FY2021_Flood Mitigation Assistance_NOFO_080321.pdf

FY 2021 FMA NOFO Back to the Top

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

Fiscal Year 2021 Flood Mitigation Assistance

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

Employer Identification Number (EIN), a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, are not currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), or your SAM registration is not active, please take immediate action to obtain an EIN and

DUNS Number, if applicable, and then register immediately in SAM or, if applicable, renew your SAM registration. It may take four weeks or more after you submit your SAM registration before your registration is active in SAM Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in SAM is available from Grants.gov at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. Detailed information regarding DUNS, EIN, and SAM is also provided in Section D of this NOFO under the subsection titled “How to Register to Apply.” Detailed information regarding the time required for each registration is also provided in Section D of this NOFO under the subsection titled “Other Key Dates.”

Table of Contents 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

11. Performance Measures B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $160,000,000.00

2. Period of Performance: 36 months or 48 months

3. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): Will vary by award

4. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 48 months for Community Flood

Mitigation Projects and 36 months for all other projects from date of award unless otherwise approved by FEMA

5. Funding Instrument Type: Grant C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

3. Other Eligibility Criteria

4. Cost Share or Match

D. Application and Submission Information http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

1. Key Dates and Times

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award

3. Address to Request Application Package

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

5. Electronic Delivery

6. How to Register to Apply

7. Submitting the Application in FEMA GO

8. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

9. Content and Form of Application Submission

10. Other Submission Requirements

11. Intergovernmental Review

12. Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Notice of Award

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

4. Monitoring and Oversight

G. DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information

1. Contact and Resource Information

2. Systems Information H. Additional Information

1. Termination Provisions

2. Period of Performance Extensions

3. Disability Integration

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

5. Procurement Integrity

6. Record Retention

7. Actions to Address Noncompliance

8. Audits

9. Payment Information

10. Whole Community Preparedness

11. Extraordinary Circumstances

12. Integrating Mitigation and Planning

A. Program Description

1. Issued By

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA)/ Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA)/Mitigation Directorate/ Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Division

2. Assistance Listings Number

97.029

3. Assistance Listings Title

Flood Mitigation Assistance

4. Funding Opportunity Title

Fiscal Year 2021 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

5. Funding Opportunity Number

DHS-21-MT-029-000-99

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

Section 1366 of The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (Pub. L. No. 90 -448) (42 U.S.C. § 4104c)

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. No. 116-260, Division F)

8. Announcement Type

Initial

9. Program Category

Mitigation: Natural Hazards

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

a. Overview

The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program makes federal funds available to states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local communities to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It does so with a recognition of the growing flood hazards associated with climate change1, and of the need for flood hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation and resilience with respect to flooding. These

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) include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in the future.

The FMA Program aligns with the 2020-2024 DHS Strategic Plan through pursuing Goal 5:

Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience. Specifically, Objective 5.1: Build a National Culture of Preparedness has several sub-objectives that the FMA Program supports. FMA serves primarily to bolster Sub-Objective 5.1.1: Incentivize investments that reduce risk and increase pre-disaster mitigation, including expanding the use of insurance to manage risk through funding flood mitigation projects. The FMA program addresses Presidential Policy Directive 21, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, and supports the mitigation mission area through Strategic Goal #1 Building a Culture of Preparedness, Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 of the 2018 – 2022 FEMA Strategic Plan.

b. Objectives FMA aims to implement projects that reduce flood risks posed to repetitively flooded properties insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The FMA program also aims to promote equity in delivery of funds in line with the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. In implementing the Justice40 Initiative, the FMA program is prioritizing assistance that benefits disadvantaged communities as referenced in EO 14008. A disadvantaged community may be characterized by variables including, but not limited to: low income, high and/or persistent poverty, high unemployment and underemployment, racial and ethnic segregation particularly where the segregation stems from discrimination by government entities, linguistic isolation, high housing cost burden and substandard housing, distressed neighborhoods, high transportation cost burden and/or low transportation access, disproportionate environmental burden and high cumulative impacts, limited water and sanitation access and affordability, disproportionate climate impacts, and high energy cost burden and low energy access, jobs lost through the energy transition, and access to health care.

