FY_2024_RCPGP_NOFO_05_16_2024_Final_508.pdf

FY 2024 RCPGP NOFO

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

Fiscal Year 2024 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

All entities wishing to do business with the federal government must have a unique entity identifier (UEI). The UEI number is issued by the system. Requesting a UEI using System for Award Management (SAM.gov) can be found at: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

Updates in Grant Application Forms:

The Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number was replaced by a new, non-proprietary identifier requested in, and assigned by SAM.gov. This new identifier is the Unique Entity Identifier.

Additional Information can be found on Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates https://sam.gov/content/entity-%20%20registration https://sam.gov/content/entity-%20%20registration https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates

Table of Contents Updates in Grant Application Forms:

A. Program Description

1. Issued By

2. Assistance Listings Number

3. Assistance Listings Title

4. Funding Opportunity Title

5. Funding Opportunity Number

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

8. Announcement Type

9. Program Category

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

a. Overview

b. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

c. Alignment to Program Purpose and the DHS and FEMA Strategic Plan

11. Performance Measures B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $10,800,000

2. Projected Number of Awards: 5-10

3. Maximum Award Amount: $3,000,000

4. Period of Performance: 36 months

5. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): 10/01/2024

6. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 09/30/2027

7. Projected Budget Period(s)

8. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

3. Subawards and Beneficiaries

4. Other Eligibility Criteria/Restrictions

a. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation

b. Project Eligibility Requirements

5. Cost Share or Match D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: 05/23/2024

b. Application Submission Deadline: 07/25/2024 at 5 p.m. ET

c. Anticipated Funding Selection Date: No later than 09/09/2024

d. Anticipated Award Date: No later than 09/30/2024

e. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award

3. Address to Request Application Package

4. Requirements: Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Register in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

5. Steps Required to Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, Register in the System for Award Management (SAM), and Submit an Application

6. Electronic Delivery

7. How to Register to Apply

a. General Instructions:

b. Obtain an UEI Number:

c. Obtain Employer Identification Number

d. Create a login.gov account:

e. Register with SAM:

f. Register in FEMA GO, Add the Organization to the System, and Establish the AOR:

8. Submitting the Application

9. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

10. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Standard Required Application Forms and Information

b. Program-Specific Required Forms and Information

11. Intergovernmental Review

12. Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs

a. Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services

b. Pre-Award Costs

c. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs

d. Indirect Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs

e. Evaluation Costs

f. Other Direct Costs

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

a. Programmatic Criteria

b. Financial Integrity Criteria

c. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review

2. Review and Selection Process

a. Initial Review

b. Application Review Process

c. Application Selection Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Notice of Award

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. DHS Standard Terms and Conditions

b. Ensuring the Protection of Civil Rights

c. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance

d. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation

e. Mandatory Disclosures

3. Reporting

a. Financial Reporting Requirements

b. Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements

c. Closeout Reporting Requirements

d. Additional Reporting Requirements

4. Monitoring and Oversight G. DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information

1. Contact and Resource Information

a. Program Office Contact

b. FEMA Grants News

c. FEMA Regional Offices

d. Civil Rights

e. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation

2. Systems Information

a. FEMA GO

H. Additional Information

1. Termination Provisions

a. Noncompliance

b. With the Consent of the Recipient

c. Notification by the Recipient

2. Program Evaluation

3. Period of Performance Extensions

4. Disability Integration

5. Conflicts of Interest in the Administration of Federal Awards or Subawards

6. Procurement Integrity

a. Important Changes to Procurement Standards in 2 C.F.R. Part 200

b. Competition and Conflicts of Interest

c. Supply Schedules and Purchasing Programs

d. Procurement Documentation

7. Record Retention

a. Record Retention Period

b. Types of Records to Retain

8. Actions to Address Noncompliance

9. Audits

10. Payment Information

11. Whole Community Preparedness

12. Report issues of fraud, waste, abuse

13. Hazard-Resistant Building Codes

14. Procedures for Establishing Indirect Cost Rates

16. Appendices

Appendix A: 100 Most Populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (2021) Appendix B: Project Narrative Template Appendix C: Evaluation Criteria and Scoring Appendix D: Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative Template Appendix E: FY 2023 RCPGP Project Summaries

