PKG00260360-instructions.docx

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Fiscal Year 2020 Emergency Management Baseline Assessment Grant (EMBAG) NOTE: If you are going to apply for this funding opportunity and have not obtained a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and/or are not currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), please take immediate action to obtain a DUNS Number, if applicable, and then to register immediately in SAM. It may take 4 weeks or more after you submit your SAM registration before your registration is active in SAM, then an additional 24 hours for Grants.gov to recognize your information. Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in SAM is available from Grants.gov at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. Detailed information regarding DUNS and SAM is also provided in Section D of this NOFO, subsection, Content and Form of Application Submission.

A. Program Description

1. Issued By U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/National Preparedness Directorate (NPD)/National Preparedness Assessment Division (NPAD)

2. Assistance Listings (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number) 97.131

3. Assistance Listings Title (formerly CFDA Title)

EMBAG

4. Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year 2020 Emergency Management Baseline Assessments Grant (EMBAG)

5. Funding Opportunity Number

DHS-20-NPD-131-00-01

6. Authorizing Authority for Program Section 503(b)(2)(G) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 313(b)(2)(G))

7. Appropriation Authority for Program Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. No. 116-93), Title III Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Operations and Support

8. Announcement Type Initial

9. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities Overview The purpose of the FY 2020 EMBAG is to help ensure that jurisdictions (state, tribal, territorial, and local communities) have accredited emergency management programs and certified emergency management professionals in place in advance of an incident. To achieve this purpose, the EMBAG Program supports voluntary national-level standards and peer review assessment processes that jurisdictions can use to identify the capacity and shortfalls of their emergency management programs and professionals and develop a path to compliance. Specifically, the EMBAG supports:

1. The development, maintenance, update, revision, and enhancement of voluntary national-level standards and peer review assessment processes for emergency preparedness and response that are driven, established, validated, and revised through consensus;

2. Related efforts to develop or update national-level accreditation for these standards; and

3. The assessment of select state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management programs and professionals against these national-level standards.

The EMBAG program reinforces DHS/FEMA’s (FEMA’s) mission of advancing all-hazards preparedness. This mission is driven and supported by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA). The EMBAG Program also supports the 2018 DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Mission to Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience and the FEMA 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, specifically through the alignment with the following goals and their objectives:

Goal 1 Build a Culture of Preparedness Objective 1.3 Help People Prepare for Disasters

Better Learn from Past Disasters, Improve Continuously, and Innovate

Goal 2 Ready the Nation for Catastrophic Disasters Objective 2.1 Organize the “BEST” (Build, Empower, Sustain, and Train) Scalable and Capable Incident Workforce

Improve Continuity and Resilient Communications Capabilities

Goal 3 Reduce the Complexity of FEMA Objective 3.2 Mature the Disaster Recovery Framework

Objective The FY 2020 EMBAG program provides funding for two (2) objectives, which together include eight (8) projects. These objectives and their projects are defined below and support the purpose of the EMBAG, which is to develop, update, revise, and enhance standards and assessment processes for emergency management and assess emergency management programs against those standards.

EMBAG Objectives (2) and Projects (8):

Objective 1: Supporting Emergency Management Program Accreditation

1) Maintaining and revising standards used to accredit emergency management programs. Standards must be voluntary, consensus-based, and accredited through a national-level accreditation body for standards and a peer review assessment process using emergency professionals from the emergency management community. Supporting this objective should include developing, maintaining, and improving systems, policy, and processes necessary to complete the objectives of the EMBAG.

2) Using a peer review process to assess emergency management program adherence to the standards. The peer review team should consist of emergency management officials from other (peer) jurisdiction emergency management programs.

3) Conducting assessments voluntarily for jurisdictions using other capability assessment tools.

4) Supporting initial efforts to operationalize the national-level standards used to accredit emergency management programs.

Objective 2: Supporting Emergency Management Professional Certification

5) Supporting state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management professionals’ certification application and associated fees.

6) Conducting the initial phase of an updated job analysis to verify the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of the national-level certification program for emergency management professionals.

7) Supporting accreditation of standards and criteria for emergency management professional certification through a national-level accreditation body for standards.

8) Developing, maintaining, and improving systems, policy, and processes necessary to complete the objectives of the EMBAG.

These objectives are described in further detail in Appendix F: Post-Award Requirements, and Appendix G: Detailed Instructions for EMBAG Objective 1, Projects (2) and (3) of this NOFO.

