FY_2025_RCPGP_NOFO_ 08-01-25_non508.pdf

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Fiscal Year 2025 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

Fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and other criminal or noncriminal misconduct related to this program may be reported to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline. The toll-free numbers to call are 1 (800) 323-8603 and TTY 1 (844) 889-4357.

Contents

1. Basic Information A. Agency Name B. NOFO Title C. Announcement Type D. Funding Opportunity Number E. Assistance Listing Number F. Expected Total Funding G. Anticipated Number of Awards H. Expected Award Amount I. Projected Application Start Date J. Projected Application End Date K. Anticipated Funding Selection Date L. Anticipated Award Date M. Projected Period of Performance Start Date N. Projected Period of Performance End Date O. Executive Summary P. Agency Contact

2. Eligibility A. Eligible Entities/Entity Types B. Project Type Eligibility C. Requirements for Personnel, Partners, and Other Parties D. Maximum Number of Applications E. Additional Restrictions F. References for Eligibility Factors within the NOFO G. Cost Sharing Requirement H. Cost Share Description, Type and Restrictions I. Cost Sharing Calculation Example J. Required information for verifying Cost Share

3. Program Description A. Background, Program Purpose, and Program History B. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities C. Program Rationale D. Federal Assistance Type E. Performance Measures and Targets F. Program-Specific Unallowable Costs

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Funds may not be used for the following:

G. General Funding Requirements H. Indirect Costs (Facilities and Administrative Costs) I. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs J. Pre-Award Costs K. Beneficiary Eligibility L. Participant Eligibility M. Authorizing Authority N. Appropriation Authority O. Budget Period P. Prohibition on Covered Equipment or Services

4. Application Contents and Format A. Pre-Application, Letter of Intent, and Whitepapers B. Application Content and Format C. Application Components D. Program-Specific Required Documents and Information E. Post-Application Requirements for Successful Applicants

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines A. Address to Request Application Package B. Application Deadline C. Pre-Application Requirements Deadline D. Post-Application Requirements Deadline E. Effects of Missing the Deadline

6. Intergovernmental Review A. Requirement Description and State Single Point of Contact

7. Application Review Information A. Threshold Criteria B. Application Criteria C. Financial Integrity Criteria D. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review E. Reviewers and Reviewer Selection F. Merit Review Process G. Final Selection

8. Award Notices A. Notice of Award B. Pass-Through Requirements C. Note Regarding Pre-Award Costs D. Obligation of Funds E. Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants

9. Post-Award Requirements and Administration A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements B. DHS Standard Terms and Conditions C. Financial Reporting Requirements D. Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements E. Closeout Reporting Requirements F. Disclosing Information per 2 C.F.R. § 180.335

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G. Reporting of Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance H. Single Audit Report I. Monitoring and Oversight J. Program Evaluation K. Additional Performance Reporting Requirements L. Termination of the Federal Award

3. Termination of a Subaward by the Pass-Through Entity M. Best Practices N. Payment Information O. Immigration Conditions

10. Other Information A. Period of Performance Extension B. Other Information

11. Appendix A: FY 2025 RCPGP Target Allocations

12. Appendix B: Project Narrative Template

13. Appendix C: Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative Template

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1. Basic Information

A. Agency Name

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA)

B. NOFO Title

Fiscal Year 2025 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

(RCPGP)

C. Announcement

Type

Initial

D. Funding

Opportunity Number

DHS-25-GPD-111-01-99

E. Assistance Listing

Number

97.111

F. Expected Total

Funding

$10,800,000

See Appendix A for the FY 2025 RCPGP Target Allocations.

G. Anticipated

Number of Awards

6 awards

H. Expected Award

Amount

$1,800,000

I. Projected

Application Start

Date

08/01/2025 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)

J. Projected

Application End Date

08/15/2025 05:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)

K. Anticipated

Funding Selection

Date

No later than 09/30/2025

L. Anticipated

Award Date

No later than 09/30/2025

M. Projected Period of Performance Start

Date

10/01/2025

N. Projected Period of Performance End

Date

09/30/2028

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O. Executive

Summary

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 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.

