oppHM-CST-18-001-cfda20.703-cidHM-CST-18-001-instructions.docx

HM-CST-18-001

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Community Safety Grants

Fiscal Year 2018

NOFO Posted Date: May 22 Application Due Date: June 22

Applicant must register at www.grants.gov to apply online. It is highly recommended that applicants begin the registration process as soon as possible to avoid delays in application submission. Additionally, applicants must maintain an active registration in the System for Award Management at www.SAM.gov

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA)

20.703 “Interagency Hazardous Materials Public Sector Training and Planning Grants”

PHMSA Notice of Funding Opportunity Number

HM-CST-18-001

U.S. Department of Transportation

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

Table of Contents

Program Summary

Federal Agency Name: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

Funding Opportunity Title: “Community Safety Grants – FY 2018”

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number: HM-Community Safety-18-001

CFDA Number: 20.703

MISSION

The mission of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is to ensure our nation has the safest, most efficient and modern transportation system in the world. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) protects people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives. To do this, the agency establishes national policy, sets and enforces standards, educates, and conducts research to prevent incidents. We also prepare the public and first responders to reduce consequences if an incident does occur. To accomplish this, PHMSA awards grants to states, localities, communities, and nonprofits that help make sure pipelines operate safely and shipments arrive without incident.

SECTION A - PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. 1 Statement of Purpose The purpose of this grant is to ensure communities are prepared to respond to hazardous materials incidents and that state and local enforcement personnel are adequately training in the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

A.2 Statute and Program Authority The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) (P.L. 114-94 - December 4, 2015), authorizes PHMSA’s Community Safety grant program. PHMSA, through this competitive grant opportunity, is requesting applications from nonprofit organizations to (1) conduct national outreach and training programs to assist communities in preparing for and responding to accidents and incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids by rail; and (2) to train state and local personnel responsible for enforcing the safe transportation of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids.

A.3 Background The grant was authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in December 2015. The Community Safety grant is a competitive hazardous materials transportation training grant, codified in 49 U.S.C. § 5107(i) for nonprofit organizations to (1) conduct national outreach and training programs to assist communities in preparing for and responding to accidents and incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids by rail; and, (2) train state and local personnel responsible for enforcing the safe transportation of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids.

SECTION B - FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

B.1 Funding This notice of funding opportunity is subject to appropriation of funds. PHMSA anticipates $1,000,000 will be made available to support the Community Safety grant program. The expected amounts of individual Federal awards for organizations range from $250,000 to $1,000,000. PHMSA anticipates awarding between 1 and 4 grants.

B.2 Period of Performance The period of performance is twelve (12) months from the effective date of award for each grant B.3 Type of Award Discretionary grant award.

B.4 Previous Awards Applicants who received a previous PHMSA Community Safety grant award may apply for a FY 2018 grant.

SECTION C - ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1 Eligible Applicants The FY 2018 Community Safety Grant is open to nonprofit organizations that have the ability to train state and local personnel responsible for enforcing the safe transportation of hazardous materials; or develop best practice guidance on ways to connect with and increase awareness of state and local emergency responders, appropriate Federal, state, local and tribal government organizations, and the general public of hazardous materials being transported through communities.

C.2 Cost Sharing or Matching There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements.

SECTION D - APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D.1 Request Application Package PHMSA requires applicants for this funding opportunity to apply electronically through grants.gov. Applicants must download the application package associated with this funding opportunity by following the directions provided at grants.gov.

The application package contains the required electronic forms and the ability to upload attachments for the budget, budget justification, project narrative, assurances, and certifications. The applicant must submit the information outlined in the Application Guide in addition to the program-specific information below.

D.2 Content and Form of Application Submission Applications should be clear and concise and free of mathematical errors in the line-item budget and budget narrative. Program narratives should have the sections clearly identified and follow the structure requested in this notice of funding opportunity.

Applications for FY 2018 Community Safety Grant funding should be submitted in electronic format in grants.gov according to the following outline. There are two overall sections: (1) standard forms that the applicant will upload and complete from grants.gov under the FY 2018 Community Safety Grant funding opportunity; and (2) attachments the applicant will need to create and upload.

1. Standard Forms These forms are found in grants.gov under the FY 2018 Community Safety Grant Funding Announcement and must be completed by the applicant.