In FY21, the FMA program is using the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) at the census tract level at a threshold of 0.7501 or greater as included in the project’s benefiting area map as a priority scoring criterion for Project Scoping, Community Flood Mitigation Projects, and Individual Flood Mitigation Projects project types.

c. Priorities FEMA will distribute the available FY 21 FMA funding amount as follows:

i. PROJECT SCOPING (PREVIOUSLY ADVANCE ASSISTANCE)

Project Scoping to develop Community Flood Mitigation Projects and/or individual flood mitigation projects that will subsequently reduce flood claims against the NFIP. FEMA will select up to $10 million of Project Scoping subapplications. For more information, refer to the Project Scoping Fact Sheet at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/floods/fma-resources.

ii. COMMUNITY FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/floods/fma-resources

FEMA will select up to $70 million of projects that address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing NFIP flood claim payments. For more information, refer to the Community Flood Mitigation Project Fact Sheet at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/floods/fma-resources and Localized Flood Risk Reduction Projects in Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance.

iii. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Technical Assistance to maintain a viable FMA program over time. To be eligible to apply, the applicant must have received an FY 20 FMA award of at least $1 million federal share.

iv. FLOOD HAZARD MITIGATION PLANNING

Planning subapplications for the flood hazard component of State, Local, Territory, and Tribal (SLTT) Hazard Mitigation Plans and plan updates.

v. INDIVIDUAL FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS

Projects that mitigate the risk of flooding to individual NFIP insured structures.

For more information on FY 21 FMA funding priorities and eligible activities, see Section E, Application Review Information, Review, and Selection Process. For more information about uses of assistance under FMA, including how to submit various project types in FEMA GO, refer to FMA resources at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/floods/fma-resources.

11. Performance Measures

FMA aims to implement projects that reduce flood risks posed to repetitively flooded properties insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), by funding priority projects and activities. To achieve these goals, for FY 2021 FMA is prioritizing the following types of projects: Project Scoping, Community Flood Mitigation (aka localized flood control) projects, Flood Mitigation Plans, Technical Assistance, and Individual Property Mitigation that mitigate flood risks to NFIP participating communities and active policyholders. FEMA will evaluate input and output indicators of each federal award by measuring the total properties mitigated that carry a Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) and Repetitive Loss (RL) definition pursuant to 42 U.S. Code § 4104.h(2) and (3), and are included in a final mitigation action. FEMA will also evaluate each award output by measuring project capability to positively influence the government’s goal of mitigating SRL and RL designated properties and thereby the reduction of future losses to the NFIP under this award.

Additionally, FEMA’s approach to benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is a method used to determine whether a project is cost-effective and is generally described as an estimation of the future benefits of a project compared to its cost (also known as the benefit-cost ratio [BCR]). Simply put, the BCR is derived from a project’s risk-reduction-benefits divided by its project cost. A project is considered to be cost effective when the BCR is 1.0 or greater, indicating FEMA expects the benefits of a prospective hazard mitigation project are sufficient to justify the costs. For more information on FEMA’s BCA methodology, please visit https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/benefit-cost-analysis.

https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/benefit-cost-analysis

FEMA will further assess the recipient’s performance against the program objective during the award closeout process as outlined in Section F.3.c of this NOFO.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $160,000,000.00

2. Projected Number of Awards: 30 awards; 145 subawards

3. Period of Performance: 36 months or 48 months

The Period of Performance (POP) is 36 months, starting on the date of the recipient’s federal award. Given the complexity of the Community Flood Mitigation Projects, the POP for

Community Flood Mitigation Projects is 48 months, starting on the date of the recipient’s federal Award. Any subsequent amendments to the federal award will not extend the POP unless explicitly stated.

Extensions to the period of performance are allowed. For additional information on period of performance extensions, please refer to Section H, Additional Information, Period of Performance Extensions.

FEMA awards only include one budget period, so it will be same as the period of performance. See 2 C.F.R. § 200.1 for definitions of “budget period” and “period of performance.”

4. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): Will vary by award

5. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 48 months for Community

Flood Mitigation Projects and 36 months for all other projects from date of award unless otherwise approved by FEMA

6. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

• States

• District of Columbia

• U.S. territories

• Federally recognized tribal governments

Each state, territory, the District of Columbia, and federally recognized tribal government shall designate one agency to serve as the applicant for FMA funding. Each applicant’s designated agency may submit only one FMA grant application to FEMA. Applications under which two or more entities would carry out the award are eligible, such as a multi-state or multi-tribal initiative; however, only one entity may be the applicant with primary responsibility for carrying out the award. The designate is strongly encouraged to conduct outreach with disadvantaged communities as referenced in EO 14008 prior to and during the application process.