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. Please see Section 3.B “Priorities” of this NOFO for a table of potential

RCPGP activities.

The strategic priority for the FY 2025 RCPGP focuses on investing in the following core capabilities: Housing, Community Resilience, and

Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction. Community and regional-level resilience plans and strategies should address the full range of hazards and vulnerabilities affecting the ability of communities to survive and adapt following a disaster. Communities facing severe challenges with housing that is resilient to all hazards or long-term vulnerabilities may use this planning-focused grant to develop specific, targeted resilience strategies and plans, or integrate these challenges into broader approaches. Recipients and regional partners 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 that will enhance regional preparedness.

Furthermore, planning efforts should address the needs of disaster-vulnerable communities that might be at special risk because of current and/or future hazards, including those associated with extreme weather events. By addressing the needs of disaster-vulnerable communities, the FY 2025 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.

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 emerging risks to disaster-vulnerable communities; and

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

P. Agency Contact a. Program Office Contact https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal http://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-system

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GPD’s Program Office coordinates the RCPGP application review process and provides support in addressing specific programmatic questions regarding the FY 2025 RCPGP. The Program Office can be reached by e- mail at FEMA-RCPGP@fema.dhs.gov.

b. FEMA Grants News

This channel provides general information on all FEMA grant programs and maintains a comprehensive database containing key personnel contact information at the federal, state, and local levels.

FEMA Grants News Team is reachable at fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov OR (800) 368-6498, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET.

c. Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) Award Administration

Division

GPD’s Award Administration Division (AAD) provides support regarding financial matters and budgetary technical assistance. AAD can be contacted at ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov.

d. FEMA Regional Offices

Following award selection and announcement, FEMA Regional

Offices manage, administer, and conduct the application budget review, create the award package, approve, amend, and close out awards, as well as conduct cash analysis, financial and programmatic monitoring, and audit resolution for RCPGP. The Regions also provide technical assistance to RCPGP recipients.

FEMA Regional Office contact information is available at https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts.

e. Civil Rights

Consistent with Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal

Discrimination & Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, the FEMA

Office of Civil Rights is responsible for ensuring compliance with and enforcement of federal civil rights obligations in connection with programs and services conducted by FEMA. They are reachable at

FEMA-CivilRightsOffice@fema.dhs.gov.

f. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation

The FEMA Office of Environmental Planning and Historic

Preservation (OEHP) provides guidance and information about the

EHP review process to FEMA programs and recipients and subrecipients. Send any inquiries regarding compliance for FEMA grant projects under this NOFO to FEMA-OEHP-

NOFOQuestions@fema.dhs.gov.

g. FEMA GO mailto:FEMA-RCPGP@fema.dhs.gov mailto:fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov mailto:fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov mailto:ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts mailto:FEMA-CivilRightsOffice@fema.dhs.gov mailto:FEMA-OEHP-NOFOQuestions@fema.dhs.gov mailto:FEMA-OEHP-NOFOQuestions@fema.dhs.gov

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For technical assistance with the FEMA GO system, please contact the

FEMA GO Helpdesk at femago@fema.dhs.gov or (877) 585-3242, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.

h. FEMA Preparedness Toolkit

The FEMA Preparedness Toolkit (PrepToolkit) provides access to tools and resources needed to implement the National Preparedness

System and provide a collaborative space for communities completing the Unified Reporting Tool (URT). Recipients complete and submit their Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR), and other required assessments using the PrepToolkit. For assistance, contact support@preptoolkit.fema.dhs.gov.

