FY 2019 FMA NOFO FINAL 8-21 AMENDMENT 11-19.pdf

The Department of Homeland Security Notice of Funding Opportunity

FY 2019 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 (FIMA), Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division (HMA)

Assistance Listings Number (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number) 97.029

Assistance Listings Title (formerly CFDA Title) Flood Mitigation Assistance

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title FY 2019 Flood Mitigation Assistance

NOFO Number

DHS-19-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, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6)

Program Type One-time

Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program makes Federal funds available to States, U.S Territories, Indian Tribal governments, and local communities to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The 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) 2019, 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, up to $4 million.

Mitigation projects that address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing NFIP flood claim payments, remaining $70 million after Advance Assistance applications are selected.

The remaining funding, at least $140 million, will be used for FMA technical assistance, flood 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 2019 FMA funding priorities.

Performance Metrics:

FEMA has specified minimum project criteria via regulation (44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 79), 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: $210,000,000 Projected number of Awards: 120 Period of Performance: 36 Months (Period of Performance for Community Flood Mitigation projects will be 48 months)

The Period of Performance (POP) starts with the acceptance of the award and ends no later than 36 months from the funding Selections Date (see Section D, Application and Submission Information, of this NOFO). Given the complexity of the Community Flood Mitigation projects, the POP starts with the acceptance of the award 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 Extensions, of this NOFO.

Projected POP Start Date: various Projected POP End Date: 36 months Projected Community Flood Mitigation POP End Date: 48 months

Funding Instrument Grant

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants States

District of Columbia

U.S. Territories

Federally-recognized Indian Tribal governments

Each State, Territory, 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 National Flood Insurance Program (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 non-Federally recognized tribal governments, or Federally-recognized tribes who choose to apply as subapplicants, are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications for flood 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 2019 FMA grant application to FEMA via FEMA’s grant application system (see Section D, Application and Submission Information, of this NOFO).

All subapplicants must be participating in the NFIP, and not be withdrawn or suspended, to be eligible to apply for FMA grant funds. Structures identified in the subapplication must have an NFIP policy in force at the opening of the application period, October 1, 2019, 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 benefit NFIP-insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) delineating the proposed project’s benefiting area.

All subapplications submitted under the community flood mitigation project priority (see Section E, Application Review Information, of this NOFO) must prove that the proposed project benefits NFIP-insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) delineating: the proposed project footprint boundary, the area benefitting from project, and active NFIP policies (if this data is available).

All Applicants and subapplicants submitting project, advance assistance and technical assistance subapplications must have a FEMA-approved mitigation plan by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds in accordance with Title 44 of CFR Part

201. Subapplications submitted by Applicants or subapplicants that do not have an approved and adopted mitigation plan as of the application deadline are ineligible.

All project, advance assistance and technical assistance subapplications 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 or Enhanced) Mitigation Plan, and the local mitigation plan for the jurisdiction in which the project is located. Hazard Mitigation Plans should reflect state-wide mitigation priorities, across all potential Federal and non- Federal mitigation funding sources. Current mitigation plans are not required for Applicants and Subapplicants submitting planning subapplications to develop a new flood mitigation plan or to update the flood portion of mitigation plan.

In addition, communities are encouraged, but not required, to pursue Plan Integration, which is a process where communities look critically at their existing planning framework and align efforts. Integration of hazard mitigation principles into other local planning mechanisms (comprehensive plans, transportation plans, floodplain ordinances, etc.) and vice versa is vital to build a safer, more resilient community. This two-way exchange of information supports community-wide risk reduction, both before and after disasters occur. Not only will the community’s planning efforts be better integrated, but by going through this process there is a higher level of interagency coordination, which is just as important as the planning mechanisms themselves. Additional information on Plan Integration can be found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/108893

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 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 subapplication 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, 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: 8/26/2019 Application Start Date: 9/30/2019 Application Submission Deadline: 01/31/2020 at 3:00 p.m.

[Eastern Standard Time] Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 06/01/2020 Anticipated Award Date: 12/30/2020

To be considered timely, a FMA grant application must be submitted by the application deadline via FEMA’s grant application system, and the Applicant must have received a confirmation message in FEMA’s grant application system that indicates successful FMA grant submission to FEMA. FEMA recommends that Applicants attach approved planning, project, technical assistance, advance assistance 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). Applications not received by the application submission deadline will not be accepted.

Other Key Dates

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion

Obtain 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 FEMA’s grant application system

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Create an FMA grant application and attach approved planning, technical assistance, advance assistance, project, and management costs subgrant applications in FEMA’s grant application system

Seventy-two hours before actual submission deadline

Address to Request Application Package FEMA will only process applications received via FEMA’s grant application system.