Priorities Applicants are encouraged to propose and provide support for the inclusion of the key considerations and practices of the Threat, Hazard, and Risk Identification and Assessment (THIRA) as part of the national-level standards for emergency management program accreditation and ensure these standards are aligned with the following FEMA guidance, also outlined and described in Appendix A: FEMA Expectations for Standards Alignment and Assessment Review:

· National Preparedness System (NPS)

· National Continuity Policy, particularly the 2018 Continuity Guidance Circular

· National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Qualification System

· Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG), v3.1 (April 2018)

· National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), Second Edition (June 2016)

· Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for States (November 2016)

· Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 201: Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) Guide, Third Edition

· National Response Framework, Fourth edition, particularly regarding Community Lifelines

Performance The performance of this program is measured by the percent increase in emergency management programs and professionals that achieve national-level accreditation and certification, respectively, as a result of the FY 2020 EMBAG Program investment and demonstrate improvements in capability according to other data sources.

10. Performance Metrics

The EMBAG program seeks to support the following two outcomes:

· Based on compliance with standards for critical functions necessary to prepare to manage disasters, jurisdiction emergency management programs increase their preparedness to manage disasters.

· Based on compliance with standards for critical functions necessary to manage emergency management programs, emergency management professionals increase their capability to manage emergency management programs.

These outcomes inform the following output-based measures of effectiveness for the EMBAG program. FEMA requires that EMBAG recipients collect and submit information necessary to calculate metrics for the following performance measures:

· Jurisdiction emergency management programs that are funded through the EMBAG report improvement in their program as a result of the accreditation process.

· Jurisdiction emergency management programs that are funded through the EMBAG Program achieve national-level accreditation.

· Emergency management professionals that are funded through the EMBAG achieve national-level certification as emergency management professionals.

The following describes alignment of metrics derived from the above measures to the intended outcomes of the EMBAG program:

· Based on compliance with standards for critical functions necessary to prepare to manage disasters, jurisdiction emergency management programs increase their preparedness to manage disasters.

· Metric 1: Number of jurisdictions that reported one or more aspects of their emergency management program “noticeably improved as a part of the accreditation process.”

· Metric 2: Percent of jurisdictions participating in the assessment process for the current fiscal year that achieve national-level accreditation.

· Based on compliance with standards for critical functions necessary to manage emergency management programs, emergency management professionals increase their capability to manage emergency management programs.

· Metric 3: Percent of emergency management professionals with certification supported by the FY 2020 EMBAG that achieve national-level certification.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $825,000

2. Projected number of Awards: 2-4

3. Period of Performance: 12 months

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

4. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): 09/01/2020

5. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 08/30/2021

6. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants The following are eligible applicants for this funding opportunity:

· Nonprofits as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.70; and

· Institutions of higher education as defined by 2 CFR § 200.55.

The criteria defining nonprofit organizations and institutes of higher education, in addition to the criterion for how to demonstrate competence in emergency management program accreditation and/or emergency management professional certification, are defined under the Applicant Eligibility Criteria header below.

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria The criteria that organizations must meet in order to be eligible for the EMBAG are defined below. Applicants that do not meet eligibility and application submission requirements will not be evaluated and scored by the review panel.

1) Eligible nonprofit organizations are nonprofit organizations as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.70.

2) Eligible institutes of higher education are institutes of higher education as defined by 2 CFR § 200.55.

3) Eligible nonprofit organizations and institutes of higher education must be able to demonstrate, for either emergency management program accreditation AND/OR emergency management professional certification, that they are qualified to develop, update, revise, and enhance national-level standards for emergency management and implement assessments against them for emergency management programs AND/OR emergency management professionals, according to questions defined in Appendix C: Project Narrative Template. Applicants will demonstrate their experience and expertise (and that of their partner organization, if applicable according to information under the Other EMBAG-Specific Application Information header below) using the questions in Appendix C: Project Narrative Template, and reviewers will use these questions as one set of criteria to score applications as outlined in Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria.

Any standard relating to emergency management program accreditation AND/OR emergency management professional certification AND that has been accredited by a national-level accreditation body for standards can satisfy this eligibility criterion. Additional information is contained in Section E: Application Review Information, Appendix C: Project Narrative Template, and Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria.

