FY 2018 FMA NOFO .pdf

The Department of Homeland Security

Notice of Funding Opportunity

FY 2018 Flood Mitigation Assistance

NOTE: If you are going to apply for this funding opportunity and have not obtained a

Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and/or are not currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), please take immediate action to obtain a DUNS number, if applicable, and then to register immediately in SAM. It may take 4 weeks or more after you submit your SAM registration before your registration is active in SAM, and then an additional 24 hours for Grants.gov to recognize your information. Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in SAM is available from Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/Applicants/organization-registration.html. Detailed information regarding DUNS and SAM is also provided in Section D of this Notice of Funding

Opportunity (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), Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

97.029

CFDA Title

Flood Mitigation Assistance

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title

FY 2018 Flood Mitigation Assistance

NOFO Number

DHS-18-MT-029-000-99

Authorizing Authority for Program

Section 1366 of The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (Pub. L. No. 90-448)

(42 U.S.C. 4104c)

Appropriation Authority for Program

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-141)

Award Type

New

Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program makes Federal funds available to State, local, and tribal governments to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

FMA program strengthens national preparedness and resilience and supports the mitigation mission area through Strategic Goal #1 Building a Culture of Preparedness, Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 of the 2018 – 2022 FEMA Strategic Plan.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the FMA Program will prioritize proposals that address community flood risk by setting aside $70 million for this purpose. FEMA will seek to fund two types of community flood mitigation activities:

Advance Assistance for flood mitigation design and development of community flood mitigation projects that will subsequently reduce flood claims.

Mitigation projects that address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing

NFIP flood claim payments.

The remaining funding, at least $90 million, will be used for FMA technical assistance, mitigation planning, and mitigation projects that reduce the risk of flooding to severe repetitive loss (SRL) and repetitive loss (RL) properties. See Section E, Application Review

Information, of this NOFO for more information on FY 2018 FMA funding priorities.

Performance Measure:

FEMA has specified minimum project criteria via regulation (44 CFR Part 79 and 44 CFR

Section 206.434), including that Applicants must demonstrate mitigation projects are cost effective. Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) is the method by which the future benefits of a hazard mitigation project are determined and compared to its costs. The end result is a

Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), which is calculated by a project’s total benefits divided by its total costs. The BCR is a numerical expression of the "cost-effectiveness" of a project. A project is considered to be cost effective when the BCR is 1.0 or greater, indicating the benefits of a prospective hazard mitigation project are sufficient to justify the costs. Projects that are not cost-effective will not be eligible.

B. Federal Award Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for the NOFO: $160,000,000

Projected number of Awards: 120

Period of Performance: 42 Months

The Period of Performance begins with the opening of the application period and ends no later than 36 months from the Funding Selection Date (see Section D, Application and

Submission Information, of this NOFO).

An extension to the Period of Performance for grants under this program is allowed. For details on the requirements for requesting an extension to the Period of Performance, please refer to Section H, Additional Information Extensions, of this NOFO.

Projected Period of Performance Start Date: 10/01/2018

Projected Period of Performance End Date: 04/01/2022

Funding Instrument

Grant

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

States

District of Columbia

U.S. Territories

Federally-recognized Native American Tribal governments

Each State, territory, Commonwealth, or Native American Tribal government shall designate one agency to serve as the Applicant for FMA funding. Certain political subdivisions (i.e., regional flood control districts or county governments) may apply and act as subapplicants if they are part of a community that is participating in the NFIP where the political subdivision provides zoning and building code enforcement or planning and community development professional services for that community.

Local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments, and

Native American Tribal organizations are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications for mitigation planning and projects to their State/territory/tribe Applicant agency. Contact information for the State Hazard Mitigation Officers (SHMOs) is provided on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard- mitigation-officers.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for funding, all Applicants must submit their FY 2018 FMA grant application to FEMA via the Mitigation eGrants system (see Section D, Application and

Submission Information, of this NOFO).

All subapplicants must be participating in the NFIP, and, to be eligible to apply for FMA grant funds. Structures identified in the sub application must have an NFIP policy in force at the opening of the application period, October 1, 2018, and must maintain it through completion of the mitigation activity and for the life of the structure.