2. Eligibility

A. Eligible

Entities/Entity Types

Only the following entities or entity types are eligible to apply.

a. Applicants

1. Eligible Applicants

The State Administrative Agency (SAA) is the only entity eligible to submit FY 2025 RCPGP applications to DHS/FEMA. Each eligible

SAA will serve as the official applicant and recipient of RCPGP funds and is responsible for managing the award and ensuring compliance with all program requirements.

The SAAs for the following states are eligible for this funding opportunity:

• Alaska

• California

• Colorado

• Florida

• North Carolina

• Texas

Eligibility for the FY 2025 RCPGP is limited to these six states based on a risk-informed methodology that prioritizes regions with the greatest need for catastrophic preparedness planning. FEMA considered multiple factors in selecting these states, including regional threat profiles, gaps in catastrophic planning capabilities, and alignment with the program’s strategic priorities of readiness and extreme weather resilience. Additionally, selection was informed by regional interdependencies with national security infrastructure, critical defense installations, and related vulnerabilities, including:

mailto:femago@fema.dhs.gov https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/ mailto:support@preptoolkit.fema.dhs.gov

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• Alaska (Anchorage region): Chosen for its unique geostrategic importance, where critical infrastructure supports military bases that offer simultaneous access to the Arctic and Indo-

Pacific regions. Anchorage provides a rare dual-theater capability that is essential for U.S. force projection and national readiness.

• California (San Diego/San Jose): Hosts more than 30 major defense installations across all service branches, with irreplaceable training ranges and specialized capabilities.

California’s military infrastructure and population density demand coordinated regional planning for catastrophic incident response.

• Colorado (I-25 Corridor): Selected due to critical infrastructure and population centers that support or are adjacent to key military installations, including Fort Carson, Peterson Space

Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, and

Schriever Space Force Base. These facilities are vital to national defense operations and regional emergency coordination.

• Florida (Multiple regions): Home to 21 military bases and three U.S. Combatant Commands, particularly in the Pensacola and Jacksonville areas. Florida plays a pivotal role in national security operations, and its coastal infrastructure is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events.

• North Carolina: Selected for its numerous military installations and its strategic Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point—the

Army’s primary deep-water port and the primary military shipping point on the Atlantic Coast. This port is a critical asset for national defense logistics and vulnerable to severe weather.

• Texas (Kerr County and other flood-prone areas): Identified due to ongoing and increasing risk of catastrophic inland flooding. This aligns with RCPGP’s strategic priority of extreme weather resilience and the need to strengthen preparedness in regions prone to repeated and severe weather events.

This targeted eligibility ensures that RCPGP investments are directed where they can have the most significant impact on catastrophic preparedness, national resilience, and whole community coordination, particularly in areas where significant national defense and extreme

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2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

The application 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.

b. Subapplicants

Subapplicants and subawards are not allowed.

c. All Recipients – Compliance with Federal Immigration Laws

An immigration term and condition may be material to the

Department of Homeland Security’s decision to make this grant award, and the Department of Homeland Security may take any remedy for noncompliance, including termination, if the state or territorial recipient or any local government subrecipient fails to comply with this term and condition. No final agency determination has been made as of the date of this publication.

B. Project Type

Eligibility

a. Unallowable Project Types

• Equipment: Equipment costs are NOT allowed under this program.

• Construction and Renovation: Construction and renovation costs are NOT allowed under this program

• Public Safety Personnel: Hiring personnel to fulfil traditional public safety duties is NOT an allowable cost under this program.

• Maintenance and Sustainment: Maintenance and sustainment costs are NOT allowed under this program.

b. Allowable Project Types

• Planning: Planning costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice.

• Organization: Organization costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice.

• Training: Training costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice.

• Exercises: Exercise costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice.

• Personnel: Personnel hiring, overtime, and backfill expenses, including related fringe benefits, are allowed under this program to perform allowable assessment, planning, training, and exercise activities. Overtime costs for backfill and

10 | P a g e overtime to enable personnel to train or participate in exercises are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice.