3. Other Eligibility Criteria None

4. Maintenance of Effort (MOE) There is no Maintenance of Effort requirement for this program

5. Cost Share or Match There is no Cost Share or Cost Match requirement for this program.

Other EMBAG-Specific Application Information Applicants may partner with one (1) other eligible organization, but only one applicant may apply for and receive an award and the applicant must apply on behalf of the partner organization. If applicants choose to partner with another organization, they may issue only one (1) sub-award to the organization with which they have chosen to partner under the recipient’s EMBAG award. Applicants and their partner are BOTH subject to the Eligibility Criteria defined in this section and applicants must describe how they and their partner both meet the Eligibility Criteria defined in this section, or the application review panel will not evaluate and score the application.

In order to receive a satisfactory score, applicants must describe how they (and their partner, if applicable) will address at least one (1) objective and two (2) projects as defined in Section A: Program Description. The objective and projects that each organization (the applicant and the partner organization) addresses can be different. If applicants propose more than (1) objective and two (2) projects for themselves and their partner, they will receive a higher score by the Application Review panel. Additional information is contained in Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria. Section E: Application Review Information contains additional information about the application review panel and process.

Applications must conform to the guidance provided in Appendix C: Project Narrative Template of this NOFO. Applications will be evaluated using a scoring rubric, which is described in Section E: Application Review Information and Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria.

The following eligibility criteria apply for projects submitted as part of this application:

i. The application must meet the objectives of the EMBAG and conform to the guidance in Section D: Application and Submission Information, Section E: Application Review Information, Appendix C: Project Narrative Template, and Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria. FEMA will not review applications that do not address all questions and subparts described in Appendices C and D.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: 3/20/2020

b. Application Submission Deadline: 5/04/2020 at 05:00:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

All complete applications must be received by the established deadline.

The Non-Disaster (ND) Grants System has a date stamp that indicates when an application is submitted. Applicants will receive an electronic message confirming receipt of submission of the full application. 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.

FEMA will not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider these late applications for funding. FEMA may, however, extend the application deadline on request for any applicant who can demonstrate that good cause exists to justify extending the deadline. Good cause for an extension may include technical problems outside of the applicant’s control that prevent submission of the application by the deadline, other exigent or emergency circumstances, or statutory requirements for FEMA to make an award.

Applicants experiencing technical problems outside of their control must notify FEMA as soon as possible and prior to the application deadline. Failure to timely notify FEMA of the issue that prevented the filing of the application within the required timeframe 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.

A list of FEMA contacts can be found in Section G, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information.” If applicants 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@dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET.

c. Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 6/05/2020

d. Anticipated Award Date: 7/06/2020

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 Initial applications are processed through the Grants.gov portal. Final applications are completed and submitted through FEMA’s Non-Disaster Grants (ND Grants) System. Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov.

Hard copies of the NOFO can be downloaded at Grants.gov or via email from the Awarding Office point of contact listed in Section G, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information.”

In addition, the following Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) and/or Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) number available for this Notice is:

(800) 462-7585.

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

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 (D&B) and Employer ID Number (EIN);

b. In the application, provide a valid Data Universal Numbering System 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. Create a Grants.gov account;

f. Add a profile to a Grants.gov account;

a. Establish an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in Grants.gov;

b. Submit an initial application in Grants.gov;

g. Submit the final application in the ND Grants System; and

h. 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.

Applicants are advised that DHS/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 DHS/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, DHS/FEMA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

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 initial applications through Grants.gov.

6. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

a. Instructions: Registering in Grants.gov is a multi-step process. Read the instructions below about registering to apply for DHS funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity, then you may begin with step 3, Create a Grants.gov account, listed below.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but DUNS and SAM registrations may take several weeks. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines. Complete organization instructions can be found on Grants.gov here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

1) 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.

2) Register with SAM: All organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (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

3) Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step is to register an account with Grants.gov. Follow the on-screen instructions or refer to the detailed instructions here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

4) Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant. If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter the DUNS Number for the organization in the DUNS field while adding a profile.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html

5) EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, the organization applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been assigned the AOR role.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html

6) Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html

7) Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed, and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

7. How to Submit an Application to DHS via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each NOFO, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities using Workspace, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

a. Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

b. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

c. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

d. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

e. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and DUNS number. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying for.