A. Program Description

1. Issued By

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

2. Assistance Listings Number

97.111

3. Assistance Listings Title Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP)

4. Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year 2024 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP)

5. Funding Opportunity Number

DHS-24-GPD-111-01-99

6. Authorizing Authority for Program Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-47, Title III, Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (2024 DHS Appropriations Act)

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-47, Title III, Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (2024 DHS Appropriations Act)

8. Announcement Type

Initial

9. Program Category

Preparedness: Emergency Management

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

a. Overview Preparedness is a shared responsibility that spans across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; the private sector; non-governmental organizations; and the American people. It requires an approach that engages individuals, families, communities, private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and all levels of government across the whole community. The purpose of the RCPGP is to build state and local capacity to manage catastrophic incidents by improving and expanding regional collaboration, across the whole community.

The National Response Framework (4th Edition or superseding edition) defines a catastrophic incident as any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, or government functions. The regional interdependencies of effective prevention, protection, https://www.fema.gov/whole-community https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117791 mitigation, response, and recovery activities require a cohesive regional approach to catastrophic planning, to include community-level stakeholder involvement to maximize both regional and community-level resilience.

As part of this whole community approach, it is critical that regional catastrophic preparedness investments focus on the needs of disadvantaged communities, including vulnerable populations within such communities. Natural disasters, worsened by the effects of climate change, often disproportionately affect people in disadvantaged communities where weakened infrastructure, fewer resources, and less support invested in hazard mitigation can compound a disaster’s impact, thus worsening inequalities already present in society. Therefore, to effectively address equity in emergency management, the evolving threats and risks associated with climate change1 and other factors that affect community-level resiliency must also be considered when developing RCPGP investments.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 RCPGP represents one part of a comprehensive set of actions authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS to build preparedness capabilities. The National Preparedness Goal (the Goal) defines what it means to be prepared for a wide range of threats and hazards, including catastrophic incidents.

Please see Section A.10.b of this NOFO for a table of potential RCPGP activities, and Appendix E of this NOFO for a comprehensive list of projects approved and funded in FY 2023.

The National Preparedness System is the instrument the nation employs to build, sustain, and deliver core capabilities needed to achieve the goal of a more secure and resilient nation. Each community contributes to achieving the Goal by addressing the risks that are most relevant and urgent for them individually, which in turn strengthens the collective security and resilience of the nation. They do this through the National Preparedness System components of:

• Identifying and Assessing Risk;

• Estimating Capability Requirements;

• Building and Sustaining Capabilities;

• Planning to Deliver Capabilities;

• Validating Capabilities; and

• Reviewing and Updating.

The strategic priority for the FY 2024 RCPGP is investing in the following core capabilities: Housing, Community Resilience, and Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction. Community and regional level resilience plans and strategies address the full range of hazards and stressors affecting the ability of communities to survive, 1 Climate change is defined as “Changes in average weather conditions that persist over multiple decades or longer.

Climate change encompasses both increases and decreases in temperature, as well as shifts in precipitation, changing risk of certain types of severe weather events, and changes to other features of the climate system.” (National Climate Assessment) https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal http://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-system adapt, and thrive and enable effective risk reduction. Communities facing severe challenges with affordable housing that is resilient to all hazards, or long-term vulnerability reduction, may use this planning grant to develop specific targeted resilience strategies and plans, or integrate these challenges into broader approaches.

Communities may also use this grant to enhance existing plans and strategies to better address the broad range of resilience challenges they may face. These plans and strategies can serve as a tool for leveraging support for federal investments in infrastructure and other community resilience needs.

Furthermore, priority will be given to those planning efforts that address the needs of disadvantaged communities who might be at special risk because of current and/or future hazards, including those associated with climate change. By addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities, the FY 2024 RCPGP aims to ensure consistent and systematic, fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals before, during, and after a disaster, consistent with applicable law.

The above priority is guided by the Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of climate and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that have been marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. In support of this priority, recipients are expected to involve representatives of disadvantaged communities in the development of local/community preparedness and readiness plans and integration of those plans into broader whole-of-government efforts. See “Supplemental Equity Guidance” in Section A.10.b for additional information on this topic.