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

a. Eligible Subapplicants

Local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments, and tribal governments (including federally recognized tribes who choose to apply as subapplicants), are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications to the ir state/territory/tribal applicant agency. Certain political subdivisions (i.e., regional flood control districts or county governments) may apply and act as subapplicants if they are part of a community participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) where the political subdivision provides zoning and building code enforcement or planning and community development professional services for that community. Contact information for the State Hazard Mitigation Officers (SHMOs) is provided on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/state-contacts.

• All subapplicants must be participating in the NFIP, and not be withdrawn, on probation, or suspended. Structures identified in the subapplication must have an NFIP policy in effect at the FMA application start date and must maintain it through completion of the mitigation activity and for the life of the structure. NFIP community status can be verified at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-status-book.

b. Hazard Mitigation Plan Requirement Applicants must have a FEMA-approved State or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan in accordance with Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 201 by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for project, Project Scoping, and Technical Assistance subapplications. More detailed information is provided in Part III, E.5, Hazard Mitigation Plan Requirement, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Subapplicants must have a FEMA-approved Local or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan in accordance with 44 C.F.R. Part 201 by the Application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for project, Project Scoping, and Technical Assistance subapplications.

(Integrating mitigation and planning, while not required, is encouraged. See section H.13 for additional information.)

3. Other Eligibility Criteria

All subapplications submitted under the Project Scoping priority (see Section E, Application Review Information) must demonstrate that future projects submitted would benefit NFIP insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) delineating the proposed project’s benefitting area.

All subapplications submitted under the Community Flood Mitigation Project priority (see Section E, Application Review Information, of this NOFO) must demonstrate that the proposed project benefits NFIP insured properties by submitting a map and associated geospatial file(s) (e.g., Shapefile, KML/KMZ, Geodatabase, or other GIS enabled document) https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/state-contacts https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-community-status-book https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279 delineating: the proposed project footprint boundary, the area benefitting from project, and active NFIP policies (if this data is available).

All non-critical structure elevation, dry floodproofing, and mitigation reconstruction projects in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) must apply, at a minimum, the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach unless doing so would cause the project to be unable to meet applicable program cost-effectiveness requirements. All other types of projects may choose to apply the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach.

For critical actions in the Special Flood Hazard Area, the elevation requirements from 44

CFR § 9.11 continue to apply. For any new construction or substantial improvement of structures, the lowest floor of the structure (including the basement) must be at or above the level of the 500-year flood2.

All Project Scoping, Community Flood Mitigation Project, individual flood mitigation project, and Technical Assistance subapplications submitted as part of an FMA grant application must be consistent with the goals and objectives identified in: the current, FEMA-approved State or Tribal (Standard or Enhanced) Mitigation Plan, and the local mitigation plan for the jurisdiction in which the project is located. Hazard Mitigation Plans should reflect state-wide mitigation priorities, across all potential federal and non-federal mitigation funding sources. Current mitigation plans are not required for applicants and subapplicants submitting planning subapplications to develop a new flood mitigation plan or to update the flood portion of a mitigation plan.

4. Cost Share or Match

Cost share is required for all subapplications funded under this program. Generally, the cost share for this program is 75 percent federal / 25 percent non-federal. This means federal funding is available for up to 75 percent of eligible costs. The remaining 25 percent of eligible costs must be derived from non-federal sources. For example, if the total cost of the activity is $400,000 and the non-federal cost share is 25 percent, then the non-federal contribution is $100,000: 25 percent of $400,000 is $100,000. This amount would be provided by the applicant. Likewise, the federal share of that activity would be $300,000: 75 percent of $400,000 is $300,000. This amount would be provided by FEMA. FEMA may consider the non-federal cost share based on availability of remaining federal funds, as noted in Section E, Application Review Information. Community Flood Mitigation projects are only eligible for 75 percent federal cost share.

FEMA may contribute up to 100 percent federal cost share for severe repetitive loss (SRL) properties within individual property flood mitigation projects. An SRL property as defined under 42 U.S.C. 4104c(h)(3) (updated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012) is a structure that:

2 In accordance with Section 2(a)(1) of Executive Order (EO) 11988, as amended by EO 13690, before taking an action, FEMA must determine whether a proposed action will occur in a floodplain.