Information, training and resources on FEMA’s grant application system are available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/application-submittal (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:

Kayed Lakhia Director, Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division, Mitigation Directorate Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration Federal Emergency Management Agency 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 complete FMA grant application via FEMA’s grant application system by the application deadline to be considered for FMA funding. The required format for grant and subgrant applications is built into FEMA’s grant application system, Mitigation planning activities must be submitted in a planning subgrant application;

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 2018) must be submitted in a technical assistance subgrant application;

FMA grant applications, including applicant-approved planning, project, management costs, advance assistance and technical assistance subapplications must be submitted in an FY 2019 FMA grant application.

Blank copies of applications that conform to FEMA’s grant application system format are available for reference only at https://www.fema.gov/application-submittal. FEMA will not accept these as an application package.

Wherever possible, supporting documentation for applications should be attached electronically in FEMA’s grant application system. Over-sized items that cannot be scanned may be mailed to the 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 FEMA’s grant application 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 subgrant application in FEMA’s grant application system.

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, advance assistance, technical assistance 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/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/circulars/A94/a094.pdf FEMA’s Benefit Cost Toolkit is available on the FEMA website at www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis. Version 5.3 or newer 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 FEMA’s grant application 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 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, advance assistance, technical assistance and project subapplications in FEMA’s grant application system.

Subapplicants should contact their Applicant agency for information specific to their State/territory/tribe’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 DUNS number, active SAM registration, and FEMA grant application 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 FEMA’s Grant Application System.

2. Obtain a DUNS Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet (D&B).

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 for access to FEMA’s Grant Application System: The next step in the registration process is to create an account for FEMA’s grant application system. For detailed instructions on registering, refer to https://www.fema.gov/application-submittal.

5. Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through FEMA’s grant application system, 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 FEMA’s Grant Application System

1. Subapplicants must create planning, project, advance assistance and/or technical assistance subgrant applications and submit them to their Applicant organization.

Subapplicants should contact their Applicant agency for information specific to their State/tribe/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 FEMA’s grant application system to submit planning, advance assistance, technical assistance and/or project subapplications to the Applicant, then the Applicant must enter the subapplication(s) into FEMA’s grant application system on the subapplicant’s behalf.

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

Applicants must ensure that accurate NFIP policy numbers and RLnumbers are included in the Properties section of project subapplications in FEMA’s grant application system 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, approve the subgrant applications.

The approved planning, project, advance assistance, technical assistance, and management costs subgrant applications may then be submitted and added to the grant application by the Applicant and/or subapplicants.

4. Applicants must rank all the subgrant applications included in their grant application in FEMA’s grant application 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.

FEMA will select the highest ranked eligible subapplication(s) for Advance Assistance from each Applicant not to exceed $200,000 total Federal cost share and will select the highest ranked eligible community flood mitigation subapplication(s) from each Applicant up to $10 million Federal cost share (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. Community flood mitigation advance assistance must include “Advance Assistance” in the subgrant application title. Community flood mitigation projects must include “Community Flood Mitigation Project” in the subgrant application title (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 FEMA’s grant application system by the application deadline.

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 FEMA’s grant application system. 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 FEMA’s grant application system (e.g., FMA-01-MA-2017). In addition, once FEMA receives and delegates the FMA grant application to begin the review process, FEMA’s grant application system will automatically send an email message to the Point(s) of Contact (POC) identified in the grant application.

FEMA’s grant application system is programmed not to allow submittal of a FMA grant application after the submission deadline. Applicants using slow Internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission of applications to FEMA’s grant application could take some time.

Applicants and Subapplicants who experience system-related issues will be addressed until 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 01/29/2020. No new system-related issues will be addressed after this deadline. Applications not received by the application submission deadline will not be accepted.

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, 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:

$200,000 per Applicant for Community Mitigation Advance Assistance applications;

$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 2018;

$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 https://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 FMA grant application or subapplication that are incurred within 8 months of the application period has opened but prior to the date of the grant award are allowed subject to FEMA’s written approval. 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. To be eligible for FMA funding, pre-award costs must be identified as separate line items in the cost estimate of the subapplication. Applicants and subapplicants may identify such pre-award costs as their non-Federal cost share.

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, any direct administrative cost, and any other 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, 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 FEMA’s grant application 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 subgrant applications in FEMA’s grant application system.

Management costs are only awarded in conjunction with awarded project, advance assistance, technical assistance or planning subapplications. Applicants and subapplicants who do not receive awards/subawards for any planning, advance assistance, technical assistance 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.

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. More detailed information is provided in Part III, E.5, Hazard Mitigation Plan Requirement, 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 note, 41 U.S.C. § 2313 and 2 CFR. §200.25 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 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 $210 million in the following order.

1. Community Flood Mitigation - $70 million

a. Community Flood Mitigation – Advance Assistance

FEMA will select the highest ranked eligible subapplication(s) for Advance Assistance from each Applicant not to exceed $200,000 total Federal cost share.

Maximum funding for all FMA Advance Assistance is $4 million.