• Consultants/Contractors: Hiring of full-time or part-time contract planners or consultants to assist with identifying gaps, planning, training, and exercise activities are allowed under this program and must be procured in compliance with 2

C.F.R. §§ 200.317 – 200.327.

• Travel: Domestic travel costs are allowed under this program, as provided for in this funding notice. International travel is not an allowed cost under this program unless approved in advance by DHS/FEMA.

• Conferences: Rental of space/locations for conferences, meetings, workshops, and webinars are allowed under this program to perform assessments, planning, training, and exercise activities in a manner consistent with 2 C.F.R. §

200.432. Recipients are encouraged to use free public

space/locations, whenever available, prior to the rental of space/locations.

• Supplies: Materials or supplies are allowed under this program only to support gap identification, planning, training, and exercise activities

Recipients that use RCPGP funds to support emergency communications activities within the allowable project types listed above must comply with the SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency

Communications Grants, including provisions on technical standards that ensure and enhance interoperable communications. Example emergency communications activities allowable under RCPGP may include training, exercises, and development or updating of communications plans. This SAFECOM Guidance can be found at

Funding and Sustainment | CISA.

C. Requirements for

Personnel, Partners, and Other Parties

An application submitted by an otherwise eligible non-federal entity

(i.e., the applicant) may be deemed ineligible when the person that submitted the application is not:

1. A current employee, official, or leader of the recipient organization; and

2. Authorized to apply for the award on behalf of the entity at the time of submission.

Additionally, the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must:

1. Be a current authorized employee, official, or leader of the recipient organization.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.432 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.432 https://www.cisa.gov/safecom/funding

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2. Use a unique email address associated with the recipient organization at the time of application and upon any change in assignment during the period of performance.

Consultants or contractors are not permitted to serve as the AOR of the recipient organization. For more information on the roles and responsibilities of the AOR, refer to FEMA's guidance on Roles and

Permissions.

D. Maximum

Number of

Applications

The maximum number of applications that can be submitted is:

One application per SAA

See eligibility section above for additional details.

E. Additional

Restrictions

The applicants or recipients are required to certify their compliance with federal statues, DHS directives, polices, and procedures.

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 (including territorial), local, tribal, and private sector partners (including nongovernmental organizations) are not required https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go/startup/roles-permissions https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go/startup/roles-permissions https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/implementation-training https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/implementation-training https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/components https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/components/nqs-supplemental-documents https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/components/nqs-supplemental-documents

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Additional information about NIMS in general is available on

FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims.

b. Project Eligibility Requirements

Project submissions must meet the requirements outlined in Section 4

“Content and Form of Application Submission” and Appendix B

“Project Narrative Template” of this funding notice.

F. References for

Eligibility Factors within the NOFO

Please see the following references provided below:

1. “Financial Integrity Criteria” subsection

2. “Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review” subsection

3. FEMA may/will request financial information such as

Employer Identification Number (EIN) and bank information as part of the potential award selection. This will apply to everyone prospered, including subrecipients.

G. Cost Sharing

Requirement

There is no cost share requirement.

H. Cost Share

Description, Type and Restrictions

Not applicable.

I. Cost Sharing

Calculation Example

Not applicable.

J. Required information for verifying Cost Share

3. Program Description

A. Background, Program Purpose, and Program History

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 https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims https://www.fema.gov/whole-community https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117791

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The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 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. 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. Please see Section 3.B “Priorities” of this NOFO for a table of potential RCPGP activities.

FY 2025 RCPGP prioritizes investments in the following core capabilities: Housing, Community

Resilience, and Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction. Furthermore, priority will be given to those planning efforts that address the needs of disaster-vulnerable communities that might be at special risk because of current and/or future hazards, including those associated with extreme weather events and proximity to critical infrastructure and military installations.

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 emerging risks to disaster-vulnerable communities; 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.

