recipients fails to liquidate their obligations within this time period, DHS/FEMA may disallow the costs associated with those unliquidated obligations disallowed. Recipients also are responsible for promptly returning to DHS/FEMA the balance of any funds that have been drawn down, but remain unliquidated.

After final reports have been reviewed and approved by DHS/FEMA, a closeout notice will be completed. The notice will indicate the period of performance as closed, list any remaining funds the recipient has not drawn down that will be deobligated, and address requirements for record retention, and disposition and reporting requirements for any equipment or real property purchased using NSGP funding.

In addition, NSGP state-level recipients are responsible for closing out all subawards made to…