· SF-424 - Application for Federal assistance

· SF-424A – Budget Information

· SF-424B - Standard Assurances

· ED-80-0013 - Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, Drug-Free Workplace etc.

· Standard Title VI/Non-Discrimination Assurances - Civil Rights Assurances

2. Applicant Attachments to be submitted.

These forms must be created by the applicant and uploaded to grants.gov under the FY 2018 Community Safety Grant Funding Opportunity. Guidance for submitting the project narrative and budget narrative is listed in the following section.

· Project Narrative Attachment

· Budget Narrative Attachment

· Indirect Cost Agreement (if applicable)

· Additional Optional Attachments (if applicable)

3. Project Narrative Required Sections

The following sections are required. To facilitate the application review and award process, these sections should be submitted in sequential order and labeled as stated below. Applicants should clearly identify the sections in the project narrative.

(a) Organization Information and Capacity. Briefly provide information about your nonprofit organization. This should include: (1) your organization’s mission; (2) a brief overview of the structure of your organization, programs, leadership, and special expertise; and (3) your organization’s experience and capacity to manage Federal grant programs.

(b) Contact Information. Identify the designated project director, including the name, position, address, email address, and telephone number of the individual(s) who will be responsible for coordinating the funded activities. Additionally, identify authorized individuals who should receive computer system access to accept any awarded grant document, as well as submission of required Federal financial reports

(c) Statement of Need.

(1) Describe the identified need for a specific form of community awareness programs that will assist communities in preparation and response to incidents involving the transport of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids by rail; or

(2) Describe the identified need for training of state and local personnel that are responsible for enforcing the safe transportation of hazardous materials. The level of need may be described based upon macro-level national data, or specific examples of locations with deficiencies in hazmat enforcement training, or a combination of both.

(3) Briefly explain how the proposed activities will help to address the identified need.

(d) Proposed activities and timeline. Describe the proposed activities that will take place under the proposed grant. This section should include:

(1) the type of activities proposed

(2) the location of the activities if known, (if unknown explain the methodology for selecting locations)

(3) the timeframe when the activity will take place. The timeline should include benchmarks and milestones that will assist with monitoring of the project’s success. Additionally, any curriculum or instructor development activities should be described and included in the timeline of events.

(e) Projected outputs and objectives. Provide quantifiable and measurable outputs planned for the grant’s period of performance. Outputs are quantitative data that describe the proposed activities. If applicable, the delivery of outputs should include: (1) number and type of training courses delivered; (2) the number of projected students trained for each course; and (3) number of contact hours for each course. Additionally, broader outcomes or goals may be provided that describe what the intended impact of the outputs will be. This may be either quantitative or qualitative, and should reflect the projected impact of the grant activity outputs.

(f) Monitoring and evaluation of activities. Provide an explanation of monitoring events to be undertaken to ensure grant program success. These may include, but are not limited to, site visits, random examinations, inspections, and audits of training to maximize the cost effectiveness and impact of the program.

4. Budget Narrative Required Sections A budget narrative is a narrative explanation of each budget component which supports the costs of the proposed work. The budget narrative should focus on how each budget item is required to achieve the proposed project goals and objectives. It should also justify how budget costs were calculated. The budget narrative should be clear, specific, detailed, mathematically correct, and correspond to the SF-424A line-item categories.

Provide a budget narrative justification by Object Class that corresponds to the amount listed on the SF-424A and why the amount is needed to implement the project as proposed in the project narrative. The budget narrative must correspond to the costs requested in the SF- 424A line item budget, and vice versa.

A well-developed budget narrative is an effective monitoring tool for both the awarding agency, and grant recipient. However, a budget narrative that does not represent a project’s needs makes it difficult to recommend for full funding and to assess financial performance over the life of the project. A description of the object class category is provided below:

1. Personnel costs are the employee salaries working directly on the grant project. Include the number, type of personnel, the percentage of time dedicated to the project, hourly wage (or salary) and total cost to the grant.

· This category is limited to only persons employed by your organization. Those not employed by your agency must be classified as subgrants or contractors and should be listed under the “Contractual” object class.

· Only include compensation paid for employees engaged in grant activities.

· Costs should be consistent with that paid for similar types of work within the organization.

2. Fringe Benefit costs are the allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe costs are benefits paid to employees, including the cost of employer’s share of FICA, health insurance, workers’ compensation, and vacation. Include how the fringe benefit amount is calculated (i.e., actual fringe benefits estimate, approved rate, etc. Include a description of specific benefits charged to a project and the benefit percentage. Additional considerations:

· The personnel/salaries should have corresponding fringe; and vice-versa. PHMSA cannot pay fringe benefits for a position that is not listed in the Personnel section.

· Explain what is included in the benefit package and at what percentage.

· Fringe benefits are only for the percentage of time devoted to the grant project.

· The applicant should not combine the fringe benefit costs with direct salaries and wages in the personnel category.

3. Travel: Travel costs are those costs requested for field work or for travel to professional meetings associated with grant activities. Provide the purpose, method of travel, number of persons traveling, number of days, and estimated cost for each trip. If details of each trip are not known at the time of application submission, provide the basis for determining the amount requested.

4. Equipment: Equipment costs includes those items which are tangible, nonexpendable, personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit - unless the applicant has a clear and consistent written policy that determines a different threshold. Include a description, quantity and unit price for all equipment.

· Purchases of less than $5,000 should be listed under “Supplies” or “Other.”

· Each item of equipment must be identified with the corresponding cost. General- purpose equipment must be justified as to how it will be used on the project.

· Analyze the cost benefits of purchasing versus leasing equipment, particularly high- cost items and those subject to rapid technical advances. List rented or leased equipment costs in the “Contractual” or “Other” category, depending upon the procurement method.

5. Supplies are tangible personal property other than equipment. Include the types of property in general terms. It is not necessary to document office supplies in great detail (for example: reams of paper, boxes of paperclips, etc.). However, applicants should include a quantity and unit cost for larger cost supply items such as computers and printers.

6. Contractual costs are those services carried out by an individual or organization, other than the applicant, in the form of a procurement relationship. There are two ways to capture costs in this category: subgrants and contracts.

(a) A Subgrant – is an award provided by a pass-through entity (Prime Grantee Recipient) to a subrecipient. That subrecipient carries out part of a program for which the Prime Grantee Recipient received Federal support. A subgrantee has its performance measured in relation to whether objectives of a Federal program were met; has responsibility for programmatic decision making; is responsible for adherence to applicable Federal program requirements specified in the Federal award; and (in accordance with its agreement), uses the Federal funds to carry out a program for a public purpose specified in authorizing statute, as opposed to providing goods or services for the benefit of the pass-through entity.

(b) A Contract - is a legal instrument by which a Grantee Recipient purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under an award. A contract/contractor provides the goods and services within normal business operations; provides similar goods or services to many different purchasers; normally operates in a competitive environment; and provides goods or services that are ancillary to the operation of the Federal program.

For all contractual line-item costs, include the rationale for the amount of the costs and include the specific contract goods and/or services provided and the related expenses for those goods and services. Simply entering the statement “contractual services” will not be considered sufficient for the requirement of completing this section.

6. Other costs do not fit any of the aforementioned categories, such as rent for buildings used to conduct project activities, utilities, leased equipment, employee training tuition, etc. “Other” direct costs must be itemized.

7. Indirect Costs (if applicable): Indirect costs are allowable in the Community Safety Grant. Indirect costs are incurred for common or joint objectives that benefit more than one project. The applicant must include a current and fully executed agreement in the application if claiming indirect costs. The rate must be applied to the appropriate base in the approved agreement. If the rate will not be approved by the application due date, attach the letter of renewal or letter of request that you sent to your cognizant agency to your application. The applicant must include a signed copy of the approved negotiated rate agreement that is valid as of the date of the application. If the applicant does not have an approved indirect cost rate agreement, the applicant may be eligible for the 10% de minimis rate provided by 2 CFR §200.414.

The application forms and templates are available on Grants.gov in the ‘Related Documents’ tab with detailed instructions on the application process.

D.3 Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant is required to:

(i) Be registered in SAM (SAM.gov) before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid DUNS number in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration and DUNS with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration.

NOTE: PHMSA recommends that Applicants review the SAM database to ensure that their DUNS number is updated and “active.” Link: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ D.4 Submission Dates and Times Submission Dates and Times: Completed applications must be received electronically by 5:00pm Eastern Time on June 22, 2018. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

D.5 Funding Restrictions The following costs are not eligible for reimbursement under the FY 2018 Community Safety Grant Program:

· Personnel costs such as overtime, backfill, stipends, and fees for the state and local personnel receiving training.

· Entertainment, alcohol, or morale costs.

· Any costs disallowed or stated as ineligible in 2 CFR part 200.

· Excessive costs for general office supplies, equipment, computer software, printing and copying.

SECTION E - Application Review Information E.1 Evaluation Questions PHMSA will use the following evaluation questions to determine how the applications address the needs for outreach and training:

1. Outreach to Communities

a. Does the application show a plan to engage with the state and local response community to ensure preparedness and response to hazardous materials transportation event?

b. Does the application address plans to engage with response communities in rural areas?

c. Does the application show a plan to engage with community planners to advise municipalities, school districts, businesses, and residents of the types of hazardous materials that move in the community?

d. Does the application include a plan to involve public outreach and engagement to raise awareness of the types of hazardous materials that move in the community?

e. Does the application contain preparedness and response steps that should be taken for public safety in the event of a hazardous materials transportation incident?

f. Does the applicant have the ability to collaborate and capture input from industry groups that transport hazardous materials, emergency response, and community planning subject matter experts?

g. Does the applicant provide a strategy to publish and widely distribute best practices guidance to applicable stakeholders?

2. Training State and Local Enforcement Personnel in the Hazardous Materials Regulations

a. Does the applicant have the existing capacity to reach and train state and local enforcement personnel on the safe transportation of hazardous materials?

b. Does the applicant address plans to train responders in rural areas?

c. Does the applicant have the ability to establish a curriculum that complies with the relevant Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)?

d. Does the applicant have the ability to establish a curriculum in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Transportation Investigator/Inspector Uniform Training Performance Standards?

e. Did the applicant provide comprehensive needs assessment related to the deficiency of training for state and local personnel that are responsible for enforcing the safe transportation of hazardous materials, including Class 3 flammable liquids?

f. Does the applicant possess the capacity to effectively deliver an established training curriculum to state and local personnel responsible for enforcing of the safe transportation of hazardous materials? (Curriculum may include either: (1) web-based training; or (2) direct training (on-site); or (3) a combination of the two.)

g. Does the organization have prior experience in providing hazmat training and the proposed site specific facilities/mechanisms in place to conduct the training?

E.2 Review and Selection Process PHMSA will conduct an initial administrative review of each completed application to determine if it is complete and meets the eligibility requirements per Section C (Eligibility Information) and responsibility requirements. A team composed of representatives from hazardous materials emergency response stakeholder groups will review and evaluate each completed application that meets the eligibility requirements and provide recommendations for award. Final award decisions will be made by the Secretary of Transportation.

Based on how well the applications address the evaluation questions identified above, the PHMSA Administrator will consider how well the applications address the following key Departmental objectives:

Rating Guideline

Exceptional - The application demonstrates that the requirements of the NOFO are very well understood and the approach will likely result in high quality performance. The application clearly addresses and exceeds requirements with no weaknesses. The application contains outstanding features that meet or exceed, on multiple dimensions, the expectations of the Government. The risk of poor performance is low.

Acceptable - The application demonstrates that the requirements of the NOFO are understood and the approach will likely result in satisfactory performance. The application addresses and meets most requirements with some minor but correctable weaknesses noted. The application demonstrates at least minimum requisite experience, qualifications, and performance capabilities. The risk of poor performance is no more than moderate.

Unacceptable - The application does not meet the requirements of the NOFO. The application fails to address many requirements or, although it addresses and may partially satisfy some requirements, major weaknesses and/or deficiencies are noted. The application could not satisfy critical requirements without a major revision and/or a rewrite of the application or a major redirection effort. The risk of poor performance is high.

E.3 FAPIIS Check Prior to making an award, PHMSA is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313). An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM. PHMSA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.205.

E.4 Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates Applicants chosen for funding will receive electronic notification of the Federal Award. Upon notification, an applicant’s authorized official must electronically sign the award within the timeframe prescribed by PHMSA. PHMSA plans to make awards no later than September 30, 2018, with a proposed period of performance start date of September 30, 2018.