If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist DHS with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

9. Submitting the Final Application in the Non-Disaster Grants System (ND Grants) After submitting the initial application in Grants.gov, eligible applicants will be notified by FEMA and asked to proceed with submitting their complete application package in ND Grants. Applicants can register early with ND Grants and are encouraged to begin their ND Grants registration at the time of this announcement or, at the latest, seven days before the application deadline. Early registration will allow applicants to have adequate time to start and complete their applications.

Applicants needing assistance registering for the ND Grants system should contact ndgrants@fema.dhs.gov or (800) 865-4076. For step-by-step directions on using the ND Grants system and other guides, please see https://www.fema.gov/non-disaster-grants-management-system.

In ND Grants, applicants will be prompted to submit the standard application information required as described below. 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:

· SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-construction)

· 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)

· 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, if the budget includes indirect costs and the applicant is required to have an indirect cost rate agreement. If the applicant is not required to have an indirect cost rate agreement but will charge indirect costs and is required to have an indirect cost rate proposal, the applicant must provide a copy of their indirect cost rate proposal with the application. See the section below on indirect costs for more information or contact the relevant Program Analyst or Grants Management Specialist for further instructions.

In addition, applicants must submit copies of the following in ND Grants (on behalf of themselves and their partner organization, if applicable):

· Project Narrative that describes the applicant’s (and their partner’s, if applicable) proposed projects and how they align with the FY 2020 EMBAG Program Objectives (Refer to Appendix C: Project Narrative Template for additional details).

· In the Project Narrative pertaining to the applicant’s Project Plan, applicants must describe how they (and their partner, if applicable) will meet the post-award reporting and workplan requirements described in Appendix F: Post Award Requirements. If selected, recipients will update the Project Plan submitted as part of their original application to become the final workplan.

· Budget Detail Worksheet that identifies all project costs and provides justification for the costs identified (including management and administration [M&A]). Refer to Appendix E: Budget Detail Worksheet Template for additional details. The Budget Detail Worksheet should reflect the information in the Budget section of the Project Narrative.

Applicants needing assistance registering for the ND Grants system should contact ndgrants@fema.dhs.gov or (800) 865-4076.

For additional program-specific application submission requirements, please refer to the subsection titled “Content and Form of Application Submission” under Section D and Appendix C: Project Narrative Template of this NOFO.

10. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

a. Online Submission. All applications must be received by 05:00:00 PM (EDT) on the due date established for each program. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant with the AOR role who submitted the application will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. This applicant with the AOR role will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov Tracking number in an email. This notification does not serve as proof of timely submission as the application is not complete until it is submitted in ND Grants.

When DHS successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role who submitted the application. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by DHS.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. Again, Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role attempting to submit the application. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

b. As application submission is a two-step process, the applicant with the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role who submitted the application will receive an acknowledgment of receipt, a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov, and an Agency Tracking Number (EMX-2020-XX-XXXX) with the successful transmission of the initial application. This notification does not serve as proof of timely submission as the application is not complete until it is submitted in ND Grants. All applications must be received in ND Grants by 05:00:00 PM EDT on the application deadline. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by ND Grants. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by ND Grants. Additionally, the applicant(s) listed as contacts on the application will receive a system-generated email to confirm receipt.

11. Content and Form of Application Submission Standard Required Application Forms and Information The following forms are required to be submitted in either Grants.gov or ND Grants. The Standard Forms (SF), submitted either through Grants.gov, through forms generated in ND Grants, or as an attachment in ND Grants, are available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html.

· SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, submitted through Grants.gov

· Grants.gov Lobbying Form, Certification Regarding Lobbying, submitted through Grants.gov

· SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction), submitted via the forms generated by ND Grants

· For construction under an award, submit SF-424C, Budget Information (Construction), submitted via the forms generated by ND Grants, in addition to or instead of SF-424A

· SF-424B, Standard Assurances (Non-Construction), submitted via the forms generated by ND Grants

· For construction under an award, submit SF-424D, Standard Assurances (Construction), submitted via the forms generated by ND Grants, in addition to or instead of SF-424B

· SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, via the forms generated by ND Grants

· Indirect Cost Agreement, submitted as an attachment in ND Grants if the budget includes indirect costs and the applicant is required to have an indirect cost rate agreement. If the applicant is not required to have an indirect cost rate agreement but will charge indirect costs and is required to have an indirect cost rate proposal, the applicant must provide a copy of their indirect cost rate proposal with the application. See the section below on indirect costs for more information contact the relevant Program Analyst or Grants Management Specialist for further instructions.