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

and

(b) Has incurred flood-related damage

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

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

FEMA may contribute up to 90 percent federal cost share for repetitive loss (RL) properties.

An RL property as defined under 42 U.S.C. 4121(a)(7) is a structure covered by a contract for flood insurance made available under the NFIP that:

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

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

To receive an increased federal cost share, properties must meet one of the definitions for SRL or RL properties. Applicants and subapplicants that are requesting an increased federal cost share must submit documentation with their application or subapplication demonstrating that properties meet these definitions. If documentation is not submitted with the application or subapplication to support a reduced non-federal cost share, FEMA will provide no more than 75 percent federal cost share of the total eligible costs. The remaining 25 percent of eligible activity costs are derived from non-federal sources.

Structures with different federal cost-share requirements can be submitted in a single project subapplication. The overall project federal cost share documented in the Cost Share Section of the project subapplication should reflect the combined federal cost shares of the structures.

For example, a project with $100,000 costs for one SRL structure funded at 100 percent federal cost share plus $100,000 costs for one RL structure funded at 90 percent federal cost share will have an overall project federal cost share of 95 percent, or $190,000, of the $200,000 total cost for both structures.

For insular areas, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, FEMA automatically waives the non-federal cost share for the recipient when the non-federal cost share for the entire award is under $200,000. If the non-federal cost share for the entire award is $200,000 or greater, FEMA may waive all or part of the non-federal cost share at the request of the recipient. The recipient may request 100 percent cost-share in its application.

The non-federal cost share may consist of cash, donated or third-party in-kind services, materials, or any combination thereof. Cash and third-party in-kind matches must consist of eligible costs (i.e., same eligibility as the federal share). Applicants cannot apply other federal award funds toward the non-federal cost share unless the other federal statutory authority allows the funds to be used to meet cost-share requirements. Likewise, third-party in-kind matches used to meet the matching requirement may not be used to meet matching requirements for any other federal grant program. FEMA encourages innovative use of public and private-sector partnerships to meet the non-federal cost share.

Ultimately, the recipient is responsible for ensuring that it contributes the proper cost share to its actual project costs. If actual total project costs exceed the projected total project costs stated in the federal award, and the additional costs are not approved by FEMA, the recipient will be responsible for contributing additional funds above the required cost match. If actual total project costs are less than the projected total project costs stated in the federal award, the recipient will be responsible for contributing a cost match calculated as a percentage of those actual project costs.

More detailed information is provided in Part III, C, and Cost Sharing, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: 09/30/2021

b. Application Submission Deadline: 01/28/2022 at 03:00:00 PM ET

All applications must be received by the established deadline. Please note that FEMA deadlines listed in this NOFO refer to application deadlines for the applicants. Subapplicants should consult with their applicant agency to confirm subapplication deadlines to the applicant if applicable.

FEMA’s Grants Outcomes System (FEMA GO) automatically records proof of timely submission and the system generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives the application. The individual with the Authorized Organization Representative role that submitted the application will also receive the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission. For additional information on how an applicant will be notified of application receipt, see the subsection titled “Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission” in Section D of this NOFO.

FEMA will not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider these late applications for funding.

Applicants experiencing technical problems outside of their control must notify FEMA as soon as possible and before the application deadline . Failure to timely notify FEMA of the issue that prevented the timely filing of the application may preclude consideration of the award. “Timely notification” of FEMA means the following: prior to the application deadline and within 48 hours after the applicant became aware of the issue. FEMA may extend the application deadline for technical problems outside of the applicant’s contro l that prevent submission by the deadline.

A list of FEMA contacts can be found in Section G of this NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency

Contact Information.” For technical assistance with the FEMA GO system, please contact the FEMA GO Helpdesk at femago@fema.dhs.gov or (877) 611-4700, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). For programmatic or grants management questions, please contact your Program Analyst or Grants Management Specialist. If applican ts do not know who to contact or if there are programmatic questions or concerns, please contact the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) by phone at (800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at askcsid@fema.dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET.

e. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award

By submitting an application, applicants agree to comply with the requirements of this NOFO and the terms and conditions of the award, should they receive an award.

3. Address to Request Application Package

Applications are processed through the FEMA GO system. To access the system, go to https://go.fema.gov/.

Hard copies of the NOFO can be downloaded at Grants.gov or obtained via email from the

Awarding Office points of contact listed in Section G of this NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information” or by TTY (800) 462-7585.