All subapplications submitted under the community flood mitigation Advance

Assistance priority (see Section E, Application Review Information, of this NOFO) must prove that future projects submitted would include NFIP-insured properties that would be in the project area and the project’s benefiting area.

All subapplications submitted under the community flood mitigation project priority

(see Section E, Application Review Information, of this NOFO) must include a list of

NFIP-insured properties that are included in the project area and the project’s benefiting area as well as a project boundary map that portrays these properties.

All Applicants and subapplicants submitting project subapplications must have a FEMA-approved mitigation plan by the application deadline and at the time of obligation in accordance with Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 201. Project applications submitted by Applicants or subapplicants that do not have an approved and adopted mitigation plan as of the application deadline are ineligible.

All mitigation projects submitted as part of a FMA grant application must be consistent with the goals and objectives identified in: the current, FEMA-approved State or Tribal (Standard http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers or Enhanced) Mitigation Plan, and the local mitigation plan for the jurisdiction in which the project is located. Current mitigation plans are not required for Applicants and subapplicants submitting planning subapplications to develop a new mitigation plan or to update a mitigation plan.

To be eligible to receive community flood mitigation project funding, communities must be in favorable standing with the NFIP. NFIP community status can be verified at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance- program-community-status-book.

Cost Share or Match

Cost share is required under this program. Recipients (see Section F Federal Award

Administration Information, of this NOFO for definition) must provide a cost share of 25 percent of eligible activity costs derived from non-Federal sources with FEMA contributing up to a 75 percent Federal cost share. The cost share applies to all projects under this program, including community flood mitigation projects.

The non-Federal cost-share contribution is calculated based on the total cost of the proposed activity. For example, if the total cost is $400,000 and the non-Federal cost share is 25 percent, then the non-Federal contribution is $100,000: 25 percent of $400,000 is $100,000.

FEMA may contribute up to 100 percent Federal cost share for SRL properties. FEMA may contribute up to 90 percent Federal cost share for RL properties.

An SRL property is a structure that:

(a) Is covered under a contract for flood insurance made available under the NFIP; and

(b) Has incurred flood-related damage

i. For which four or more separate claims payments (includes building and contents) have been made under flood insurance coverage with the amount of each such claim exceeding $5,000, and with the cumulative amount of such claims payments exceeding $20,000, or

ii. For which at least two separate claims payments (includes only building) have been made under such coverage, with the cumulative amount of such claims exceeding the market value of the insured structure.

A RL property is a structure covered by a contract for flood insurance made available under the NFIP that:

(a) Has incurred flood-related damage on two occasions, in which the cost of the repair, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure at the time of each such flood event; and

(b) At the time of the second incidence of flood-related damage, the contract for flood insurance contains Increased Cost of Compliance coverage.

To receive an increased Federal cost share, properties must meet one of the definitions for

SRL or RL properties. Applicants and subapplicants that are requesting an increased Federal cost share must submit documentation with their application or subapplication demonstrating that properties meet these definitions. If documentation is not submitted with the application or subapplication to support a reduced non-Federal cost share, FEMA will provide no more https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-status-book https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-status-book than 75 percent Federal cost share of the total eligible costs. The remaining 25 percent of eligible activity costs are derived from non-Federal sources.

Structures with different Federal cost-share requirements can be submitted in a single project subapplication. The overall project Federal cost share documented in the Cost Share Section of the project subgrant application in eGrants should reflect the combined Federal cost shares of the structures. For example, a project with $100,000 costs for one SRL structure funded at

100 percent Federal cost share plus $100,000 costs for one RL structure funded at 90 percent

Federal cost share will have an overall project Federal cost share of 95 percent, or $190,000, of the $200,000 total cost for both structures.

For insular areas, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, FEMA automatically waives the non-Federal cost share when the non-Federal cost share for the entire grant is under $200,000. If the non-Federal cost share for the entire grant is $200,000 or greater, FEMA may waive all or part of the cost share. If FEMA does not waive the cost share, the insular area must pay the entire non-

Federal cost-share amount, not only the amount over $200,000.