When developing project proposals, FEMA encourages applicants to coordinate the provision of the education, tools, and training for emergency managers and other key stakeholders to:

• Identify and address the emerging risks and future conditions caused by climate change and increase community-level resilience within the identified disadvantaged communities;

• Support integration of climate change data into local planning, including hazard mitigation, emergency management, and community planning processes; and

• Plan for and develop research-supported, proactive investments in community resilience.

b. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

Goals: The goal of the RCPGP is to enhance regional resilience by supporting comprehensive planning, coordination, and collaboration across jurisdictions to improve preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience in the face of catastrophic events. The RCPGP is a covered program under the Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments such as climate and other investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities. Therefore, RCPGP-funded investments are targeted to disadvantaged communities.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2021/07/20/the-path-to-achieving-justice40/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2021/07/20/the-path-to-achieving-justice40/

Objectives: The RCPGP provides resources that supports states and local governments in meeting the following objectives (with associated core capabilities noted in parentheses where applicable):

• Build state and local capacity to manage catastrophic incidents by improving and expanding regional collaboration among emergency managers and other preparedness stakeholders.

• Involve regional stakeholders in the development of plans to address those core capabilities that present persistent preparedness challenges, with specific focus on community-level resilience, and an emphasis on addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities and long-term vulnerability reduction within those communities.

• Establish a resilient and sustainable housing market that meets the needs of the community, including the need for accessible housing within the specified timeframe in the recovery plan. (Housing)

• Assess preliminary housing impacts and needs, identify currently available options for temporary housing, and plan for permanent housing. (Housing)

• Ensure community housing recovery plans continue to address interim housing needs, assess options for permanent housing, and define a timeline for achieving a resilient, accessible, and sustainable housing market. (Housing)

• Maximize the coverage of the U.S. population that has a localized, risk-informed mitigation plan developed through partnerships across the entire community. (Community Resilience)

• Empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions to facilitate actions necessary to adapt to, withstand, and quickly recover from future incidents. (Community Resilience)

• Achieve a measurable decrease in the long-term vulnerability of the Nation against current baselines amid a growing population base, changing climate conditions, increasing reliance upon information technology, and expanding infrastructure base. (Long-term Vulnerability Reduction)

In addition to the objectives above, the core capability descriptions can help guide development FY 2024 RCPGP project proposals, as explained below.

• FEMA defines the Housing core capability as:

Implement housing solutions that effectively support the needs of the whole community and contribute to its sustainability and resilience.

• FEMA defines the Community Resilience core capability as:

Enable the recognition, understanding, communication of, and planning for risk and empower individuals and communities to make informed risk management decisions necessary to adapt to, withstand, and quickly recover from future incidents.

https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/mission-core-capabilities

• FEMA defines the Long-term Vulnerability Reduction core capability as:

Build and sustain resilient systems, communities, and critical infrastructure and key resources lifelines so as to reduce their vulnerability to natural, technological, and human-caused threats and hazards by lessening the likelihood, severity, and duration of the adverse consequences.

Priorities: In support of the 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan, Equity, Climate Resilience, and Readiness continue to be the strategic priorities of the RCPGP. Also, in addition to being a required focus area, Housing is added as a priority. These priorities can also be viewed as strategic outcomes for RCPGP-funded projects. When developing their RCPGP project proposals, applicants should consider how the proposed project can address these priorities and produce meaningful results, using the 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan as a guide.

Because the purpose of the RCPGP is to build state and local capacity to manage catastrophic incidents by improving and expanding regional collaboration across the whole community for catastrophic incident preparedness, this requires focusing RCPGP-funded projects on developing core capabilities that present persistent preparedness challenges, with specific focus on community-level resilience, and an emphasis on addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities and long-term vulnerability reduction within those communities. Additionally, consistent with previous years, housing remains a key focus area, especially through the lenses of equity, climate resilience, and readiness. Housing is also included as a strategic priority to emphasize its vital importance to the disaster recovery mission.