For a hard copy of the full NOFO, please write a request to:

Angela Gladwell

Director, Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division, Mitigation Directorate Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion

Obtaining DUNS Number Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Obtaining a valid EIN Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Creating an account with login.gov Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Registering in SAM or Updating

SAM registration Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Registering in FEMA GO Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Submitting the final application in

FEMA GO

By the submission deadline mailto:femago@fema.dhs.gov mailto:askcsid@fema.dhs.gov https://go.fema.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

Federal Emergency Management Agency 400 C Street, SW Washington, DC 20472

4. Steps Required to Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, Register in the System for Award

Management (SAM), and Submit an Application

Applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process and requires time to complete. Applicants are encouraged to register early as the registration process can take four weeks or more to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines.

Please review the table above for estimated deadlines to complete each of the steps listed.

Failure of an applicant to comply with any of the required steps before the deadline for submitting an application may disqualify that application from funding.

To apply for an award under this program, all applicants must:

a. Apply for, update, or verify their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet and Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service;

b. In the application, provide a valid DUNS number, which is currently the unique entity identifier;

c. Have an account with login.gov;

d. Register for, update, or verify their SAM account and ensure the account is active before submitting the application;

e. Register in FEMA GO, add the organization to the system, and establish the Authorized

Organizational Representative (AOR). The organization’s electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/181607;

f. Submit the complete application in FEMA GO; and

g. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. As part of this, applicants must also provide information on an applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable.

Applicants are advised that FEMA may not make a federal award until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. Therefore, an applicant’s SAM registration must be active not only at the time of application, but also during the application review period and when FEMA is ready to make a federal award. Further, as noted above, an applicant’s or recipient’s SAM registration must remain active for the duration of an active federal award. If an applicant’s SAM registration is expired at the time of application, expires during application review, or expires any other time before award, FEMA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a https://www.login.gov/ https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/181607 basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

Per 2 C.F.R. § 25.110(c)(2)(iii), if an applicant is experiencing exigent circumstances that prevents it from receiving a DUNS number and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award, the applicant must notify FEMA as soon as possible by contacting askcsid@fema.dhs.gov and providing the details of the circumstances that prevent completion of these requirements. If FEMA determines that there are exigent circumstances and FEMA has decided to make an award, the applicant will be required to obtain a DUNS number and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the federal award date.

5. Electronic Delivery

DHS is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. DHS encourages or requires applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov, depending on the funding opportunity.

For this funding opportunity, FEMA requires applicants to submit applications through

FEMA GO.

6. How to Register to Apply

a. a. General Instructions:

Registering and applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process and requires time to complete. Applicants should read the instructions below about registering to apply for FEMA funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. To ensure an application meets the deadline, applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their submission.

Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

b. Obtain a DUNS Number:

All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Applicants must enter the DUNS number in the data entry field labeled "Organizational DUNS" on the SF-424 form.

For more detailed instructions for obtaining a DUNS number, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

Note: At some point, the DUNS Number will be replaced by a “new, non-proprietary identifier” requested in, and assigned by, SAM.gov. This new identifier is being called the mailto:askcsid@fema.dhs.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), or the Entity ID. Grants.gov has begun preparing for this transition by educating users about the upcoming changes and updating field labels and references to the DUNS Number (the current identifier) within the Grants.gov system. Users should continue using the DUNS Number in UEI fields until further notice. To learn more about SAM’s rollout of the UEI, please visit https://gsa.gov/entityid.

c. Obtain Employer Identification Number

In addition to having a DUNS number, all entities applying for funding must provide an

Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN can be obtained from the IRS by visiting:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online.

d. Create a login.gov account:

Applicants must have a login.gov account in order to register with SAM or update their SAM registration. Applicants can create a login.gov account here:

https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd3.

Applicants only have to create a login.gov account once. For applicants that are existing SAM users, use the same email address for the login.gov account as with SAM.gov so that the two accounts can be linked.

For more information on the login.gov requirements for SAM registration, refer to:

https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/loginFAQ.jsf.

e. Register with SAM:

In addition to having a DUNS number, all organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with SAM. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html.

Note: As a new requirement per 2 C.F.R. § 25.200, applicants must also provide the applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner, subsidiaries, and predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable.

i. ADDITIONAL SAM REMINDERS

Existing SAM.gov account holders should check their account to make sure it is “ACTIVE.”