More detailed information is provided in Part III, C, and Cost Sharing, of the HMA

Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

D. Application and Submission Information

Key Dates and Times

Date Posted to Grants.gov: 08/03/2018

Application Start Date: 10/01/2018

Application Submission Deadline: 01/31/2019 at 03:00:00 p.m.

[Eastern Standard Time]

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 05/01/2019

Anticipated Award Date: 12/30/2019

To be considered timely, a FMA grant application must be submitted by the application deadline via the Mitigation eGrants system, and the Applicant must have received a confirmation message in eGrants that indicates successful FMA grant submission to FEMA.

FEMA recommends that Applicants attach approved planning, project, and management costs subgrant applications to their FMA grant applications at least 72 hours prior to the application deadline to allow time for the Applicant to review and correct issues that may prevent subgrant applications from being attached to a FMA grant application (see the

Content and Form of Application Submission subsection below).

An Applicant that experiences technical issues beyond the Applicant’s control that prevents submission of the FMA grant application by the deadline may request approval to submit a late application. To request approval to submit a late application, an Applicant must email the

HMA Helpline (see Section G, Additional Information, of this NOFO) within 24 hours after the application deadline.

http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279

Other Key Dates

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion

Obtain Dun and Bradstreet Universal

Numbering System (DUNS) Number

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Obtain a valid Employer Identification

Number (EIN)

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Register with the System for Award

Management (SAM)

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Register for access to the FEMA Grants

Portal and request access to the Mitigation eGrants system

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Create an FMA grant application and attach approved planning, technical assistance, project, and management costs subgrant applications in the Mitigation eGrants system

Seventy-two hours before actual submission deadline

Address to Request Application Package

The application package is built into the Mitigation eGrants system, which all Applicants must use to submit FMA grant applications electronically to FEMA. The Mitigation eGrants system is available through the FEMA Grants Portal on the Internet at https://portal.fema.gov

(see the Content and Form of Application Submission subsection below). FEMA will only process applications received via the Mitigation eGrants system. Mitigation eGrants system

Information, training and resources on the Mitigation eGrants system are available on the

FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0 or from the Mitigation eGrants Helpdesk (see section G, DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information, of this

NOFO).

For a hardcopy of the full NOFO, please write or fax a request to:

Michael Grimm

Assistant Administrator for Mitigation

Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration

400 C Street, SW

Washington, DC 20472

FAX: (202) 646-2880

In addition, the following Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) and/or Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) number available for this Notice is 1-800-462- 7585.

Content and Form of Application Submission

All Applicants must submit an FMA grant application to FEMA via the Mitigation eGrants system on the Internet at https://portal.fema.gov by the application deadline to be considered for FMA funding.

The required format for grant and subgrant applications is built into the Mitigation eGrants system, Mitigation planning activities must be submitted in a planning subgrant application;

https://portal.fema.gov/ https://portal.fema.gov/ http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0 http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0 https://portal.fema.gov/

Community flood mitigation Advance Assistance activities must be submitted in a planning subgrant application;

Community flood mitigation project activities and SRL or RL property mitigation projects must be submitted in a project subgrant application;

Applicant management costs (for Applicants only) must be submitted in a management costs subgrant application;

Technical assistance costs (for Recipients to which FEMA obligated at least $1 million FMA awards in FY 2017) must be submitted in a technical assistance subgrant application;

FMA grant applications, including applicant-approved planning, project, management costs, and technical assistance subapplications must be submitted in an FY 2018 FMA grant application.

Blank copies of applications that conform to the Mitigation eGrants system format are available for reference only. FEMA will not accept these as an application package. To access these, registered eGrants system users should login to the FEMA portal at https://portal.fema.gov and then click the “Blank Applications” link on the eGrants system

Homepage. For those without access to the eGrants system, the blank copies of eGrants applications are also available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant- program/grant-applicants-blank-applications.