Program-Specific Required Forms and Information EMBAG-specific application instructions for proposal submission are included in Appendix C: Project Narrative Template.

12. Other Submission Requirements None

13. Intergovernmental Review An intergovernmental review may be required. Applicants must contact their state’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372.

(See https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html; https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SPOC-February-2019.pdf).

14. Funding Restrictions All costs charged to awards covered by this NOFO must comply with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, unless otherwise indicated in the NOFO, or the terms and conditions of the award.

In general, the Cost Principles establish standards for the allowability of costs, provide detailed guidance on the cost accounting treatment of costs as direct or administrative costs, and set forth allowability principles for selected items of cost. More specifically, except as otherwise stated in this NOFO, the terms and condition of an award, or other program materials, costs charged to awards covered by this NOFO must be consistent with the Cost Principles for Federal Awards located at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E. In order to be allowable, all costs charged to a FEMA award or applied to the cost share must be reasonable in nature and amount and allocable to the particular FEMA award.

Additionally, all costs charged to awards must comply with the grant program’s applicable statutes, policies, requirements in this NOFO as well as with the terms and conditions of the award. If FEMA staff identify costs that are inconsistent with any of these requirements, these costs may be disallowed, and FEMA may recover funds as appropriate, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and policies.

As part of those requirements, grant recipients and subrecipients may only use federal funds or funds applied to a cost share for the purposes set forth in this NOFO and the terms and conditions of the award, and those costs must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Grant funds may not be used for matching funds for other federal grants/cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the federal government or any other government entity.

Recipients are also expected to conform, as applicable, with accepted engineering practices, established codes, standards, modeling techniques, and best practices, and participate in the development of case studies demonstrating the effective use of grant funds, as requested.

Program-specific post-award instructions are included in Appendix F: Reporting and Other Post-Award Requirements, and Appendix G: Detailed Instructions for EMBAG Objective 1, Projects (2) and (3).

15. Allowable Costs

a. Pre-Award Costs Pre-award costs are NOT allowable.

b. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs M&A activities are those directly relating to the management and administration of the EMBAG funds, such as financial management and monitoring. Recipients may retain a maximum of 5 percent of EMBAG funds awarded for M&A purposes associated with the EMBAG award. An organization partnering with a recipient (limit one per recipient) may in turn retain 5 percent of the sub-award they receive from the recipient for M&A purposes.

c. Indirect Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs Indirect costs are allowable under this program as described in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, including 2 C.F.R. § 200.414. Applicants with a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement that desire to charge indirect costs to an award must provide a copy of their negotiated indirect cost rate agreement at the time of application. Applicants that are not required by 2 C.F.R. Part 200 to have a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement but are required by 2 C.F.R. Part 200 to develop an indirect cost rate proposal must provide a copy of their proposal at the time of application. Post-award requests to charge indirect costs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and based upon the submission of an agreement or proposal as discussed above.

d. Other Direct Costs Direct Costs Please note that Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO contains additional information on direct costs allowed and not allowed under this program. Guidance in this section and in Appendix B apply to both applicants and their partner organization, if applicable.

Planning Planning-related costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO. Please refer to Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO for additional information.

Organization Organization-related costs are NOT allowed under this program.

Equipment Equipment costs are NOT allowed under this program.

Training Training-related costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO. Please refer to Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO for additional information.

Exercises Exercise-related costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO. Please refer to Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO for additional information.

Personnel Personnel costs are allowed under this program for the applicant (and its partner, if applicable) only as described in this NOFO, with the following exceptions:

Hiring additional personnel to complete the process of peer review is NOT allowed.

Contract and consulting costs are allowed for management of grant awards.

Contract and consulting costs are NOT allowed for providing subject-matter expertise on the FY 2020 EMBAG Objectives.

Please refer to Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO for additional information.

Travel Domestic travel costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO.

International travel is NOT allowed under this program.

Please refer to Appendix B: Detail of Allowable and Not Allowable Direct Costs Under EMBAG of this NOFO for additional information.

Construction and Renovation Construction and renovation costs are NOT allowed under this program.

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

a. Programmatic Criteria Applications must conform with the guidance provided in this section, Section D: Application and Submission Information, and Appendix C: Project Narrative Template. FY 2020 EMBAG applications will also be evaluated for completeness, adherence to programmatic guidelines, and anticipated effectiveness of the proposed project. Only the applicant may submit an application. If the applicant is partnering with another organization, they must submit information pertaining to their partner in their application on behalf of their partner.

