PKG00261002-instructions.pdf

FY 2020 EMPG-S NOFO

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

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental (EMPG-S)

NOTE: To receive an award under this funding opportunity you must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be 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 four 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.

Program Description

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

2. Assistance Listings Number (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number) 97.042

3. Assistance Listings Title (formerly CFDA Title) Emergency Management Performance Grant Program

4. Funding Opportunity Title Emergency Management Performance Grant Program, COVID-19 Supplemental

(EMPG-S)

5. Funding Opportunity Number

Grant Program Title NOFO Number

EMPG-S – Region I DHS-20-GPD-042-01-02 EMPG-S – Region II DHS-20-GPD-042-02-02 EMPG-S – Region III DHS-20-GPD-042-03-02 EMPG-S – Region IV DHS-20-GPD-042-04-02 EMPG-S – Region V DHS-20-GPD-042-05-02 EMPG-S – Region VI DHS-20-GPD-042-06-02 EMPG-S – Region VII DHS-20-GPD-042-07-02 EMPG-S – Region VIII DHS-20-GPD-042-08-02 EMPG-S – Region IX DHS-20-GPD-042-09-03 EMPG-S – Region X DHS-20-GPD-042-10-02 http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

6. Authorizing Authority for Program Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Div. B (Pub. L. No. 116- 136); section 662 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), as amended (Pub. L. No. 109-295) (6 U.S.C. § 762); Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-288) (42 U.S.C. §§ 5121 et seq.); Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended (Pub.

L. No. 95-124) (42 U.S.C. §§ 7701 et seq.); and National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (Pub. L. No. 90-448) (42 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et seq.)

7. Appropriation Authority for Program Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Div. B (Pub. L. No. 116- 136)

8. Announcement Type Formula

9. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

Program Overview The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program – COVID-19 Supplemental (EMPG-S) assists states, territories, tribes, and local governments with their public health and emergency management activities supporting the prevention of, preparation for, and response to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. Through this funding opportunity, FEMA will award funding to support planning and operational readiness for COVID-19 preparedness and response, development of tools and strategies for prevention, preparedness, and response, and ongoing communication and coordination among federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial partners throughout the response.

Objectives The FY 2020 EMPG-S program will provide funds to assist State, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies with preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Priorities In general, the priorities under this funding opportunity will address the States’ response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. In keeping with FEMA Administrator Gaynor’s priorities as outlined in his March 27, 2020 letter to emergency managers, FEMA encourages funding to be used for:

1. Mitigation activities (related to slowing the spread of COVID-19);

2. Integration of emergency management and public health operations;

3. Collection and display of public, private, and governmental data of hospital bed and ventilator capacity and usage;

4. Collection and display of PPE inventories and establishment of burn rates to forecast future needs;

5. Planning for alternate care sites;

6. Identifying all sources to surge medical professionals.

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2020/03/27/fema-administrator-march-27-2020-letter-emergency-managers-requesting-action https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/burn-calculator.html

EMPG-S funding also can be used to assist emergency managers with implementing community lifelines to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The lifelines concept simplifies incident information to provide decision makers with clearly identified impacts to critical community services and root causes that inform response and recovery actions. The Community Lifelines Implementation Toolkit provides whole community partners the information and resources to understand lifelines and to coordinate with entities using lifelines. The toolkit serves as basic guidance for how to implement the lifeline construct during incident response.

Examples of areas eligible for funding under this funding opportunity include, but are not limited to:

1. Data Collection and Analysis

2. Plan Development

3. Jurisdictional Recovery

4. Information Sharing

5. Emergency Public Information and Warning and Risk Communication

6. Logistics and Supply Chain Management

7. Development of Distribution Management Plans

Consistent with 2 C.F.R. Part 200, none of the funds awarded under this NOFO may duplicate the same costs already paid for with funding from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program or any other Federal program. In addition, consistent with section C.4., below, funding in this EMPG-S NOFO is not eligible to be used to pay the non-Federal cost share under other Federal grant programs and/or pay back loans with the Federal government, unless expressly allowed under the terms of the Federal award.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $100 million

Funding awarded under this NOFO is separate and distinct from any funding that will be awarded under the FY 2020 EMPG Program NOFO published on February 14, 2020.