To accomplish the priorities and objectives outlined above, the FY 2024 RCPGP requires that applicants develop and deliver one planning project that addresses specific capability gaps based on Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) results and focuses on housing, community resilience, AND/OR long-term vulnerability reduction (i.e., must address one or more of the three core capability focus areas), with an emphasis on disadvantaged communities, within the strategic priorities of equity, climate resilience, readiness, and housing. Furthermore, the project must be regional in nature, meaning that the geographic reach of the project must, at a minimum, span the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Additionally, FY 2024 RCPGP applicants are encouraged to develop projects that build a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, and exercising with regional partners across the whole community to improve their collective readiness posture. This includes use of RCPGP funding to: formalize new or sustain existing interdisciplinary working groups for effective coordination of planning efforts; ensure synchronization of plans and shared best practices; implement citizen and community preparedness campaigns;

and develop plans for pre-positioning of needed commodities and equipment.

https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan

RCPGP Focus Area Examples of Allowable Activities Community Resilience • Partner with local community leaders, emergency managers, advocacy groups, and other key stakeholders to develop localized, risk-informed mitigation plans. Identify potential funding sources for essential mitigation activities. Develop a unified, regional mitigation plan that addresses the needs of disadvantaged communities and other socially vulnerable populations and supports the local community mitigation plans.

• Develop a plan to provide necessary outreach and training to leaders and other key stakeholders representing disadvantaged communities to enable and empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions to facilitate actions necessary to adapt to, withstand, and quickly recover from disasters.

• Conduct outreach and training with local community leaders and partners to identify at-risk, disadvantaged communities, analyze their risks, capabilities, and needs, and address those needs as part of a broader planning project that aims to improve community-level resilience.

• Partner with local community leaders, emergency managers, and other key stakeholders to exercise emergency operations plans to identify gaps in preparedness capabilities that affect the resilience of disadvantaged communities.

Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction

• Conduct a comprehensive regional vulnerability assessment aimed at understanding the needs of disadvantaged communities and other socially vulnerable populations relative to identified capability gaps.

• In coordination with local community leaders and other key stakeholders, analyze long-term vulnerabilities, including the predicted effects of ongoing climate change, affecting disadvantaged communities across the region and develop a plan for mitigating those vulnerabilities.

• Conduct outreach and training with local community leaders and partners to identify at-risk, disadvantaged communities, analyze their long-term vulnerabilities, current capabilities, and long-term needs, and address those needs as part of a broader project that includes developing a plan for reducing vulnerabilities in affected communities.

Housing • Establish a resilient and sustainable housing market that meets the needs of the community, including the need for accessible and affordable housing in coordination with community development/housing entities and other key stakeholders.

• Partner with local community leaders, housing organizations and agencies, community development officials, emergency managers, and other key stakeholders to integrate efforts and

RCPGP Focus Area Examples of Allowable Activities review applicable state and local housing assessments, like the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Consolidated Plans and Action Plans, which are designed to assess affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions.

• Conduct assessments of affordable housing stock to determine investment strategies to make existing housing more resilient to all hazards.

• Develop strategies to address common barriers to housing reconstruction or redevelopment.

• Conduct a gap analysis to determine greatest current housing need and most vulnerable / at risk housing stock to identify areas with greatest gaps to prioritize.

• Develop a unified, regional housing plan that addresses the needs of disadvantaged communities and other socially vulnerable populations and supports the local community planning goals.

• Develop a unified regional plan for upgrading existing housing stock to be more resilient to climate change and all hazards.

• Develop a regional housing plan that addresses housing instability caused by changes in the climate and includes solutions to increase communities’ climate resilience.

• Identify and address gaps in resilient housing for communities with disabilities and/or access and functional needs as well as pet/animal sheltering.

• Conduct trainings with regional partners on topics related to affordable housing and climate resilience.

• Develop a unified regional plan for long-term housing after a catastrophic event that identifies and takes steps to rectify capability gaps related to increasing the number of people able to find and secure affordable and resilient long-term housing after a disaster focusing on populations more impacted by disasters.

• In coordination with local community leaders and other key stakeholders, review existing disaster housing plans and update as needed to ensure compliance with the latest planning and disaster housing guidance (see reference links below) with a focus on the needs of disadvantaged communities.