Wherever possible, supporting documentation for applications should be attached electronically in the Mitigation eGrants system. Over-sized items that cannot be scanned may be mailed to respective FEMA Regional offices as necessary (https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-office-contact-information); however, Applicants must provide information regarding the paper attachments and the date mailed to FEMA in the Comments and

Attachment section of the application in the eGrants system. Also, the documents must be postmarked by the submission deadline to be considered as part of the application. The

Applicant is responsible for following up with FEMA to ensure that paper documents were received for consideration during the review process.

National Environmental Policy Act Requirements for Mitigation Projects.

Applicants and subapplicants applying for mitigation projects must provide information needed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321–

4370h) and the related DHS and FEMA instructions and directives (i.e., DHS Directive 023-

01, DHS Instruction Manual 023-01-001-01, FEMA Directive 108-1, FEMA Instruction 108-

1-1). The required information is included in the project subgrant application in the eGrants system under the Environmental Information section.

Benefit Cost Analysis for Mitigation Projects.

Applicants and subapplicants applying for mitigation projects must provide a Benefit Cost

Analysis (BCA) or other documentation that validates cost-effectiveness. BCA is the method of estimating the future benefits of a project compared to its cost. The end result is a benefit-cost ratio (BCR), which is derived from a project’s total net benefits divided by its total project cost. The total benefits and costs must be entered in the Cost-Effectiveness section of https://portal.fema.gov/ https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program/grant-applicants-blank-applications https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program/grant-applicants-blank-applications https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program/grant-applicants-blank-applications the project subapplication and a FEMA-approved BCA must be attached as documentation, as applicable. Planning and management costs subapplications do not require a BCA.

FEMA has created software to ensure that the BCR is calculated in accordance with FEMA's standardized methodologies and OMB Circular A-94, Guidelines and Discount Rates for

Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs, available on the Internet at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/circulars. FEMA’s Benefit Cost

Toolkit is available on the FEMA website at www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis. Versions

5.2.1 and Version 5.3 are the only versions FEMA will accept as documentation for demonstrating cost effectiveness. A non-FEMA BCA methodology may only be used if pre-approved by FEMA in writing. More detailed information is available in Part IV, I, Cost

Effectiveness, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Application for Federal Assistance and Assurances and Certifications Forms.

Applicants must complete the following forms and attach them to their FMA grant application in the Mitigation eGrants system for submittal by the application deadline:

Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424), Budget Information:

o Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A), OMB #4040-

0006, or Budget Information for Construction Programs (SF- 424C), and

Assurances and Certifications:

o Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B), , or Assurances for

Construction Programs (SF-424D), o Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (FEMA Form

20-16C), and o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL), (if the Applicant has engaged in or intends to engage in lobbying activities).

The SF-424 family of forms is available on the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html. The FEMA Form FF 20-16C, Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility

Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements is available from the FEMA library online at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/9754.

Applicants may require their subapplicants to complete and attach the grant application and/or Assurance and Certifications forms to their planning and project subapplications in the eGrants system. To turn on/off this requirement in the eGrants system, Applicants must click the “Administration” link on the eGrants Homepage to set their preferences for enabling/disabling the forms. Information, training and resources on the Mitigation eGrants system are available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/circulars http://www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/9754

Subapplicants should contact their Applicant agency for information specific to their

State/territory’s application process. Contact information for the SHMOs is provided on the

FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers.

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

Each Applicant for this award must:

1. Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;

2. Provide a valid DUNS number in its application; and

3. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a DHS Federal Award Office (FAO).

DHS may not make a Federal award to an Applicant until the Applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. If an Applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time DHS is ready to make a Federal award, DHS 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.

How to Register to Apply

1. Instructions: Read the instructions below about registering to apply for DHS funds.

Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to 4 weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not affect your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Mitigation eGrants

(MT eGrants) system registration account to apply for grants.

If individual Applicants are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity, refer to the NOFO subsection below: How to Submit an Application to DHS via MT eGrants.

2. Obtain a DUNS Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun and Bradstreet (D&B). Applicants must enter the DUNS number in the data entry field labeled “Organizational DUNS” on the SF-424 form built into the Mitigation eGrants system.

For more detailed instructions for obtaining a DUNS number, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

3. Register with SAM: In addition to having a DUNS number, all organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with SAM. Failure to register with http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/Applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html.

