Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on June 24, 2024.

Applications must be submitted online at go.fema.gov.

Applications must include:

• SF 424
• Certification regarding lobbying
• SF 424A and/or SF 424C
• SF 424B and/or SF 424D
• SF LLL
• IJs
• Detailed budget(s)
• Five-year security capital and operational sustainment plan (if applicable)
• Memoranda of understanding (MOUs)/memoranda of agreement (MOAs)
• Indirect cost rate proposal (if applicable)

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:

• Risk group score
• Funding priorities score
• Risk mitigation score
• Regional collaboration score
• National priority areas score

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Notes:

According to the program officer, matching funds are not required for this program; however, applicants for operational package (OPack) projects must include in their sustainment plans how they will cover the costs of the project, such as through internal budgets or other sources of funding, in the forseeable future.

Funding Notes:

A total of $83.7 million is available to support awards through this program.

Maximum award amounts for OPacks will vary as follows:

• Explosive detection canine teams (EDCTs): $150,000 per team, per year; $450,000 per team, per period of performance
• Anti-terrorism teams (ATTs): $500,000 per team, per year; $1.5 million per team, per period of performance
• Mobile explosives screening teams (MESTs): $600,000 per team, per year; $1.8 million per team, per period of performance

OPacks may be funded for up to 36 months from the award date.

Funding selections are expected to be made no later than August 23, 2024, and awards are expected to be issued no later than September 30, 2024.

The project period will last for 36 or 48 months and is expected to begin on September 1, 2024, and end on August 31, 2027, or August 31, 2028. Extensions to the project period may be permitted.

Management and administration (M&A) costs are limited to 5 percent of the total award amount.

In general, funds may not be used for pre-award costs, with the exception of costs resulting from pre-award grant writing services provided by an independent contractor that does not exceed $1,500 per applicant, per award.

Construction and renovation costs must be approved in writing by the funding agency.

Any OPack costs incurred after the period of performance are the responsibility of the applicable transit system.

Funds may not be used for:

• Subawards
• Matching funds for any other federal awards
• Lobbying
• Intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings
• Suing the federal government or any other government entity
• Firearms, ammunition, grenade launchers, bayonets, or weaponized aircraft, vesssels, or vehicles of any kind with weapons installed
• General-use software, general-use computers, and related equipment, other than for allowable M&A activities or otherwise associated preparedness or response functions
• General-use vehicles
• Licensing fees
• International travel, unless approved in advance by the funding agency
• Covered telecommunications equipment or services, as detailed on page 18 of the ProgramGuide file

Refer to pages 41 and 43 of the NOFA file for information regarding additional unallowable costs.

For FY 2023, a total of $93 million was distributed via 15 awards ranging from $110,000 to $31,655,159 through this program. For FY 2021, a total of $88 million was distributed via 23 awards ranging from $6,000 to $21,928,456. Refer to the Award file for details.