SAM registration should be completed at the very beginning of the application period and should be renewed annually to avoid being “INACTIVE.” Please allow plenty of time before the grant application submission deadline to obtain a DUNS number and then to register in SAM. It may be four weeks or more after an applicant submits the SAM registration before the registration is active in SAM, and then it may be an additional

24 hours before FEMA’s system recognizes the information.

https://gsa.gov/entityid https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd3 https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/loginFAQ.jsf https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

It is imperative that the information applicants provide is correct and current. Please ensure that your organization’s name, address, DUNS number, and Employer Identification

Number, or EIN, are up to date in SAM and that the DUNS number used in SAM is the same one used to apply for all other FEMA awards. Payment under any FEMA award is contingent on the recipient’s having a current SAM registration .

ii. HELP WITH SAM

The SAM quick start guide for new recipient registration and SAM video tutorial for new applicants are tools created by the General Services Administration (GSA) to assist those registering with SAM. If applicants have questions or concerns about a SAM registration, please contact the Federal Support Desk at https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/home.do or call toll free (866) 606-8220.

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

Applicants must register in FEMA GO and add their organization to the system. The organization’s electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/181607.

Note: FEMA GO will support only the most recent major release of the following browsers:

• Google Chrome

• Internet Explorer

• Mozilla Firefox

• Apple Safari

• Microsoft Edge

Users who attempt to use tablet type devices or other browsers may encounter issues with using FEMA GO.

7. Submitting the Application in FEMA GO

Applicants will be prompted to submit the standard application information and any program-specific information required as described in Section D.10 of this NOFO, “Content and Form of Application Submission.” The Standard Forms (SF) may be accessed in the Forms tab under the SF-424 family on Grants.gov. Applicants should review these forms before applying to ensure they have all the information required.

After submitting the final application, FEMA GO will provide either an error message or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the AOR that submitted the application. Applicants using slow internet connections, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before FEMA GO receives your application.

For additional application submission requirements, including program-specific requirements, please refer to the subsection titled “Content and Form of Application Submission” under Section D of this NOFO https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/home.do https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/181607 https://www.grants.gov/forms/sf-424-family.html

8. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

All applications must be completed in FEMA GO by the application deadline. FEMA GO automatically records proof of timely submission and the system generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives the application. The individual with the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role that submitted the application will also receive the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission on the date and time that FEMA GO received the application.

Applicants who experience system-related issues will be addressed until 3:00 PM ET on

Wednesday, January 26. No new system-related issues will be addressed after this deadline.

Applications not received by the application submission deadline will not be accepted.

9. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Standard Required Application Forms and Information

The following forms or information are required to be submitted via FEMA GO. They are automatically generated in FEMA GO; no additional attachment is needed. The Standard Forms (SF) are also available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html.

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• Grants.gov Lobbying Form, Certification Regarding Lobbying

• SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction) o For construction under an award, submit SF-424C, Budget Information

(Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424A]

• SF-424B, Standard Assurances (Non-Construction) o For construction under an award, submit SF-424D, Standard Assurances

(Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424B]

• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

• Indirect Cost Agreement or Proposal if the budget includes indirect costs and the applicant is required to have an indirect cost rate agreement or proposal. If the applicant does not have or is not required to have an indirect cost rate agreement or proposal, please see Section D.13 of this NOFO, “Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs,” for further information regarding allowability of indirect costs and whether alternatives to an indirect cost rate agreement or proposal might be available, or contact the relevant FEMA staff identified in Section G of this NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information” for further instructions.

Generally, applicants have to submit either the non-construction forms (i.e., SF-424A and SF-424B) or construction forms (i.e., SF-424C and SF-424D), meaning that applicants that only have construction work and do not have any non-construction work need only submit the construction forms (i.e., SF-424C and SF-424D) and not the non-construction forms (i.e., SF-424A and SF-424B), and vice versa. However, applicants who have both construction and non-construction work under this program need to submit both the construction and non-construction forms.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

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

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

Applicants may require their subapplicants to complete and attach the grant application and/or Assurance and Certifications forms to their planning, Project Scoping, Community Flood Mitigation Project, Technical Assistance, and individual flood mitigation project subapplications in FEMA GO.

Subapplicants should contact their applicant agency for information specific to their state/territory/ federally recognized tribal government’s application process. Contact information for the SHMOs is provided on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers.