4. Register on the FEMA Grants Portal: The next step in the registration process is to create an account for the FEMA Grants Portal at https://portal.fema.gov.

5. Request access to the Mitigation eGrants System: After registering on the FEMA

Grants Portal, Applicants and subapplicants will need to request access to the

Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Portal. This step is crucial for valid and timely submissions because all applications must be submitted via the Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal.

Therefore, Applicants and subapplicants are encouraged to register on the FEMA

Grants Portal and request access to the Mitigation eGrants system at the time of this announcement to ensure the ability to meet required submission deadlines.

An Access ID is required to request access to the Mitigation eGrants system.

Applicants should contact their appropriate FEMA Regional Office, and subapplicants should contact their Applicant agency to get the appropriate Access ID.

Contact information for the FEMA Regional Offices is provided on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/about-agency. Contact information for the SHMOs is provided on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers.

To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on the FEMA Portal and registering for eGrants, see the job aid: “Registering for eGrants Accounts” on the

FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/17425?id=3865. If you experience technical difficulties with the Mitigation eGrants system, please contact the helpdesk by telephone 1-855-228-

3362 or email MTeGrants@fema.dhs.gov.

For Applicant registrations, FEMA Mitigation staff will then log in to MT eGrants and authorize the appropriate roles. For subapplicant registrations, Applicant users of the MT eGrants system will log in and authorize appropriate roles. Only individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) are given “Sign/Submit” privileges and are able to submit applications in the Mitigation eGrants system. Other organizational staff will be given “Create/Edit” permission or “View/Print” privileges to assist with creating and managing applications.

Approved users will receive an email from the eGrants system that indicates what system privileges have been authorized. Once access is approved, users can login to the Mitigation eGrants system to create and manage their applications online. Only

AORs, individuals who can make legally binding commitments for the

Applicant/subapplicant organization, are able to submit applications online.

Applicants should contact their appropriate FEMA Regional Office, and https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://portal.fema.govt/ https://www.fema.gov/about-agency http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/17425?id=3865 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/17425?id=3865 mailto:MTeGrants@fema.dhs.gov subapplicants should contact their State/territory agency regarding the status of their registrations.

6. Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through MT eGrants, the name of the AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature.

How to Submit an Application to DHS via MT eGrants

1. Subapplicants must create planning, project, and/or technical assistance subgrant applications and submit them to their Applicant organization. To do this, subapplicants must click the “Create new Subgrant” link on the eGrants Homepage in the eGrants system.

Subapplicants should contact their Applicant agency for information specific to their

State/territory’s application process. Contact information for the SHMOs is provided on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers.

If a subapplicant does not use the eGrants system to submit planning and project subapplications to the Applicant, then the Applicant must enter the subapplication(s) into the eGrants system on the subapplicant’s behalf. To do this, Applicants must click the “Create new Paper Subgrant” link on the eGrants Homepage in the eGrants system.

2. Applicants must review and approve planning, project, and technical assistance subgrant applications submitted by their subapplicants.

Applicants must ensure that accurate NFIP policy numbers and Repetitive Loss (RL) numbers are included in the Properties section of project subapplications in eGrants to be considered for competitive property flood mitigation project funding (see Section

E, Review and Selection Process, of this NOFO).

3. Applicants must create an FMA grant application and then add approved planning, project, technical assistance, and management costs subgrant applications submitted by the Applicant and/or subapplicants to the FMA grant application.

4. Applicants must rank all of the subgrant applications included in their grant application in the eGrants system.

Applicants may indicate their State/territory/tribe’s priorities for funding in the

Comments to FEMA section of the grant application; the subgrant ranking should not be used for that purpose.

Applicants may include no more than two community flood mitigation subapplications for competitive consideration: one Advance Assistance subapplication and one project subapplication that addresses flood risk on a community level. If multiple community flood mitigation subapplications are submitted for Advance Assistance or projects, FEMA will only consider the

Applicant’s highest ranked subapplication in eGrants for competitive consideration

(see Section E, Review and Selection Process, of this NOFO for further information).

Applicants submitting community flood mitigation Advance Assistance and project subgrant applications must identify these subgrant applications as such in the subapplication title. For example: “Applicant X FY17 FMA – Community Flood

Mitigation Project” or “State X FY17 FMA – Community Flood Mitigation Advance

Assistance” (see Section E, Review and Selection Process, of this NOFO for further information).

5. The AOR must sign and submit the FMA grant application to FEMA via eGrants by the application deadline.

Applicants who experience eGrants system technical issues should contact the

Mitigation eGrants Helpdesk by telephone 1-855-228-3362 or email

MTeGrants@fema.dhs.gov to report the issue and receive a ticket number.

Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

Online Submissions. All applications must be submitted to FEMA by 3 p.m. Eastern

Standard Time on the due date. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by

MT eGrants. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully submitted.

The Applicant with the AOR role who submitted the FMA grant applications prior to the submission deadline will receive a confirmation message, including the assigned FMA application number in the eGrants system (e.g., FMA-01-MA-2018). In addition, once

FEMA receives and delegates the FMA grant application to begin the review process, the eGrants system will automatically send an email message to the Point(s) of Contact (POC) identified in the grant application.

The Mitigation eGrants system is programmed not to allow submittal of an FMA grant application after the submission deadline. Applicants who attempt to submit an FMA grant application after the deadline will receive an error message. Applicants using slow Internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission of applications to MT eGrants could take some time.

Applicants who experience unforeseen eGrants system technical issues beyond the

Applicant’s control that prevents submission of the FMA grant application by the deadline may request approval to submit a late application. To request approval to submit a late application, an Applicant must email the HMA Helpline (see Section G, DHS Awarding

Agency Contact Information, of this NOFO) within 24 hours after the application deadline.

The email must describe the technical difficulties and include both a timeline of submission efforts that occurred prior to the deadline and the Helpdesk ticket number. FEMA will review the request and contact the eGrants helpdesk to verify the reported technical issues before informing the Applicant whether the request to submit a late application has been approved.

Intergovernmental Review

An intergovernmental review may be required. Applicants must contact their State’s Single

Point of Contact to comply with the State’s process under Executive Order 12372 (see http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf).

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 grants/cooperative agreements, mailto:MTeGrants@fema.dhs.gov http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf 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.

Program Funding Restrictions

The maximum Federal cost share for FMA subapplications is as follows:

Up to $100,000 per Applicant for community mitigation Advance Assistance applications;

Up to $10 million per Applicant for community mitigation project applications;

$50,000 for technical assistance for Recipients to which FEMA obligated at least $1 million in FMA awards in FY 2017;

$50,000 for State flood hazard mitigation planning;

$25,000 for local flood hazard mitigation planning;

10 percent of the grant application budget for Applicant management costs for

Applicants to administer and manage grant and subgrant activities (see the

Management and Administration Costs subsection below); and

5 percent of plan and project subapplication budget for subapplicant management costs for subapplicants to manage their plan or project activity (see the Management and Administration Costs subsection below).

Allowable costs are:

Project design under Advance Assistance

Planning costs

Training-related costs

Domestic travel costs

Construction and renovation costs

Equipment costs

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 CFR Part 200, available on the

Internet at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi- bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl

Unallowable costs are:

Exercise-related costs

Operational overtime costs

More detailed information is available in Part III, E.1, Eligible Activities, of the HMA

Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-

Pre-Award Costs

Pre-award costs directly related to developing the FMA grant application or subapplication that are incurred after the application period has opened but prior to the date of the grant award are allowed. Such costs may have been incurred prior to application submission, for example, gathering NEPA data or developing a BCA (see Section D, Application and

Submission Information, of this NOFO), preparing design specifications, or conducting workshops or meetings related to development and submission of subapplications.

Pre-award costs may be cost shared or Applicants and subapplicants may identify them as their non-Federal cost share (see Cost Share or Match subsection in Section C, Eligibility

Information, of this NOFO).

Costs associated with implementation of the submitted grant application or subapplication that are incurred prior to the date of the grant award are not allowed. Mitigation activities initiated or completed prior to the date of the grant award are not eligible.

