Application Notes:

Prior to submitting a full application, applicants must submit a mandatory initial application, which should be started one week before the full application deadline and should be submitted three days before the full application deadline.

Initial applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

Initial applications must include:

• SF 424
• Certification regarding lobbying

Applicants will be notified as to whether their eligibility applications have been approved and will be invited to submit full applications, which must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on July 24, 2023.

Full applications must be submitted online at portal.fema.gov.

Full applications must include:

• SF 424A and/or SF 424C (as applicable)
• SF 424B and/or SF 424D (as applicable)
• SF LLL
• Indirect cost agreement or proposal (if applicable)
• Project narrative:
  • Background
  • Need (3 pages max)
  • Project design (7 pages max)
  • Impact (3 pages max)
  • Budget (2 pages max)
• Budget worksheet
• Budget narrative
• Written, signed statement explaining the statewide or multistate impact of the proposed investment and attesting to the advance coordination and support of at least one of the 100 most populous MSAs within the state or territory (if applicable)
• Written, signed statement certifying that the applicant's chief executive and, as applicable, the chief executive of the first principal city of the MSA, supports the application as the local government's single application being submitted for consideration (if applicable)
• Names of all entities partnering on the project
• Letters of support from partner entities or a written, signed statement certifying the involvement and support of all partner entities that will participate in the proposed project and, if applicable, information on the relationship between the applicant and partnering entities
• A list of all counties and disadvantaged communities that will be involved in the project and that will directly benefit from the project, including the census tract numbers associated with each disadvantaged community based on the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)

The project narrative must use single-spacing and one-inch margins, and must be submitted in Word or .pdf format. Refer to pages 61-62 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding the required format of the project narrative.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration
• SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Need (20 points)
• Project design (35 points)
• Impact (25 points)
• Budget (20 points)
• Bonus (30 points)

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program, and no additional points will be issued during the application evaluation process to applicants that provide voluntary cost share.

Funding Notes:

A total of $12 million is available to support an expected five to ten awards through this program overall, with an unspecified amount of funding available to support awards of up to $3 million each through this component.

Award selections are expected to be made no later than September 8, 2023, and awards are expected to be issued no later than September 29, 2023.

The project period is 36 months and is expected to begin on October 1, 2023, and end on September 30, 2026. Extension requests will be granted only due to compelling legal, policy, or operational challenges.

Applicants may use up to 5 percent of the award amount for management and administration (M&A) purposes.

Pre-award costs are allowable only with the prior written approval of the funding agency and as included in the award agreement.

Funds may not be used for:

• Equipment purchases
• Matching funds for other federal grants/cooperative agreements
• Lobbying
• Intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings
• Suing the federal government or any other government entity
• Certain telecommunications and video surveillance products and contracting with certain entities for national security reasons, as detailed on pages 30-31 of the NOFA file
• Hiring public safety personnel fulfilling traditional public safety duties
• International travel, unless approved in advance by the funding agency
• Construction and renovation
• Maintenance and sustainment

For FY 2022, ten awards were distributed through this program overall. For FY 2021, 15 awards were distributed through this program overall. For FY 2020, 12 awards were distributed through this program overall. Refer to the Award file for details.

May 24, 2024
Beginning in FY 2024 this program can be found in eCivis Grants Network as part of US7286.