Planning Resources A wealth of guidance is available on the internet that can be leveraged to inform and aid development of RCPGP applications. Applicants are advised to conduct their own research but should consider reviewing the information available through FEMA’s website and other websites such as those listed below, which represent a partial listing of publicly available planning resources.

• National Preparedness | FEMA.gov

• Planning Guides | FEMA.gov

• Planning Considerations: Disaster Housing (fema.gov)

• Equity | FEMA.gov

• Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)

• Climate Essentials for Emergency Managers | FEMA.gov

• Climate Mapping for Resilience & Adaptation | Climate.gov

• Climate Adaptation Planning Guidance for Emergency Managers | FEMA.gov

• Home | FEMA Community Disaster Resilience Zones (arcgis.com)

• Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT) | FEMA.gov

• CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)

• Community Resilience Estimates (census.gov)

• EJScreen: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool | US EPA

• Recovery and Resilience Resource Library | FEMA.gov

• Roadmap to Federal Resources for Disaster Recovery | FEMA.gov

• Community Recovery Management Toolkit | FEMA.gov

• Individuals and Communities | FEMA.gov

• Risk Management | FEMA.gov

• Mitigation Best Practices | FEMA.gov

• Hazard Mitigation Planning | FEMA.gov

• Building Science | FEMA.gov

• Tools for Practitioners | FEMA.gov

• Preparedness Toolkit (fema.gov)

• FEMA Case Study Library | FEMA.gov

• Housing Counseling Disaster Resources - HUD Exchange

• HUD Disaster Resources | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD)

• PrepTalks | FEMA.gov

• National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)

Supplemental Guidance on Equity and Environmental Justice Underserved and disadvantaged communities suffer disproportionately from disasters.

Disasters compound the challenges faced by these communities and increase their risk to future disasters. By instilling equity as a foundation of emergency management and striving to provide equitable access for and ensure that we meet the unique needs of underserved and disadvantaged communities and the broader affected public, the emergency management community can work to break this cycle of compounding risks and build a more resilient nation.

On equity, Executive Order (EO) 13985 Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Throughout the Federal Government (Jan. 20, 2021) defines equity as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/plan https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/planning-considerations-disaster-housing.pdf https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/equity https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/about#8.5/40.2565/-76.0558 https://www.fema.gov/node/climate-essentials-emergency-managers https://resilience.climate.gov/ https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_climate-adaptation-planning-guide_2024.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_climate-adaptation-planning-guide_2024.pdf https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3fdfd0639ba0403e9414d05654449d32/page/Home/ https://www.fema.gov/node/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool-rapt https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/community-resilience-estimates.html https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/recovery-resilience-resource-library https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/roadmap-resource-library https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/recovery-resources/community-toolkit https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk/hazard-mitigation-planning/best-practices https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/hazard-mitigation-planning https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/national-resource-hub/personnel-qualifications https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/case-study-library https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/housing-counseling/disasters/ https://www.hud.gov/disaster_resources https://www.hud.gov/disaster_resources https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/preptalks https://nlihc.org/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment,” and further defines underserved communities as “populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, who have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life… such as Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, Alaska Native and Indigenous, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, Middle Eastern, and North African persons. It also includes individuals who belong to communities that face discrimination… (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons) …” The EO definition of underserved communities also includes members of religious minorities, persons with disabilities, persons who live in rural areas, and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

The focus on equity and investing in strategies that expand access for and meet the needs of the public, including underserved and disadvantaged communities, will strengthen the whole of community system of emergency management. FEMA as a whole prioritizes access for and meeting the needs of underserved and disadvantaged communities through implementation of Goal 1 - Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management of the 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan.

Engaging the whole community to ensure needs can be met requires providing opportunities for all members of the community to be part of the emergency management team, including representatives of underserved and disadvantaged communities, diverse community members, social and community service groups and institutions, faith-based and disability advocacy groups, academia, professional associations, the private and nonprofit sectors, and government agencies that may not traditionally have been directly involved in emergency management. The whole community includes children; older adults; individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs; those from religious, racial, and ethnically diverse backgrounds; people with limited English proficiency; and owners of animals including household pets and service animals.

In addition, substantial and ongoing prioritization of, and investment in, disadvantaged communities as part of the Justice40 Initiative and consistent with applicable law, is essential for the entire system to be effective and efficient.

Executive Order 14008 directed the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to create a geospatial tool and annually publish interactive maps highlighting disadvantaged communities. This tool is called the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). On Jan. 27, 2023, OMB, the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and CEQ issued a memorandum2 directing federal agencies to use the CEJST to “identify geographically defined disadvantaged communities for any covered program under the Justice40 Initiative and for programs where a statute directs resources to disadvantaged communities, to the maximum extent possible and

2 M-23-09 Addendum to the Interim Implementation Guide for the Justice40 Initiative, M-21-28, on using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan/goal-1 https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan/goal-1 https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad#:%7E:text=Sec.%20223.%20Justice40,40-percent%20goal.

https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/about#8.5/40.2565/-76.0558 https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/about#8.5/40.2565/-76.0558 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf permitted by law.”3 The tool has an interactive map and uses datasets that are indicators of burdens in eight categories: climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development.

The tool uses this information to identify communities that are experiencing these burdens. These are the geographically defined communities that are disadvantaged because they are overburdened by pollution and marginalized by underinvestment. In addition, all Federally Recognized Tribes and Tribal entities are recognized as disadvantaged communities, whether or not they have land. Since the RCPGP is included as a covered program under the Justice40 Initiative, applicants are directed to use the CEJST to identify disadvantaged communities that will be involved and will directly benefit from the proposed RCPGP project. See Section D.10.b, “Program-Specific Required Forms and Information,” for additional information relating to use of the CEJST.

Finally, on September 6, 2023, FEMA announced the initial designation of 483 census tracts as Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ). In accordance with the CDRZ Act of 2022, communities within the designated zones are eligible for increased federal support to become more resilient to natural hazards and extreme weather worsened by climate change. To that end, applicants should consult the online CDRZ tool to identify CDRZs within their jurisdictions and consider how the identified vulnerabilities and needs of those communities can be addressed within their proposed projects.

All currently designated CDRZ communities are considered disadvantaged communities in accordance with the CEJST. Thus, the CDRZ communities are essentially a small subset of a much larger set of geographically defined disadvantaged communities as identified by the CEJST. FEMA therefore recommends that applicants assess the needs of the CDRZ communities first, then examine other disadvantaged communities within the applicable geographic area and consider how their common needs can potentially be addressed in their project proposal.

Supplemental Climate Resilience Guidance Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing emergency managers today, and it will continue to shape the field of emergency management for the next several decades. To meet this challenge, the emergency management field needs to anticipate the increasing demands generated by more extreme and frequent disasters, from wildfires and coastal storms to inland flooding. Additionally, emergency managers must learn to manage and support climate-related emergencies such as drought and extreme heat. Natural disasters, worsened by the effects of climate change, often disproportionately affect people in underserved and disadvantaged communities where weakened infrastructure, fewer resources, and less support invested in hazard mitigation can compound a disaster’s impact. Therefore, FEMA recommends that

3 M-23-09 (whitehouse.gov) https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/01/2021-02177/tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad#:%7E:text=Sec.%20223.%20Justice40,40-percent%20goal.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3fdfd0639ba0403e9414d05654449d32/page/Home/ climate change and resilience considerations be cornerstones of how the nation builds resilient communities. Emergency managers at all levels of government need to make targeted efforts to increase resilience, including climate resilience, for underserved individuals and communities.

Climate change has both acute and chronic impacts; communities must be resilient against threats as varied as extreme flooding, drought, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Many communities are also faced with aging infrastructure, which can increase the risk of major disasters. As the frequency of these disasters accelerates, FEMA must increase climate adaptation investments across the nation. To have the greatest impact, FEMA encourages smart investments in system-based, community-wide projects to protect those with the most severe and persistent risk: communities can better target investments to the most transformational projects when they better understand the unique risks posed by climate change.

The future disaster environment will not resemble that of the past, or even what is experienced today. To build long-term resilience, communities must understand their future risk and have the resources and capacity to reduce that risk. Even within the same geographic area, different communities will face differing levels of risk due to their unique demographic, economic, and physical characteristics. It is important for the emergency management community to develop capacity to access and interpret accurate information about this localized risk, specifically in light of potential future conditions. This information will help communities better understand their own risks and identify the most appropriate resilience actions. See Goal 2 - Lead Whole of Community in Climate Resilience of the 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan for additional information on this topic.