Advance Assistance can be used to obtain data and to prioritize, select, and develop community flood hazard projects for future funding based on current FEMA-approved mitigation plans. 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 2019 community flood mitigation Advance Assistance projects are not eligible for FY 2019 community flood mitigation project funding. There is no guarantee for future HMA project funding if Advance Assistance is awarded.

All community flood mitigation Advance Assistance subapplications must include the following elements:

Use the planning application type and Advance Assistance code/activity type within FEMA’s grant application system to be considered, Be designated as a community flood mitigation Advanced Assistance project in the subapplication title “Advance Assistance for X”, and

Prove that the proposed project benefits NFIP-insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) delineating:

o Estimated area benefitting from project

b. Community Flood Mitigation – Projects

FEMA will then 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. Projects must benefit communities with high participation and favorable standing in the NFIP for the remaining $70 million. Applicants are not required to apply for Advance Assistance funding to be eligible to receive a project award.

All community flood mitigation subapplications must include the following elements in their applications:

Use the Community Flood Control code/activity type within FEMA’s grant application system to be considered, Be designated as community flood mitigation project in the subapplication title “Community Flood Mitigation Project”, and

Prove that the proposed project benefits NFIP-insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) delineating:

o The proposed project footprint boundary, o Area benefitting from project, and o Active NFIP policies (if data available).

Eligible activities must benefit NFIP-insured properties and include, but are not limited to:

o Infrastructure protective measures o Localized flood control 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 Community Flood Mitigation 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 for Community Flood Mitigation Projects & Advance Assistance

Priority Description Total Points

NFIP Policy Holder

Points will be assessed for every NFIP policy that is verified within the benefiting area of the project (5 per NFIP Policy)

5 x Each NFIP Policy

Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) and Repetitive Loss (RL) Properties

Points will be assessed for project that contains SRL or RL properties as defined in priority 4 below (10 per RL and 15 per SRL property)

10 x each RL 15 x each SRL

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)

10-100

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)

10-100

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 as follows: 2012 version or lower adopted = 25 and 2015 version or higher adopted = 50.

25-50

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

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 for the remaining funds in the following order:

2. Technical Assistance

FEMA will select eligible technical assistance subapplications up to $50,000 Federal cost share for Recipients to which FEMA obligated FMA awards totaling at least $1 million Federal cost share in FY 2018.

3. Flood Hazard Mitigation Planning

FEMA will select eligible planning subapplications up to $100,000 Federal cost share per Applicant with a maximum of $50,000 Federal cost share for State mitigation plan updates and $25,000 Federal cost share for the flood only portion of local mitigation plans. FEMA may reduce the Federal cost share of any planning subapplication that exceeds the statutory maximums.

4. Competitive funding for property flood mitigation projects

FEMA will select eligible flood mitigation project subapplications on a competitive basis in the following prioritized order:

(a) Projects that will mitigate flood damage to at least 50 percent of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition in 42 U.S.C.

4104c(h)(3)(B)(ii) of an SRL property: At least two separate NFIP claim payments have been made with the cumulative amount of such claims exceeding the market value of the insured structure.

(b) Projects that will mitigate flood damage to at least 50 percent of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition of a RL property: Have 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.

(c) Projects that will mitigate flood damage to at least 50 percent of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition in 42 U.S.C.

4104c(h)(3)(B)(i) of an SRL property: four or more separate NFIP claims payments have been made with the amount of each claim exceeding $5,000, and with the cumulative amount of claims payments exceeding $20,000.

5. FEMA will select remaining eligible applications once all above priorities are met based on benefits to the NFIP.

Applicants must ensure that accurate NFIP policy numbers and RL numbers are included in all subapplications to be eligible to be selected for the above priorities.

For project subapplications in priority categories 5(a) through 5(c) above, FEMA will prioritize projects as follows:

(a) The highest percentage of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition from 100 to 50 percent;

(b) The largest number of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition; and

(c) FEMA-validated BCR.

If a project subapplication includes structures that meet the definition in more than one of the priority categories, then the project will be considered under each of those priority categories, and the structures that meet the definition of each priority category will be counted for that category.

o For example, a project with structures that meet the definition in priority category

(a) is not selected for priority (a) because less than 50 percent of the structures included in the subapplication meet that definition. However, the project also contains structures that meet the definition in priority category (b). So the project is considered for priority (b), and the percentage of structures included in the subapplication that meet the definition in priority category (b) is used to determine whether it is selected.

FEMA may select a subapplication out of priority order based on one or more of the following factors:

o Availability of funding o Balance/distribution of funds geographically or by type of Applicant o Duplication of subapplications o Program priorities and policy factors o Other pertinent information

FEMA will designate the selected planning, project, advance assistance and technical assistance subapplications as Identified for Further Review. Applicants with planning, project, advance assistance and/or technical assistance subapplication(s) that are Identified for Further Review that submitted a management costs subapplication (see Content…