Below is a summary of the evaluation criteria. The full criteria are found in Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria, which details the specific criteria aligned to four (4) of the five (5) Project Narrative requirements and the maximum number of points an application can receive for each criterion. The four (4) base criteria earn up to 100 total possible points. Each base criterion contains two (2) questions and subparts that applicants (and their partner, if applicable) must address in their Project Narrative. FEMA will not review applications that do not address all questions and subparts.

· Demonstration of Experience and Expertise: The applicant demonstrates that both it and any partner organization possess the experience and expertise necessary to carry out the objectives of the FY 2020 EMBAG.

· Questions align to criteria in Section C: Eligibility Information.

· Applicants (and their partner, if applicable) will receive a higher score according to the scoring criteria in Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria if they demonstrate through their Project Narrative that they are qualified to develop, update, revise, and enhance standards accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or an equivalent North American accreditation or certification body that is a member body of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

· (Possible Points: 0 – 20 maximum; a satisfactory score is 15 points, with up to 5 additional points possible if narrative demonstrates applicant is qualified to develop, update, revise, and enhance standards accredited by ANSI or an equivalent North American accreditation or certification body that is a member body of the ISO)

· Project Plan: The applicant describes (on behalf of themselves and their partner, if applicable) an effective plan that meets all objectives and priorities of the FY 2020 EMBAG and addresses its post-award requirements.

· Questions align to the EMBAG objectives described in Section A: Program Description and Appendix F: Reporting and Other Post-Award Requirements.

· Questions also address guidance in Appendix A: FEMA Expectations for Standards Alignment and Assessment Review, Appendix F: Post-Award Requirements, and Appendix G: Detailed Instructions for EMBAG Objective 1, Projects (2) and (3).

· EMBAG priorities are further described in Appendix A: FEMA Expectations for Standards Alignment and Assessment Review.

· In order to receive a satisfactory score, applicants (and if applicable, their partner) must complete at least one (1) objective and two (2) projects, which are defined in Section A: Program Description.

· The objective and projects that each organization completes can be different.

· If applicants (and their partner, if applicable) propose more than (1) objective and two (2) projects, they will receive a higher score by the Application Review panel.

· To receive a satisfactory score, applicants must also describe how they (and their partner, if applicable) will meet the post-award reporting and workplan requirements described in Appendix F: Post Award Requirements. The Project Plan that applicants submit (on behalf of themselves and their partner, if applicable) as part of their Project Narrative will be considered the draft workplan if the applicant is selected as a recipient, and recipients will use it to update and finalize their workplan after they accept the award, as described in Appendix F: Post-Award Requirements.

· Additional information is contained in Appendix D: Evaluation and Scoring Criteria.

· (Possible points: 0 – 30 maximum; satisfactory score is 24 points, with up to 6 points possible for each additional EMBAG Objective Project addressed)

· Impact: The applicant demonstrates the impact of their proposed plan on the emergency management community, jurisdictions, and national preparedness (on behalf of themselves and their partner, if applicable).

· Questions align to the EMBAG purpose and performance metrics described in Section A: Program Description.

· (Possible points: 0 – 30 maximum)

· Budget: The applicant demonstrates a reasonable and cost-effective budget, including an explanation of project costs and relative cost effectiveness across the requested categories, and their ability as an applicant to manage federal grants (on behalf of themselves and their partner, if applicable).

· Applicants must also complete a Budget Detail Worksheet according to Appendix E: Budget Detail Worksheet Template.

· (Possible Points: 0 – 20 maximum)

b. Financial Integrity Criteria Prior to making a federal award, FEMA is required by 31 U.S.C. § 3321 note, 41 U.S.C. § 2313, and 2 C.F.R. § 200.205 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information. Therefore, application evaluation criteria may include the following risk-based considerations of the applicant:

1) Financial stability.

2) Quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards.

3) History of performance in managing federal award.

4) Reports and findings from audits.

5) Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

c. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review Prior to making a federal award where the anticipated total federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $250,000 (see Section 805 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-91, OMB Memorandum M-18-18 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf):

1) FEMA is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM, which is currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and is accessible through the SAM website.

2) An applicant, at its option, may review information in FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding…