FY 2018 PDM NOFO .pdf

The Department of Homeland Security

Notice of Funding Opportunity

FY 2018 Pre-Disaster Mitigation

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

97.047

CFDA Title

Pre-Disaster Mitigation

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title

FY 2018 Pre-Disaster Mitigation

NOFO Number

DHS-18-MT-047-000-99

Authorizing Authority for Program

Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford

Act), as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-288) (42 U.S.C. 5133)

Appropriation Authority for Program

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

Award Type

New

Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program makes Federal funds available to State, local, and tribal governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

Federal funding from future disasters. The PDM 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.

FEMA’s priorities for funding Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 PDM applications are outlined below.

Greater detail on factors to be considered in the evaluation of applications is specified in

Section E of this NOFO under Application Review Information.

As required in Section 203(f)(2)(A) of the Stafford Act, FEMA will continue to provide grant funding allocations to each State and territory in the amount of the lesser of 1 percent of the appropriation amount or $575,000. FEMA will also set aside funding for federally-recognized Native American tribes for mitigation planning and projects in an amount not to exceed 10 percent of the appropriation amount. FEMA’s first priority for competitive funding after meeting the State/territory allocations and tribal set-aside is opportunities for

Advance Assistance for all Applicants not to exceed $200,000 each. In addition, there will be a competitive initiative for Resilient Infrastructure projects. These projects have a larger

Federal cost share and are community based. The balance of PDM funds will be distributed on a competitive basis with priority given to multi-State/tribal mitigation initiatives and eligible Applicants that have less disaster funding available through the Hazard Mitigation

Grant Program (HMGP) than the PDM funding limits for planning and projects (see the

Program Funding Restrictions subsection under Section D of this NOFO) to complement the

HMGP funds available to States, territories, and tribes following disasters. In addition, FEMA will prioritize competitive projects for funding by hazard and activity type to minimize duplication with the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program with a priority of non-flood hazard (e.g., wildfire, drought, seismic, wind) mitigation project activities over flood mitigation projects. For more information on the HMGP and FMA programs, see the Related Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Programs subsection under

Section H of this NOFO. FEMA will prioritize funding mitigation projects over mitigation planning in accordance with the 2018 appropriations report language.

An application with an active shooter component will only be considered if the activity occurs in combination with traditional mitigation activities, not as stand-alone activities.

These school safety–related actions cannot compromise the integrity of traditional mitigation activities. In addition, a reasonable increase in costs for the school safety actions may be allowed provided the project remains cost-effective.

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: $235,200,000

Projected number of Awards: 250

Period of Performance: 42 months

(Period of Performance for infrastructure projects will be 54 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). Given the complexity of the Resilient Infrastructure projects, the Period of Performance begins with the opening of the application period and ends no later than 48 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, of this NOFO.

Projected Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/2018

Projected Period of Performance End Date: 04/1/2022

Projected Infrastructure Project Period of Performance End Date: 04/1/2023

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 PDM funding. Each Applicant’s designated agency may submit only one PDM grant application to FEMA. Applications under which two or more entities would carry out the award are eligible, such as a multi-State or multi-tribal initiative; however, only one entity may be the Applicant with primary responsibility for carrying out the award.

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 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.

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

Eligibility Criteria

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

Submission Information, of this NOFO).

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 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 PDM grant application must be consistent with the goals and objectives identified in a) the current, FEMA-approved State or Tribal

(Standard or Enhanced) Mitigation Plan and b) 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.

Other Eligibility Criteria

1. To be eligible for the State/territory allocation or the tribal set-aside (see Program

Overview, Objectives, and Priorities in Section A, of this NOFO), the Applicant’s highest ranked planning or project subapplication must not exceed $575,000 Federal cost share.

There is no limit to the number of planning and project subapplications that Applicants can submit for the State/territory allocation or tribal set-aside up to $575,000 Federal cost share, but the Applicant must rank them higher than subapplications for competitive consideration (see Section E, the Application Review Information, of this NOFO).

2. Applicants may submit an unlimited number of subapplications for the Advance

Assistance funding not to exceed a total of $200,000 per Applicant. These subapplications MUST be designated as Advance Assistance within the title of the subapplication and use the correct code within eGrants to be considered.

3. Applicants may submit one subapplication for the Resilient Infrastructure funding for competitive consideration. These subapplications MUST be designated as Resilient

Infrastructure within the title of the subapplication and use the correct code within eGrants to be considered.

4. Applicants may submit no more than nine project subapplications (in addition to the one

Resilient Infrastructure project application) for competitive consideration over and above any project(s) submitted for the State/territory allocation or tribal set-aside.

5. Any Applicant agency willing to serve as the Applicant for multi-State or multi-tribal mitigation activities may include one multi-State/tribal project subapplication(s) in its grant application for a maximum of 10 competitive projects, notwithstanding any project(s) submitted towards its State/territory allocation or tribal set-aside. Applicants who include multi-State/tribal subapplication(s) in their grant application must clearly identify how the effort will be coordinated.

Cost Share or Match

Cost share is required under this program. Federal funding is available for up to 75 percent of the eligible activity costs. The remaining 25 percent of eligible activity costs must be derived from non-Federal sources.

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.

Small, impoverished communities are eligible for up to a 90 percent Federal cost share for their mitigation planning and project subapplications in accordance with the Stafford Act. A small, impoverished community must:

Be a community of 3,000 or fewer individuals identified by the State as a rural community that is not a remote area within the corporate boundaries of a larger city;

Be economically disadvantaged, with residents having an average per capita annual income not exceeding 80 percent of the national per capita income, based on best available data. For the most current information, go to the Bureau of Economic

Analysis website at http://www.bea.gov;

Have a local unemployment rate that exceeds by 1 percentage point or more the most recently reported, average yearly national unemployment rate. For the most current information, go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website at http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm; and

Meet other criteria required by the Applicant in which the community is located.

Native American Tribal Applicants meeting the definition of a small, impoverished community that apply to FEMA directly as Applicants are eligible for a 90 percent Federal cost share for their planning, project, and management costs subapplications, which make up their overall PDM grant application.

Applicants and subapplicants must request the Federal cost share amount up to 90 percent in the Cost Share section of their planning, project, and management costs subapplication(s).

Applicants must certify small, impoverished community status and provide documentation with the subapplication(s) to justify up to a 90 percent Federal cost share. If documentation is not submitted with the subapplication, then FEMA will provide no more than 75 percent

Federal cost share of the total eligible costs.

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

http://www.bea.gov/ http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm

More detailed information is provided in Part III, C, 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: 08/3/2018

Application Start Date: 10/1/2018

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

[Eastern Standard Time]

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 05/1/2019

Anticipated Award Date: 12/30/2019

To be considered timely, a PDM 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 PDM grant submission to FEMA.

FEMA recommends that Applicants attach approved planning, project, and management costs subgrant applications to their PDM 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 PDM grant application (see the

Content and Form of Application Submission subsection below).

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 a PDM grant application and attach approved planning, 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, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) collection, which all Applicants must use to submit PDM 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 http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 https://portal.fema.gov/

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 a PDM 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 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;

Mitigation project activities must be submitted in a project subgrant application;

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

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

Resilient Infrastructure activities must be submitted in a project subgrant application;

PDM grant applications, including Applicant-approved planning, project, and management costs subapplications, must be submitted in an FY 2018 Pre-Disaster

Mitigation Competitive (PDMC) 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 http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0 https://portal.fema.gov/ 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/fema-regional-office-contact-information https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-office-contact-information 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. EHP Job Aids and Supplements are available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051

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 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 PDM 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), 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), https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/102051 https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/circulars http://www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis 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.

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.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/9754 http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0 http://www.fema.gov/mitigation-egrants-system-0

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

(MT eGrants) system registration 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 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-2-register-with-sam.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 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://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.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 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 MT 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 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 and/or project 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 and project subgrant applications submitted by their subapplicants.

3. Applicants must create a PDMC grant application and then attach approved planning, project, and management costs subapplications submitted by the Applicant and/or subapplicants to the PDMC grant application.

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

mailto:MTeGrants@fema.dhs.gov

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.

5. The AOR must sign and submit the PDMC 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 PDMC grant applications prior to the submission deadline will receive a confirmation message, including the assigned PDM application number in the eGrants system (e.g., PDMC-01-MA-2017). In addition, once

FEMA receives and delegates the PDM 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 a PDM grant application after the submission deadline. Applicants who attempt to submit a PDM 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 PDM 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 or denied.

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, 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

No Applicant may receive more than 15 percent of the appropriated PDM funding, or

$37,380,000, per Section 203(f)(2)(B) of the Stafford Act.

The maximum Federal cost share for PDM activities is as follows:

$4 million for mitigation projects;

Up to $200,000 per Applicant for Advance Assistance;

$10 million for Resilient Infrastructure projects;

$400,000 for new mitigation plans consistent with 44 CFR Part 201;

$300,000 for State/territorial and multi-jurisdictional local or tribal mitigation plan updates consistent with 44 CFR Part 201;

$150,000 for single jurisdiction local or tribal mitigation plan updates consistent with

44 CFR Part 201;

10 percent of plan and project subapplications for information dissemination activities, including public awareness and education (brochures, workshops, videos, etc.) related to a proposed planning or project activity;

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); and

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).

As directed by the appropriations language, FEMA will use the majority of PDM grant funding for mitigation projects.

Allowable costs are:

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.

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

Pre-Award Costs.

Pre-award costs directly related to developing the PDM 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 PDM program, such as subapplication development, geocoding mitigation projects, delivery of technical assistance, or managing awards and staff salary costs, are eligible for PDM 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 PDM 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 Mitigation eGrants system (see the Content and Form of Application

Submission subsection).

Applicants and subapplicants may include subapplicant management costs of up to 5 percent of the total of their 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. Subapplicant 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.

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

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 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. (See the definition of Recipient in the Notice of Award subsection in

Section F of this NOFO.)

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 grant an exception for the local or tribal mitigation plan requirement to allow award of the project in extraordinary circumstances when justification is provided. 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-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 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/13708 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, 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 subapplications submitted by each Applicant to ensure compliance with 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 V, 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 eligible subapplications up to the available PDM funding amount of

$235,200,000 in the following order:

1. Statutory Allocation

Statutory allocation of $575,000 Federal cost share for States, territories, and the

District of Columbia (DC).

To meet the statutory requirement, FEMA will select eligible planning and project subapplications from each State, territory, and DC in order of the Applicant’s rank

(#1–x) to the lowest ranked subapplication that brings the total Federal cost share to no more than $575,000 (see Other Eligibility Criteria subsection under Section C of this NOFO).

For example, an Applicant’s #1 ranked subapplication for $200,000 Federal cost share and #2 ranked subapplication for $340,000 would be selected for the allocation;

however, the #3 ranked subapplication for $575,000 and any other eligible subapplications would be considered on a competitive basis in priority category 3 below.

2. Tribal Set-Aside https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28496

Tribal set-aside of $15 million for federally-recognized Native American tribes, not to exceed $575,000 Federal cost share per tribal Applicant.

FEMA will set aside $15 million for federally-recognized Native American tribes applying directly to FEMA as Applicants. FEMA will select eligible planning and project subapplications for each tribal Applicant in order of the tribe’s rank (#1–x) to the lowest ranked subapplication that brings the total Federal cost share to no more than $575,000, not to exceed a total of $15 million.

3. Advance Assistance

PDM prevents loss of life and leads to significant savings by mitigating risks, reducing damage from future disasters, and lowering flood insurance premiums.

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

There is no guarantee for future HMA project funding if Advanced Assistance is awarded.

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

Assistance from each Applicant (including territories and tribes) not to exceed

$200,000 total Federal cost share. Maximum funding for all Advance Assistance is

$25 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.

4. Resilient Infrastructure Competitive Funding

Infrastructure resilience is the ability to reduce the magnitude and/or duration of disruptive events. The effectiveness of Resilient Infrastructure or enterprise depends upon its ability to anticipate, absorb, adapt to, and/or rapidly recover from a potentially disruptive event. This funding is an opportunity to advance capital projects on a community level, ready for investment that will reduce risks, prevent loss of life and lead to significant savings by reducing damage from future disasters and lowering flood insurance premiums.

FEMA will select the highest ranked eligible Resilient Infrastructure mitigation subapplications up to $10 million Federal cost share based on final priority scoring criteria (see table below). The ranking will be based on the score correlating to the factors in the chart below. Maximum funding for all Resilient Infrastructure projects is $100 million. All subapplications must be designated as Resilient Infrastructure within the title of the subapplication and use the correct code 402.3 within eGrants to be considered.

Resilient Infrastructure projects can be all-hazard, to include flood, seismic, wind, wildfire, and drought.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited:

Infrastructure protective measures (including hazard-specific retrofit projects)

Utility protective measures (including hazard-specific retrofit projects)

Water and sanitary sewer system protective measures

Localized flood control to protect critical facilities

Floodwater storage and diversion

Floodplain and stream restoration

Stormwater management

Aquifer storage and recovery

Wetland restoration/creation

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.