SECTION F - FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

F.1 Federal Award Notices Subject to the availability of a current fiscal year appropriation and enacted budget, PHMSA’s grant awarding official will award grants to responsible and eligible applicants, at its discretion, whose applications are deemed most meritorious under the procedures set forth in this NOFO. All funds provided by PHMSA must be expended solely for the purpose for which the funds are awarded in accordance with the approved application and budget, regulations, terms and conditions of the award, applicable Federal cost principles, and the Department’s financial assistance regulations. Federal grant funds may not be used for lobbying or litigation.

The grant award agreement, signed by both the PHMSA Agreement Officer and the recipient’s Authorized Representative, is the authorizing document and will be provided through electronic means to the Authorized Representative. The award document will provide pertinent instructions and information including, at a minimum, the following:

1) The legal name and address of the recipient;

2) Title of project;

3) Name(s) of key personnel chosen to direct and control approved activities;

4) Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN) assigned by PHMSA;

5) Period of Performance, specifying the duration of the project;

6) Total amount PHMSA approved for the project;

7) Legal authority(ies) under which the award is issued;

8) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number;

9) Applicable award terms and conditions;

10) Approved budget plan for categorizing allocable project funds to accomplish the stated purpose of the award; and

11) Other information or provisions deemed necessary by PHMSA.

F.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The administration of this award by PHMSA and the Recipient will be based on the following Federal statutory and regulatory requirements:

1) The authorizing language of 49 U.S.C. § 5107(i).

2) 2 CFR part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

3) The Recipient must comply with 49 CFR part 20, "New Restrictions on Lobbying." 49 CFR part 20 is incorporated by reference in this award and is available at www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/ by clicking on Title 49 CFR part 20.

4) The Recipient must comply with Title VI of the Civil Right Act of 1964, which provides that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

5) The Recipient must comply with 49 CFR part 21, “Nondiscrimination in Federally-Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation—Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” 49 CFR part 21 is incorporated by reference into this award. 49 CFR and is available at: www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/ by clicking on Title 49 CFR part 21.

6) The Recipient must comply with 49 CFR part 32, “Government wide Requirements for Drug Free Workplace (Financial Assistance),” which implements the requirements of Public Law 100-690, Title Subtitle D, “Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.” 49 CFR part 32 is incorporated by reference in this award and is available at: www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/ by clicking on Title 49 CFR part 32.

F.3 Reporting Bi-Annual Report(s) - Each grant recipient is required to submit a bi-annual (twice yearly) Federal financial report (SF-425) and a bi-annual performance report. The reports must follow the instructions outlined in the terms and conditions of the grant award. Performance reports will include:

1. A summary of the activities and outputs that have taken place during the reporting period. This should include, at a minimum, the number of courses delivered during the period of performance, along with the number of students trained, total contact hours for each class, and the employer of the students trained.

2. Challenges the grantee has faced and strategies implemented to mitigate those challenges.

3. An updated timeline of grant activities projected to take place for the remainder of the grant period of performance.

4. As available, impact statements or analysis, from instructors, public sector responders or other stakeholders regarding the impact current period of performance grant activities have had on protecting people and the environment from the risks of hazardous materials transportation.

5. Final Report(s) - Each recipient is required to submit a final progress report and final Federal financial report (Final SF-425).

6. Final financial reports are to be submitted no later than 90 days after the project period end date. Final reports must follow the instructions outlined in the terms and conditions of the grant award.

Final performance reports are to be submitted via email as directed by the terms and conditions of the grant award, and will include:

1. A summary of the activities and outputs that took place during the period of performance. This should include the total number and type of courses delivered during the period of performance, along with the number of students trained and total contact hours for each class. Final reports should also include a list of employers who represent the students trained. If the projected outputs listed in the approved project narrative were not met, an explanation should be provided.

2. Challenges the grantee faced, and strategies taken to mitigate such challenges.

3. A completed timeline of the activities that took place during the completed period of performance.

4. As available, impact statements or analysis, from training instructors, public sector responders or other stakeholders regarding the impact current period of performance grant activities have had on protecting people and the environment from the risks of hazardous materials transportation.

All applications and reports will be made available to the public.

SECTION G - FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

Questions Regarding How to Apply or Grant Related Questions Carla Sheppard Phone: (202) 366-2738 Email: Carla.Sheppard@dot.gov

Alternate Contact:

Shakira Mack Phone: (202) 366-5090 Email: Shakira.Mack@dot.gov

Grants.gov Questions Grants.gov Contact Center; Phone: (800) 518-4726; E-mail: support@grants.gov

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