EMPG-S awards are based on the CARES Act and section 662 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 762). All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico each receive a base amount of 0.75 percent of the total available funding appropriated for the EMPG-S program. Four territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) each receive a base amount of 0.25 percent of the total available funding appropriated for the EMPG-S program. The remaining balance of the funds appropriated for the EMPG-S are distributed on a population-share basis.

FY 2020 EMPG-S Allocations

State/Territory Allocation State/Territory Allocation Alabama $1,636,626 Nevada $1,306,974 Alaska $882,283 New Hampshire $995,872 Arizona $2,066,185 New Jersey $2,356,135 Arkansas $1,295,699 New Mexico $1,129,162 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/177222

State/Territory Allocation State/Territory Allocation California $7,894,856 New York $4,267,719 Colorado $1,791,332 North Carolina $2,646,523 Connecticut $1,394,698 North Dakota $887,801 Delaware $926,082 Ohio $2,863,699 District of Columbia $877,618 Oklahoma $1,465,525 Florida $4,633,743 Oregon $1,512,678 Georgia $2,669,911 Pennsylvania $3,064,938 Hawaii $1,006,027 Rhode Island $941,560 Idaho $1,073,149 South Carolina $1,681,024 Illinois $3,041,401 South Dakota $909,970 Indiana $1,967,363 Tennessee $1,984,895 Iowa $1,320,520 Texas $5,993,222 Kansas $1,276,804 Utah $1,329,722 Kentucky $1,557,873 Vermont $862,834 Louisiana $1,590,625 Virginia $2,293,448 Maine $993,069 Washington $2,126,974 Maryland $1,843,219 West Virginia $1,074,068 Massachusetts $1,996,347 Wisconsin $1,802,850 Michigan $2,555,888 Wyoming $854,655 Minnesota $1,769,795 Puerto Rico $1,327,504 Mississippi $1,288,166 U.S. Virgin Islands $269,282 Missouri $1,859,809 American Samoa $259,066 Montana $943,263 Guam $280,405 Nebraska $1,099,792 Northern Mariana Islands $259,352

Total $100,000,000

2. Period of Performance: Twenty-four (24) months Extensions to the period of performance are allowed only in limited circumstances. For additional information on period of performance extensions, refer to Section H:

Additional Information of this NOFO.

3. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): January 27, 2020

4. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): January 26, 2022

5. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants State or territorial governments (the State Administrative Agency [SAA] or the State’s Emergency Management Agency [EMA]).

2. Recipient Eligibility Criteria All 56 States and territories are eligible to apply for FY 2020 EMPG-S funds. Either the SAA or the EMA is eligible to apply directly to FEMA for EMPG funds on behalf of each state or territory. However, only one application will be accepted from each state or territory.

3. Other Eligibility Criteria

Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Membership In support of the Goal, EMPG-S recipients must belong to, be located in, or act as an EMAC temporary member state, except for American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which are not currently subject to these requirements. All assets supported in part or entirely with FY 2020 EMPG-S funding must, where applicable, be readily deployable to support emergency or disaster operations per existing EMAC agreements.

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation Recipients must ensure and maintain adoption and implementation of NIMS. Emergency management and incident response activities require carefully managed resources to meet incident needs. Use of the standardized resource management concepts such as typing, credentialing, and inventorying promotes a strong national mutual aid capability needed to support delivery of core capabilities. Additional information on resource management and NIMS resource typing definitions and job titles/position qualifications is available on DHS/FEMA’s website under http://www.fema.gov/resource-management-mutual-aid.

DHS/FEMA developed the NIMS Guideline for Credentialing of Personnel to describe national credentialing standards and provide written guidance regarding the use of those standards. That guideline describes credentialing and typing processes and identifies tools that Federal Emergency Response Officials (FEROs) and emergency managers at all levels of government may use, both routinely and to facilitate multijurisdictional coordinated responses.

Additional information is available at http://www.fema.gov/nims-doctrine-supporting-guides-tools.

4. Cost Share The FY 2020 EMPG-S program has a cost-share requirement. The recipient contribution can be cash (hard match) or third-party in-kind (soft match). Eligible EMPG-S program recipients shall agree to make available non-Federal funds to carry out an EMPG-S award in amount not less than 50 percent of the total project cost. In other words, the Federal share applied toward the EMPG-S budget shall not exceed 50 percent of the total budget as submitted in the application and approved in the award. If the total project ends up costing more, the recipient is responsible for any additional costs; if the total project ends up costing less, the recipient may owe FEMA an amount required to ensure that the Federal cost share is not in excess of 50 percent. A State must at least equally match (cash or third party in-kind) the Federal contribution pursuant to sections 611(j) and 613(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Pub. L.

No. 93-288) (codified as amended at 42 U.S.C. §§ 5196(j), 5196b(a)). Unless otherwise http://www.fema.gov/resource-management-mutual-aid http://www.fema.gov/nims-doctrine-supporting-guides-tools http://www.fema.gov/nims-doctrine-supporting-guides-tools authorized by law, Federal funds cannot be matched with other Federal funds. The recipient’s contribution should be specifically identified. These non-Federal contributions have the same eligibility requirements as the Federal share.

DHS/FEMA administers cost-matching requirements in accordance with 2 C.F.R. §

200.306. To meet matching requirements, the recipient contributions must be verifiable, reasonable, allowable, allocable, necessary under the grant program, and in compliance with all applicable Federal requirements and regulations.

For example, if the Federal award were at a 50 percent cost share and the total approved budget cost was $100,000, then:

Federal share is 50 percent of $100,000 = $50,000 Recipient share is 50 percent of $100,000 = $50,000

However, with this example, if the total cost ended up being $120,000, the Federal share would remain at 50 percent of the total approved budget at the time of application of $100,000. If the total cost ended up being $80,000, then the 50 percent Federal share would decrease to $40,000, and the recipient cost share would be $40,000.

In accordance with 48 U.S.C. § 1469a, cost-match requirements are waived for the insular areas of the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

D. Application and Submission Information

Due to the exigent nature of this pandemic, DHS/FEMA has streamlined the application process, requiring submission of minimal information at the time of application. The application review process will be expedited to ensure funding is awarded as quickly as possible, based on the allocations outlined in the table above. No holds will be placed on awarded funds following recipient acceptance of the award. However, by July 30, 2020, recipients will be required to provide an interim EMPG-S Work Plan to DHS/FEMA in order to document how funds have been and/or will be used. Details on what must be included in the Work Plan are found in Appendix B.

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: April 13, 2020

b. Application Submission Deadline: April 28, 2020 at 5 p.m. EDT

All 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 their submission. For additional information on how an applicant will be notified of application receipt, see the section titled “Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission.”

DHS/FEMA will generally not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider them for funding. DHS/FEMA may, however, extend the application deadline on request for an 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 DHS/FEMA to make an award.

Applicants experiencing technical problems outside of their control must notify the respective FEMA Program Analyst as soon as possible and before the application deadline. Failure to timely notify FEMA of the issue that prevented the punctual 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.

For additional assistance using the ND Grants System, please contact the ND Grants Service Desk at (800) 865-4076 or NDGrants@fema.dhs.gov. The ND Grants Service Desk is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT. If applicants do not know their FEMA Program Analyst 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 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.

c. Anticipated Award Date: May 8, 2020

d. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award By accepting an award under this funding opportunity, recipients agree to comply with the requirements of this NOFO and the terms and conditions of the award, should they receive an award.

3. Steps Required to Obtain Unique Entity Identifier, and System for Award Management (SAM) Applying for an award under the programs covered by this Notice of Funding Opportunity is a multi-step process. To ensure that their applications are submitted on time, applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their application submissions. 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 (D&B) and Employer ID Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service;

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion Obtaining DUNS Number

Four weeks before actual submission deadline Obtaining a valid EIN Updating SAM registration Final application in Grants.gov One day before actual submission deadline Final application in the ND Grants System April 28, 2020 by 5 p.m. EDT mailto:NDGrants@fema.dhs.gov mailto:askcsid@fema.dhs.gov

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. Create a Grants.gov account;

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

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

h. Register in the ND Grants System;

i. Submit an initial application in Grants.gov;

j. Submit the final application in the ND Grants System, including electronically signing applicable forms; and

k. 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 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 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 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.

Important: SAM registrations expiring before May 16, 2020 will be afforded a one-time 60-day extension. In conjunction with this exception, GSA has initiated 60-day extensions to SAM.gov registrations that have expiration dates ranging between March 19, 2020 and May 17, 2020. GSA expected to take until March 28, 2020 to complete all extensions. This effort is intended as relief for those otherwise required to renew their SAM registrations during that time frame. At the time of award, the requirements of 2 C.F.R. § 200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants continue to apply. Note that this extension only applies to existing SAM registrations. Applicants who are not currently registered in SAM must still register in order to apply for this funding opportunity.

Specific instructions on how to apply for, update, or verify a DUNS number or SAM registration or establish an AOR are included below in the steps for applying through Grants.gov. 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 https://www.login.gov/ 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.

4. Electronic Delivery DHS/FEMA 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/FEMA requires applicants to submit their initial applications online through Grants.gov and to submit their final applications through the ND Grants System.

5. Content and Form of Application Submission The following forms or information are required to be submitted in either Grants.gov or the ND Grants System. The Standard Forms (SFs), submitted either through Grants.gov, through forms generated in the ND Grants System, or as an attachment in the ND Grants System, 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 the ND Grants System

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

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

Grants System

• Indirect Cost Agreement or Proposal, 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 or proposal. See further information below regarding allowability of indirect costs and documentation requirements, including if the applicant does not have or is not required to have an indirect cost rate agreement or proposal, or contact the relevant Program Analyst or Grants Management Specialist for further instructions.

6. 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).

7. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance As a federal agency, DHS/FEMA is required to consider the effects of its actions on the environment and historic properties to ensure that all activities and programs funded by https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SPOC-February-2019.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/SPOC-February-2019.pdf

DHS/FEMA, including grant-funded projects, comply with Federal EHP regulations, laws, and Executive Orders, as applicable.

Recipients and subrecipients proposing projects that have the potential to impact the environment, including, but not limited to, modification of existing buildings, structures, and facilities, must participate in the DHS/FEMA EHP review process.

The EHP review process involves the submission of a detailed project description along with any supporting documentation requested by DHS/FEMA in order to determine whether the proposed project has the potential to impact environmental resources or historic properties.

In some cases, DHS/FEMA is also required to consult with other regulatory agencies and the public in order to complete the review process. The EHP review process must be completed before funds are released to carry out the proposed project; otherwise, DHS/FEMA may not be able to fund the project due to noncompliance with EHP laws, executive order, regulations, and policies.

Additionally, all recipients and subrecipients receiving funding under a program covered by this Manual are required to comply with DHS/FEMA EHP Policy Guidance, FEMA Policy #108-023-1. The EHP screening form is located https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195, and further EHP guidance can be found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/118323.

8. Funding Restrictions Federal funds made available through this award may only be used for the purpose set forth in this award and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award.

Award funds may not be used for matching funds for any other Federal award, 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.

EMPG-S recipients may only fund activities and projects that are for the purpose of preventing, preparing for, and responding to the coronavirus and are allowable within the rules prescribed by this NOFO. Funds under this award shall not be used for activities unrelated to coronavirus prevention, preparedness, or response. For additional guidance on funding restrictions, refer to Appendix A, FY 2020 EMPG-S Funding Guidelines.

9. Allowable Costs Costs charged to this award must be consistent with the Cost Principles for Federal Awards located at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E. Allowable costs include:

a. Pre-Award Costs: Coronavirus-related pre-award costs incurred from October 1, 2019 through the start of the period of performance are allowable if requested with the application. To request pre-award costs, a written request must be included with the application, signed by the Authorized Representative of the entity. The letter must outline what the pre-award costs are for, including a detailed budget break-out of pre-award costs from the post-award costs. Pre-award costs unrelated to coronavirus are not allowable.

b. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs: M&A activities are those directly relating to the management and administration of the EMPG-S funds, such as https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/85376 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/85376 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/118323 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8d294ca70f05ffbab8f39000ec33839a&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#sp2.1.200.e financial management and monitoring. The recipient may retain a maximum of 5 percent of EMPG-S funds awarded for M&A purposes associated with the EMPG-S award. Subrecipients may also retain a maximum of 5 percent of the subaward for M&A purposes associated with the EMPG-S award.

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. Direct Costs: The following provides a summary of allowable direct costs under this program. Such costs are allowable only to the extent that they support activities associated with preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Further details are provided in Appendix A, FY 2020 EMPG-S Funding Guidelines.

1) Planning: Planning costs are allowed.

2) Organization: Organization costs are allowed.

3) Equipment: Equipment costs are allowed.

4) Training: Training costs are allowed.

5) Exercises: Exercise costs are not allowed under this program.

6) Consultants/Contractors: Hiring of full-time or part-time contract planners or consultants to assist with planning and training activities is allowable under this program. Hiring public safety personnel fulfilling traditional public safety duties is not an allowable cost under this program.

7) Travel: Domestic travel costs are allowed. International travel is not an allowable cost under this program unless approved in advance by DHS/FEMA.

8) Rental of Real Property: Rental of real property space/locations is allowable under this program to support emergency management operations, including planning and training activities in a manner consistent with 2 C.F.R. § 200.432.

Recipients are encouraged to use free public space/locations, whenever available, prior to the rental of space/locations.

9) Supplies: Supply costs are allowed.

10) Construction and Renovation: Construction and renovation costs are allowed.

11) Maintenance and Sustainment: Maintenance and sustainment costs are allowed.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8d294ca70f05ffbab8f39000ec33839a&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1414 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8d294ca70f05ffbab8f39000ec33839a&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1414

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

a. Programmatic Criteria DHS/FEMA Grant Programs Directorate will conduct an initial programmatic review of all FY 2020 EMPG-S applications to verify completeness and adherence to programmatic guidelines. There is a cost share requirement for EMPG. Failure to note the match on the SF-424 at time of application may delay processing of the application.

A final programmatic review will be conducted by FEMA Regional EMPG-S Managers upon submission of the required FY 2020 EMPG-S Work Plan, which is due by July 30, 2020. No holds will be placed on funds. However, the results of the Work Plan review process may require recipients to revise their submissions and holds may be placed on funds for failure to comply with the Work Plan requirements.

Grant recipients are 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.

b. Financial Integrity Criteria Prior to making a federal award, DHS/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 Review Prior to making a Federal award where the anticipated Federal share of a Federal award will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $250,000 (see Section 805 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub. L. No. 115-91, OMB Memorandum M-18-18 at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf; see also FEMA GPD Information Bulletin No. 434, Increases and Changes to the Micro- Purchase and Simplified Acquisition Thresholds):

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1535477410796-10abe5c8fc5bb73f170e3025c6fbfc6a/IB_Changes_to_the_Micro_Purch_and_Simp_Acquisition_Thresholds_signed_508.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1535477410796-10abe5c8fc5bb73f170e3025c6fbfc6a/IB_Changes_to_the_Micro_Purch_and_Simp_Acquisition_Thresholds_signed_508.pdf

1) DHS/FEMA is required to review and consider any information about the applicant in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through the System for Award Management (SAM), which is currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and is also 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 agency previously entered.

3) DHS/FEMA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS, 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.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Notice of Award The ND Grants System will notify applicants of award approval through an automatic electronic mail to the awardee-authorized official listed in the initial application. The “award date” for the FY 2020 EMPG-S Program will be the date that DHS/FEMA approves the award. The awardee should follow the directions in the notification to confirm acceptance of the award.

Recipients must accept their awards no later than 60 days from the award date. The recipient shall notify the awarding agency of its intent to accept and proceed with work under the award through the ND Grants System. For instructions on how to accept or decline an award in the ND Grants System, please see the ND Grants Recipient Training Manual.

Funds will remain on hold until the recipient accepts the award through the ND Grants System and satisfies all other conditions of award, or if the award is otherwise rescinded. Failure to accept the grant award within the 60-day timeframe may result in a loss of funds.

Obligation or Transfer to State EMA and Pass-Through Funding Each State or territory shall obligate 100 percent of its total EMPG allocation to the designated State-level EMA. If the SAA is also the EMA, this requirement is automatically met. If the SAA is a separate agency or has a separate budget process, then all EMPG funds must be obligated to the EMA within 15 days of the grant award date. In instances where the State EMA is making sub-awards to local jurisdictions, DHS/FEMA expects the State EMA to make these awards as expeditiously as possible.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements All successful applicants for DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, which are available online at:

DHS Standard Terms and Conditions.

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25949 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25949 http://www.dhs.gov/publication/fy15-dhs-standard-terms-and-conditions

The applicable DHS Standard Terms and Conditions will be those in effect at the time the award was made, unless the application is for a continuation award. In that event, the terms and conditions in effect at the time the original award was made will generally apply. What terms and conditions will apply for the award will be clearly stated in the award package at the time of award.

Before accepting the award, the AOR should carefully read the award package for instructions on administering the grant award and the terms and conditions associated with responsibilities under federal awards. Recipients must accept all conditions in this NOFO as well as any special terms and conditions in the Notice of Award to receive an award under this program.

3. Reporting Recipients are required to submit various financial and programmatic reports as a condition of award acceptance. Future awards and funds drawdown may be withheld if these reports are delinquent.

a. Federal Financial Reporting Requirements

1) Federal Financial Report (FFR): Recipients must report obligations and expenditures on a quarterly basis through the FFR form (SF-425) to DHS/FEMA. Recipients may review the Federal Financial Reporting Form (FFR) (SF-425) at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1. Recipients must file the FFR electronically using the Payment and Reporting Systems (PARS).

2) Financial Reporting Periods and Due Dates: An FFR must be submitted quarterly throughout the period of performance (POP), including partial calendar quarters, as well as in periods where no grant award activity occurs.

Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if these reports are delinquent, demonstrate a lack of progress, or are insufficient in detail.

The following reporting periods and due dates apply for the FFR:

Reporting Period Report Due Date October 1 – December 31 January 30 January 1 – March 31 April 30 April 1 – June 30 July 30 July 1 – September 30 October 30

b. Program Performance Reporting Requirements

1) Performance Progress Reports (PPR): Recipients are responsible for providing updated performance reports to FEMA using a Microsoft Word (Word) document summary attached in the ND Grants System on a quarterly basis. As explained in the Standardized Programmatic Reporting section below, the Quarterly Performance Progress Reports must be based on the approved EMPG-S Work Plan and are due no later than 30 days after the end of the quarter (i.e., on January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30).

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1 https://isource.fema.gov/sf269/execute/LogIn?sawContentMessage=true

Recipients must complete the summary of activities and submit it as an attachment to the ND Grants System.

Recipients are required to report quarterly on progress toward completing activities and projects approved in their EMPG-S Work Plans and how expenditures have supported prevention, preparedness, and response activities associated with the COVID-19 public health emergency.

2) Program Performance Reporting Periods and Due Dates

The following reporting periods and due dates apply for the Program Performance Reports:

Reporting Period Report Due Date October 1 – December 31 January 30 January 1 – March 31 April 30 April 1 – June 30 July 30 July 1 – September 30 October 30

3) Standardized Programmatic Reporting for EMPG-S

The FY 2020 EMPG-S Work Plan template includes three components: (1) Program and Budget Narrative, (2) Personnel Data Table, and (3) Grant Activities Outline. Baseline data on personnel and training, as well as the Grant Activities Outline, must be provided in the EMPG-S Work Plan at the time of application and will form the basis of the Quarterly Performance Progress Report Word document submissions. The Grant Activities Outline is structured to enable reporting of quarterly activities according to Emergency Management Function (EMF) projects, as well as standardized reporting of activity completion status.

c. Close Out Reporting Requirements Within 90 days after the end of the POP for the prime award or after an amendment has been issued to close out an award, whichever occurs first, recipients must submit the following documentation in the ND Grants System:

1) The final request for payment, if applicable;

2) The final FFR (SF-425);

3) Final PPR;

4) A qualitative narrative summary of the impact of those accomplishments throughout the entire POP submitted to the respective FEMA Program Analyst; and

5) Other documents required by program guidance, NOFOs, appendices to this Manual, or terms and conditions of the award.

In addition, any recipient that issues subawards to any subrecipient is responsible for closing out those subawards as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.343. Recipients must ensure that they complete the closeout of their subawards in time to submit all necessary documentation and information to DHS/FEMA during the closeout of their prime award.

After the prime award closeout reports have been reviewed and approved by DHS/FEMA, a closeout notice will be completed. The notice will indicate the POP as closed, list any remaining funds that will be deobligated, and address the requirement of maintaining the award records for at least three years from the date of the final FFR. The record retention period may be longer than three years due to an audit, litigation, or other circumstances outlined in 2 C.F.R. § 200.333.

Recipients are responsible for refunding to FEMA any unobligated balances that FEMA paid that are not authorized to be retained per 2 C.F.R. § 200.343(d).

d. Disclosing Information per 2 C.F.R. § 180.335 This reporting requirement pertains to disclosing information related to government-wide suspension and debarment requirements. Before a recipient enters into a grant award with DHS/FEMA the recipient must notify DHS/FEMA if it knows if it or any of the recipient’s principals under the award fall under one or more of the four criteria listed at 2 C.F.R. § 180.335:

1) Are presently excluded or disqualified;

2) Have been convicted within the preceding three years of any of the offenses listed in 2 C.F.R. § 180.800(a) or had a civil judgment rendered against it or any of the recipient’s principals for one of those offenses within that time period;

3) Are presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (federal, state or local) with commission of any of the offenses listed in 2 C.F.R. § 180.800(a); or

4) Have had one or more public transactions (federal, state, or local) terminated within the preceding three years for cause or default.

At any time after accepting the award, if the recipient learns that it or any of its principals falls under one or more of the criteria listed at 2 C.F.R. § 180.335, the recipient must provide immediate written notice to DHS/FEMA in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 180.350.

e. Single Audit Report For fiscal years beginning on or after Dec. 26, 2014, recipients that expend $750,000.00 or more from all federal funding sources during their fiscal year are required to submit an organization-wide financial and compliance audit report, also known as a “single audit” report.

The audit must be performed in accordance with the requirements of Government and Accountability Office’s (GAO) Government Auditing Standards, located at https://www.gao.gov/yellowbook/overview, and the requirements of Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200, located at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=sp2.1.200.f.

https://www.gao.gov/yellowbook/overview http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=sp2.1.200.f http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=sp2.1.200.f

f. Reporting of Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance

Per 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Appendix I § F.3, the additional post-award reporting requirements in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Appendix XII may apply to applicants who, if upon becoming recipients, have a total value of currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all federal awarding agencies that exceeds $10 million for any period of time during the period of performance of an award under this funding opportunity. Recipients that meet these criteria must maintain current information reported in FAPIIS about civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings described in paragraph 2 of Appendix XII at the reporting frequency described in paragraph 4 of Appendix XII.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.336, DHS/FEMA, through its authorized representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times, to make site visits to review project accomplishments and management control systems to review project accomplishments and to provide any required technical assistance. During site visits, DHS/FEMA will review grant recipients’ files related to the grant award. As part of any monitoring and program evaluation activities, grant recipients must permit DHS/FEMA, upon reasonable notice, to review grant-related records and to interview the organization’s staff and contractors regarding the program. Recipients must respond in a timely and accurate manner to DHS/FEMA requests for information relating to the grant program.

EMPG-S recipients will be monitored programmatically and financially annually and as needed by DHS/FEMA Regional staff to ensure that activities, project goals, objectives, performance requirements, timelines, milestone completion, budgets, and other related program criteria are being met.

Monitoring may be accomplished through either a desk-based review, onsite monitoring visits, or both. Monitoring will involve the review and analysis of the financial, programmatic, performance, compliance and administrative processes, policies, activities, and other attributes of each Federal assistance award and will identify areas where technical assistance, corrective actions, or other support may be needed.

G. DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information

1. Contact and Resource Information

a. FEMA Regional Offices FEMA Regional offices manage, administer, and close out awards, as well as conduct cash analysis, financial and programmatic monitoring, and audit resolution for the EMPG-S program. This includes review and approval of Work Plans. The Regions also provide technical assistance to EMPG-S awardees.

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

b. Program Office https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts

The FEMA Program Office conducts the initial application budget review, creates the award package and approves the awards. Additionally, the Program Office provides support in addressing specific programmatic questions regarding the FY 2020 EMPG-S Program. The Program Office can be reached by e-mail at:

FEMA-EMPG-S@fema.dhs.gov.

c. Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) CSID is a non-emergency comprehensive management and information resource developed by DHS/FEMA for grants stakeholders. CSID provides general information on all DHS/FEMA grant programs and maintains a comprehensive database containing key personnel contact information. When necessary, recipients will be directed to a Federal point of contact who can answer specific programmatic questions or concerns. CSID can be reached by phone at (800) 368- 6498 or by email at ASKCsid@fema.dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.

d. DHS/FEMA/GPD Award Administration Division GPD’s Award Administration Division Business Office provides support regarding financial matters and budgetary technical assistance. Additional guidance and information can be obtained by contacting the FEMA Call Center via email to ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov.

e. GPD Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (GPD EHP) The DHS/FEMA GPD EHP Team provides guidance and information about the EHP review process to recipients and subrecipients. All inquiries and communications about GPD projects or the EHP review process, including the submittal of EHP review materials, should be sent to gpdehpinfo@fema.dhs.gov.

EHP Technical Assistance, including the EHP Screening Form, can be found online at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195.

2. Systems Information

a. Grants.gov For technical assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov, customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726. Grants.gov Applicant Support is available 24/7 (except federal holidays). For more information:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html.

b. ND Grants System For technical assistance with the ND Grants System, please contact the ND Grants Helpdesk at ndgrants@fema.dhs.gov or (800) 865-4076, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.

c. Payment and Reporting System (PARS) DHS/FEMA uses the DHS/FEMA Payment and Reporting System (PARS) for financial reporting, invoicing, and tracking payments. DHS/FEMA uses the Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer (DD/EFT) method of payment to recipients.

To enroll in the DD/EFT, the recipients must complete a Standard Form 1199A, Direct Deposit Form.

mailto:FEMA-RCPGP@fema.dhs.gov mailto:ASKCsid@fema.dhs.gov mailto:ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov mailto:gpdehpinfo@fema.dhs.gov mailto:gpdehpinfo@fema.dhs.gov https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195 http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:ndgrants@fema.dhs.gov https://isource.fema.gov/sf269/execute/LogIn?sawContentMessage=true.

H. Additional Information

1. Short-Term Administrative Relief On March 19, 2020, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued OMB Memorandum M-20-17, Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-

19) due to Loss of Operations, affording Federal awarding agencies with additional flexibilities (exceptions) to provide administrative relief to financial assistance recipients affected by the loss of operational capacity and increased costs due to the COVID-19 crisis.

FEMA issued a Memorandum providing short-term relief for various administrative…