All applicants must submit an FMA grant application via FEMAGO by the application deadline to be considered for funding. The required format for applications and subapplications is built into FEMA GO:

• FMA applications, including applicant-approved planning, Project Scoping, Community Flood Mitigation Project, Technical Assistance, individual flood mitigation project, and management costs subapplications must be submitted in an FY 2021 FMA application.

• Flood hazard mitigation planning activities must be submitted in a planning subapplication;

• Project Scoping activities must be submitted in a Project Scoping subapplication;

• Community Flood Mitigation Projects and individual flood mitigation projects must be submitted in a project subapplication;

• Applicant management costs (for applicants only) must be submitted in a management costs subapplication;

• Technical Assistance costs (for recipients to which FEMA obligated an FY 2020 FMA award of at least $1 million federal share) must be submitted in a Technical

Assistance subapplication.

b. Program-Specific Required Forms and Information

The following program-specific forms or information are required to be submitted in FEMA

GO

i. MANAGEMENT COSTS

States are eligible to receive management costs consisting of a maximum of 10 percent of the planning and project activities awarded to the State, each fiscal year under FMA. These costs must be included in the application to FEMA. A federally recognized tribal government applying directly to FEMA is eligible for management costs consisting of a maximum of 10 percent of grants awarded for planning and project activities under the FMA program.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/9754 https://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=e8ac89d3147c2817e8a875004f4e1481&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:44:Chapter:I:Subchapter:B:Part:79:79.8 https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=e8ac89d3147c2817e8a875004f4e1481&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:44:Chapter:I:Subchapter:B:Part:79:79.8

Subapplicants may include a maximum of 5 percent of the total funds requested for their subapplication for management costs to support the implementation of their planning or project activity. These costs must be included in the subapplication to the State.

For additional information, please refer to Section D.13.b Management Costs.

10. Other Submission Requirements

a. Benefit-Cost Analysis for Mitigation Projects Applicants and subapplicants applying for mitigation projects (Community Flood Mitigation Projects or individual flood mitigation projects) must provide a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) or other documentation that validates cost-effectiveness. FEMA’s approach to benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is a method used to determine whether a project is cost-effective and is generally described as an estimation of the future benefits of a project compared to its cost (also known as the benefit-cost ratio [BCR]). Simply put, the BCR is the method by which the future benefits of a hazard mitigation project are determined and compared to its costs. A project is considered to be cost effective when the BCR is 1.0 or greater, indicating FEMA expects the benefits of a prospective hazard mitigation project are sufficient to justify the costs.The total benefits and costs must be entered in the Cost-Effectiveness section of the project subapplication and a FEMA-approved BCA must be attached as documentation, as applicable. Planning, Project Scoping, Technical Assistance, and management costs subapplications do not require a BCA.

FEMA has created software to ensure that the BCR is calculated in accordance with FEMA's standardized methodologies and OMB Circular A-94, Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs, available on the Internet at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/circulars/A94/a094.pdf.

FEMA’s Benefit Cost Toolkit is available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis Version 6.0 or newer are the only versions FEMA will accept as documentation for demonstrating cost effectiveness. A non-FEMA BCA methodology may only be used if pre-approved by FEMA in writing.

More detailed information is available in Part IV, I, Cost Effectiveness, of the HMA Guidance, available on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103279.

Applicants and subapplicants should place careful consideration on how their work would potentially impact disadvantaged communities as referenced in EO. FEMA aims to prioritize 40 percent of the benefits towards disadvantaged communities, in accordance with the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative.

b. Acquisition Project Requirements

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

https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=358ffe83f992d71cc956e13bec373e92&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:44:Chapter:I:Subchapter:B:Part:79:79.8 https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/index.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=e8ac89d3147c2817e8a875004f4e1481&term_occur=999&term_src=Title:44:Chapter:I:Subchapter:B:Part:79:79.8 https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/circulars/A94/a094.pdf https://www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/13708

Subrecipients must apply deed-restriction language to all acquired properties to ensure that the property is maintained in perpetuity as open space consistent with the conservation of natural floodplain functions, as agreed to by accepting FEMA mitigation award funding.

Deed-restriction language is applied to acquired properties by recording the open space and deed restrictions. Subrecipients, as well as recipients and FEMA are responsible for enforcing compliance with open space restrictions pursuant to 44 CFR Part 80 requirements.

c. National Environmental Policy Act Requirements for Mitigation Projects Applicants and subapplicants applying for mitigation projects…