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 disaster-vulnerable communities and long-term vulnerability reduction within those communities.

https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-goal http://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-system

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• Establish a resilient and sustainable housing market that addressed identified vulnerabilities and 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 threat 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 2025 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.

• 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:

The strategic priorities of the RCPGP are readiness and extreme weather resilience. These priorities can also be viewed as strategic outcomes for RCPGP-funded projects. When developing RCPGP project proposals, applicants should consider how the proposed project can address these priorities and produce meaningful results, using the National Resilience Guidance |

FEMA.gov and the other planning resources referenced in the section as a guide.

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

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The FY 2025 RCPGP also prioritizes development of core capabilities that present persistent preparedness challenges, focusing on community-level resilience, long-term vulnerability reduction, and housing, with emphasis on addressing the needs of disaster-vulnerable communities specific to readiness and extreme weather resilience. To accomplish these priorities, the FY 2025 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 disaster-vulnerable communities (including areas surrounding critical infrastructure and military installations), within the strategic priorities of readiness and extreme weather resilience.

Furthermore, the project must be regional in nature, meaning that the geographic reach of the project should span the entire state or large, high-risk areas within the state. Additionally, FY

2025 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.

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 disaster-vulnerable communities and supports the local community mitigation plans.

• Develop a plan to provide necessary outreach and training to leaders and other key stakeholders representing disaster-vulnerable 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, disaster-vulnerable 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 disaster-vulnerable communities.

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Long-Term Vulnerability

Reduction

• Conduct a comprehensive regional vulnerability assessment aimed at understanding the needs of disaster-vulnerable communities relative to identified capability gaps.

• In coordination with local community leaders and other key stakeholders, analyze long-term vulnerabilities affecting communities across the region and develop a plan for mitigating the identified vulnerabilities.

• Conduct outreach and training with local community leaders and partners to identify at-risk, disaster-vulnerable 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 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 housing stock in disaster-vulnerable communities 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 disaster-vulnerable / at-risk housing stock to identify areas with greatest gaps to prioritize.

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

• Develop a unified regional plan for upgrading existing housing stock to be more resilient to weather related threats and all other hazards.

• Develop a regional housing plan that addresses housing instability caused by weather related threats and includes solutions to increase communities’ resilience.

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• 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 housing 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 disaster-vulnerable communities.

Planning Resources

A wealth of guidance is available on the internet that can be leveraged to inform and aid development of RCPGP application. 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

• Resilience | Homeland Security

• Planning Guides | FEMA.gov

• National Resilience Guidance | FEMA.gov

• Planning Considerations: Disaster Housing (fema.gov)

• Home | FEMA Community Disaster Resilience Zones

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

• Community Resilience Estimates (census.gov)

• 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 https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness https://www.dhs.gov/topics/resilience https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/plan https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/plan/resilience-guidance https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/planning-considerations-disaster-housing.pdf https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3fdfd0639ba0403e9414d05654449d32/page/Home/ https://www.fema.gov/node/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool-rapt https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/community-resilience-estimates.html 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

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• 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 Extreme Weather Resilience

Extreme weather is one of the greatest challenges facing emergency managers today. 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 weather-related emergencies such as drought and extreme heat. The emergency management community must aim to strengthen capabilities for extreme weather events by better understanding the risks and identifying mitigation strategies and other preparedness actions necessary to address those risks.

This includes expanded training and capacity-building for emergency managers and first responders at the state and local level. Additionally, emergency managers at the federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local levels should undertake targeted efforts to increase resilience in the most disaster-vulnerable communities.

Extreme weather resilience requires a whole-community approach. The whole community is an inclusive approach to emergency preparedness and management through the inclusion of individuals and families, including those with access and functional needs; businesses; faith-based and community organizations; non-profit groups; schools and academia; media outlets;

and all levels of government, including state, local, tribal, territorial and federal partners.