Supplemental Housing Guidance Housing and tenancy status is a critical factor in determining social vulnerability. Investigations of the 2016 flooding incident in Lumberton, NC, conducted by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the NIST Center of Excellence for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning, found a quantitative linkage between flood damage and socio-economics. The initial findings showed housing displacement to be higher for Black and Native American households than for white households. These findings were primarily because households of color were much more likely to be residing in housing located in flood zones. Subsequent reports found connections between populations and their rate of recovery, namely that social vulnerabilities related to race, ethnicity, income, tenancy status, and education levels had the largest impact on recovery rates. Additionally, the 2023 National Preparedness Report identifies Housing as one of the lowest achieving core capabilities (bottom 5) across all communities. It is also one of the least funded.

From a catastrophic risk and national gaps perspective, some of the key capability gap themes that were identified by emergency management experts relating to housing/population resettlement gaps include:

https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan/goal-2 https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan/goal-2 https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.1230.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_2023-npr.pdf

• There’s a need for plans to address population and commodity movements across borders, as well as the cascading impact of surrounding states receiving overwhelming populations.

• Planning must include partners outside emergency management, such as housing and community development agencies and authorities, to be successful and implementable.

• In terms of capacity/funding there are significant pre-existing economic challenges, including the ongoing housing crisis, that would worsen the impacts of a catastrophic event and require more resources to address housing and resettlement.

• There’s a need for exercises to better address the complications of en masse population movements across borders.

c. Alignment to Program Purpose and the DHS and FEMA Strategic Plan

Of the five basic mission areas in the DHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024, the RCPGP supports Goal 5: Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience, which holds that the United States can effectively manage emergencies and mitigate the harm to American communities by thoroughly preparing local communities, rapidly responding during crises, and supporting recovery. The FY 2024 RCPGP also aligns to the 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan, which outlines a bold vision and three ambitious goals designed to address key challenges the agency faces during a pivotal moment in the field of emergency management. Wide-ranging and long-term, the goals defined in the plan respond to the changing landscape in which we find ourselves. The goals to meet this challenge are:

• Goal 1 – Promote and Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management;

• Goal 2 – Lead Whole of Community in Climate Resilience; and

• Goal 3 – Promote and Sustain a Ready FEMA and Prepared Nation.

These goals position FEMA to address the increasing range and complexity of disasters, support the diversity of communities we serve, and complement the nation’s growing expectations of the emergency management community. FEMA invites all its stakeholders and partners to also adopt these goals and join in building a stronger, more prepared, and resilient nation.

11. Performance Measures

Communities provide data on their proficiency across 32 core capabilities through the THIRA/SPR, after-action reports, and other preparedness data. FEMA’s evaluation of FY 2024 project proposals will be measured against core capability gaps identified through relevant THIRA/SPR reports and the potential impact the proposed project will have on improving those capabilities.

To evaluate program performance, FEMA will measure the percent change in targeted capability gaps and percent improvement in the Housing, Community Resilience, and Long- Term Vulnerability Reduction core capabilities, as reported through the required THIRA/SPR covering the community.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0702_plcy_dhs-strategic-plan-fy20-24.pdf https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan https://www.fema.gov/threat-and-hazard-identification-and-risk-assessment https://www.fema.gov/stakeholder-preparedness-review

FEMA will compare the community’s current baseline capability level of the Housing, Community Resilience, and/or Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction core capabilities against the capability level as reported at the end of the grant. Baseline capability assessments will be taken from the calendar year 2023 THIRA/SPR data; end of the grant performance data will be drawn from the calendar year 2027 THIRA/SPR data.