Applicants and subapplicants who are not awarded grants or subgrants (awards/subawards) will not receive reimbursement for the corresponding pre- award costs. More detailed information is provided in Part IV, F.2, Pre-Award Costs, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Management and Administration Costs.

Management costs are any indirect costs and administrative expenses that are reasonably incurred in administering an award or subaward. Applicant and subapplicant management cost activities directly related to the implementation of the FMA program, such as subapplication development, geocoding mitigation projects, delivery of technical assistance, and managing awards and staff salary costs are eligible for FMA funding in accordance with the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Applicants may apply for Applicant management costs of up to 10 percent of the total FMA grant application for management of the grant and all selected subgrants. Applicant requests for management costs must be submitted in a separate management costs subgrant application in the eGrants system (see the Content and Form of Application Submission subsection).

Applicants and subapplicants may include for subapplicant management costs of up to 5 percent of the cost of a planning or project subapplication to manage the proposed activity.

For Applicants, this is in addition to the 10 percent Applicant management costs to manage the overall grant. Subapplication management cost activities must be added to the Scope of

Work section and reflected in the Cost Estimate section of planning and project subgrant applications in the Mitigation eGrants system.

Management costs are only awarded in conjunction with awarded project or planning subapplications. Applicants and subapplicants who do not receive awards/subawards for any planning or project subapplications will not receive reimbursement for management costs

(see the Review and Selection Process subsection in Section E of this NOFO).

Indirect Facilities and Administrative Costs.

Indirect costs are allowable under this program as described in 2 CFR 200.414. With the exception of Recipients who have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate as described http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 in 2 CFR 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 FEMA before indirect costs are charged to the award.

Other Submission Requirements

Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance

Applicants and subapplicants proposing projects that have the potential to affect the environment, including but not limited to modification or renovation of existing buildings, structures and facilities, or new construction, including replacement of facilities, must participate in the FEMA EHP review process. The EHP review process involves the submission of a detailed project description that explains the goals and objectives of the proposed project along with supporting documentation so that FEMA may determine whether the proposed project has the potential to adversely affect environmental resources and/or historic properties. EHP Job Aids and Supplements are available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051.

Mitigation Plan Requirement.

All Applicants and subapplicants must have a FEMA-approved mitigation plan at the time of obligation of grant funds (as well as by the application deadline) to receive a project award under this program in accordance with 44 CFR Part 201. FEMA may allow an exception for extraordinary circumstances for communities and tribes whose plan expired after the application deadline to allow award of the project. More detailed information is provided in Part III, E.5.3, Extraordinary Circumstances, of the HMA

Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Acquisition Project Requirements.

The subrecipient must provide FEMA with a signed copy of the Statement of Voluntary

Participation for each property post- award. The Statement of Voluntary Participation formally documents the Notice of Voluntary Interest and information related to the purchase offer. The Statement of Voluntary Participation is available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/13708.

Subrecipients must apply deed-restriction language to all acquired properties to ensure that the property is maintained in perpetuity as open space consistent with natural floodplain functions, as agreed to by accepting FEMA mitigation award funding. Deed-restriction language is applied to acquired properties by recording the open space and deed restrictions. The FEMA Model Deed Restriction is available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media- library/assets/documents/28496.

E. Application Review Information

Application Evaluation Criteria

Prior to making a Federal award, the DHS FAO 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, https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051 http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/13708 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28496 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28496 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

5. Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements

Review and Selection Process

FEMA will review each application to ensure compliance with applicable regulations at 44

CFR Part 79 and the HMA Guidance, including eligibility of the Applicant and subapplicant, eligibility of proposed activities and costs, completeness of the subapplication, cost-effectiveness and engineering feasibility of mitigation projects, and eligibility and availability of non-Federal cost share. For more detailed information, see Part VI, Application Review Information, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

FEMA will select subapplications up to the available funding amount of $160 million in the following order.

1. Community Flood Mitigation – Advance Assistance

FEMA will select the highest ranked eligible subapplication(s) for Advance

Assistance from each Applicant not to exceed $100,000 total Federal cost share.