Extreme weather events can cause both acute and chronic impacts; communities must be resilient against threats as varied as extreme flooding, drought, hurricanes, and wildfires. Community resilience requires expanding partnerships, especially with community-based organizations that are on the ground before disasters strike and well after. Emergency management partners must support the preparedness needs of disaster-vulnerable communities to mitigate the impacts of future disasters.

Many communities are faced with aging infrastructure, which can increase risk from major disasters. 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 extreme weather events.

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 future conditions. This information will help communities better understand their own risks and identify the most appropriate resilience actions.

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/

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The more we build our partner’s resilience, the more prepared our nation will be, which positively influences the impact and severity of significant events. This approach enables disaster response efforts that are locally led, state managed, and federally supported.

Supplemental Readiness Guidance

As disasters become more frequent, severe, and complex, the demands placed upon the emergency management community, as well as federal resources, have increased dramatically.

To adapt to this trend, FEMA and the emergency management community must expand our approach to readiness, preparedness, continuity, and resiliency by increasing the overall emergency management capabilities at all levels of government, as well as the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and among individuals. The National Capability Targets provide a shared vision of the staff, expertise, tools, and resources required to build a prepared nation. Aligning state and local readiness plans to these targets will ensure agencies can continuously support the needs and priorities identified by whole community partners, in addition to continuity of government across all hazards.

Disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery are not the responsibility of just one agency. Rather, these functions are a shared responsibility requiring coordination of federal agencies, private and social sectors, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and other partners. The ability to support communities begins with how emergency management agencies help them prepare before a disaster occurs. This includes preparing for evolving concurrent, complex disasters, including response to potential national security emergencies. Through better coordination of pre-disaster programs, we can all help communities identify, prioritize, and plan to address their specific community-based threats, identify hazards and risks, and mitigate capability gaps. Together, federal assistance can be targeted to address areas of greatest national risk and increase support to the most at-risk communities thereby improving our Nation’s readiness.

C. Program Rationale

The stated goals, objectives, and priorities of RCPGP support the Full-Year Continuing

Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, Pub. L. No. 119-2 as authorized and appropriated by

Congress.

D. Federal Assistance Type

Grant

E. Performance Measures and Targets

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 2025 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 https://www.fema.gov/threat-and-hazard-identification-and-risk-assessment https://www.fema.gov/stakeholder-preparedness-review https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/mission-core-capabilities

20 | P a g e the community. Thus, FEMA will rely upon the award recipients to develop performance measures and targets that are specific to their preparedness needs, based on the applicable

THIRA/SPR results.

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 2024 THIRA/SPR data; end of the grant performance data will be drawn from the calendar year 2028 THIRA/SPR data.

The capability assessments FEMA will use in the RCPGP performance analysis are guided by the standard measures listed below (the applicants 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).

1. 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.

2. Community Resilience:

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

• 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.

3. 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.

F. Program-Specific Unallowable Costs

Funds may not be used for the following:

• Equipment costs;

• Construction and renovation costs;

• Hiring personnel to fulfil traditional public safety duties; or https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/building-codes https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/building-codes

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• Maintenance and sustainment costs

G. General Funding Requirements

Costs charged to federal awards (including federal and non-federal cost share funds) must comply with applicable statutes, rules and regulations, policies, this NOFO, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. This includes, among other requirements, that costs must be incurred, and products and services must be delivered within the budget period. See 2 C.F.R. §

200.403(h).

Recipients may not use federal funds or any cost share funds for the following activities:

1. Matching or cost sharing requirements for other federal grants and cooperative agreements (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.306).

2. Lobbying or other prohibited activities under 18 U.S.C. § 1913 or 2 C.F.R. § 200.450.

3. Prosecuting claims against the federal government or any other government entity (see 2

C.F.R. § 200.435).

H. Indirect Costs (Facilities and Administrative Costs)

Indirect costs are allowed for recipients.

Indirect costs (IDC) are costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective and not readily assignable to specific cost objectives without disproportionate effort.