The capability assessments FEMA will use in the RCPGP performance analysis are guided by the standard measures listed below (the applicant will provide the relevant (#)’s and (time)’s based on their current level of capability and desired/target level of capability that will be achieved with RCPGP grant funds).

i. Housing: Within (#) (time) of an incident, (#) people requiring long-term housing, including (#) people with access and functional needs requiring accessible long-term housing, find and secure long-term housing.

ii. Community Resilience:

a. Within (#) (time), (#) households are covered by risk-appropriate insurance, including homeowners, flood, windstorm, and seismic.

b. Every (#) (time - frequency), conduct (#) outreach events or activities to increase awareness of locally significant threats and hazards to help the residents be more prepared to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from those events.

iii. Long Term Vulnerability Reduction: Every (#) (time), (#) jurisdictions review their building codes, and, if necessary, enact or update risk-appropriate (i.e., concerning the risk faced by that particular area), disaster resilient building codes (see FEMA’s Building Codes Documents for more information).

Recognizing that capability needs can vary significantly across different jurisdictions and there may be better ways to measure the effectiveness of a project against a specific core capability, the performance measures listed above should be viewed as examples only.

Applicants are permitted to develop their own performance measures to suit the unique capability evaluation needs of the covered communities. As stated above, FEMA will compare the community’s current baseline capability level of the Housing, Community Resilience, and/or Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction core capabilities against the capability level as reported at the end of the grant. Therefore, the only requirement is that the customized performance measure enable a quantitative comparison of the applicable capability both before and after completion of the funded project.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $10,800,000

2. Projected Number of Awards: 5-10

3. Maximum Award Amount: $3,000,000

4. Period of Performance: 36 months https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/building-codes

Extensions to the period of performance are allowed. For additional information on period of performance extensions, please refer to Section H of this NOFO.

5. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): 10/01/2024

6. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 09/30/2027

7. Projected Budget Period(s)

There will be only a single budget period with the same start and end dates as the period of performance.

8. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

The following are eligible applicants for this funding opportunity:

• States as defined by eCFR: 2 CFR 200.1 -- Definitions. This definition includes the

District of Columbia and territories); and

• Local governments as defined by eCFR: 2 CFR 200.1 -- Definitions.

The following eligibility restrictions for these groups apply:

• A state or territory is eligible to apply if one or more of the 100 most populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) per the Census Bureau’s 2021 Population Estimates (as listed in Appendix A “100 Most Populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (2021)”) is located within the state or territory. Additionally, the state or territory must obtain the support of the relevant MSA to apply on its behalf. See Section D.10.b, “Program-Specific Required Forms and Information,” for additional details on this requirement.

• Local governments must be located within one of the 100 most populous MSAs.

DHS/FEMA will accept no more than one application per MSA.

The application may be submitted by either:

• The State Administrative Agency (SAA);

• The first principal city, as indicated in Appendix A “100 Most Populous Metropolitan

Statistical Areas (2021)” in bold; or,

• A different local government located within the MSA, only if the application includes a signed letter of support from the office of the chief executive (e.g., mayor or city manager) of the first principal city, as indicated in Appendix A “100 Most Populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas (2021).”

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

Applications must conform to the guidance provided in Appendix B “Project Narrative Template” of this funding notice. Applicants that do not meet eligibility and application submission requirements will not be evaluated and scored by the review panel.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/about.html https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html

3. Subawards and Beneficiaries

a. Subaward allowability

Subawards are not allowed under the RCPGP.

b. Beneficiaries or Participants This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any participant or beneficiary.

4. Other Eligibility Criteria/Restrictions

a. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation

Prior to allocation of any federal preparedness awards, recipients must ensure and maintain adoption and implementation of NIMS. The list of objectives used for progress and achievement reporting is on FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/implementation-training.

Emergency management and incident response activities require carefully managed resources (personnel, teams, facilities, equipment, and/or supplies) to meet incident needs. Utilization of the standardized resource management concepts such as typing, credentialing, and inventorying, promote a strong national mutual aid capability needed to support delivery of core capabilities. Additional information on resource management, NIMS resource typing definitions, job titles, and position qualifications is on FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/components.

FEMA developed the National Incident Management System Guideline for the National Qualification System to describe national credentialing standards and to provide written guidance regarding the use of those standards. This guideline describes credentialing and typing processes and identifies tools that Federal Emergency Response Officials and emergency managers at all levels of government may use both routinely and to facilitate multijurisdictional coordinated responses.

Although state…