Maximum funding for all FMA Advance Assistance is $2 million. All subapplications must be designated as Advance Assistance within the title of the subapplication and use the correct code (904.2 - Advance Assistance) within eGrants to be considered.

Advance Assistance can be used to develop mitigation strategies and obtain data to prioritize, select, and develop community flood hazard projects for future funding.

FEMA will select subapplications that address flood risk on a community level based on final priority scoring criteria and that benefit communities with high participation and favorable standing in the NFIP. Consideration of Advance Assistance early in the decision-making process can help facilitate the development of a viable project, as well as project implementation. FY 2018 community flood mitigation Advance

Assistance projects are not eligible for FY 2018 community flood mitigation project funding. There is no guarantee for future HMA project funding if Advance Assistance is awarded. All subapplications submitted under the community flood mitigation

Advance Assistance priority must prove that future projects submitted would include

NFIP-insured properties that would be in the project area and the project’s benefiting area.

2. Community Flood Mitigation – Projects

FEMA will select the highest ranked eligible community flood mitigation subapplication(s) from each Applicant up to $10 million Federal cost share based on final priority scoring criteria (see table below), as needed, and that benefit communities with high participation and favorable standing in the NFIP. All subapplications submitted under the community flood mitigation project priority must include a list of NFIP-insured properties that are included in the project area and the project’s benefiting area as well as a project boundary map that portrays these properties. Applicants are not required to apply for Advance Assistance funding to be eligible to receive a project award. All subapplications must be designated as community flood mitigation within the title of the subapplication and use the appropriate code within eGrants to be considered.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

o Infrastructure protective measures o Localized flood control to protect critical facilities o Floodwater storage and diversion o Floodplain and stream restoration o Water and sanitary sewer system protective measures o Utility protective measures o Stormwater management o Aquifer storage and recovery o Wetland restoration/creation

Subapplications submitted for either the FMA Advance Assistance or community flood mitigation project funding will be scored and ranked based on the priorities in the following table, as needed:

FINAL Priority Scoring Criteria

Priority Description Total

Points

Private-Partnership Cost

Share

Cost share taken on by private organizations/businesses emphasizing community participation, collaboration, and investment. Points will be assigned based on percentage of private cost share invested.

Building Code

Effectiveness Grading

Schedule (BCEGS) rating

BCEGS rating assesses effectiveness of enforcement and adequacy of building codes with emphasis on mitigation.

Classes weighted based on national class grouping ratings. Highest weight will be assigned to class 1 and descending through lower classes. (Graded Scale: 1 =

100, 2 = 90, 3 = 80, 4 = 70, 5 = 60, 5 = 50, 6 = 40, 7 = 30, 8 = 20, 9+ = 10)

Community Rating

System (CRS)

Participation

The CRS recognizes and encourages community floodplain-management activities that exceed the minimum National Flood Insurance Program standards.

Depending on the level of participation, flood insurance premium rates for policyholders can be reduced up to

45%. Highest weight will be assigned to class 1 and descending through lower classes. (Graded Scale: 1 =

100, 2 = 90, 3 = 80, 4 = 70, 5 = 60, 5 = 50, 6 = 40, 7 = 30, 8 = 20, 9 = 10)

Cooperating Technical

Partners Program (CTP)

Participation

The CTP is a qualified partnership program in which communities commit to collaborate in maintaining up-to-date flood hazard maps and other flood hazard information. Points will be assigned to CTP participating communities.

International Building

Codes (IBC) Adopted

(2009 or newer)

IBC adoption epitomizes community commitment to responsible building regulations. Points will be assigned to IBC participating communities with 2009 version or higher adopted.

Total Points Available 500*

* In the event of a tie between two or more community flood mitigation applications:

FEMA will use the highest Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) as a tiebreaker for projects; and

FEMA will use the total number of active policies in the local jurisdiction as a tie breaker for

Advance Assistance.

After meeting the $70 million available for community flood mitigation or when all eligible community flood mitigation project subapplications have been selected, FEMA will select eligible subapplications…