HMGP Post Fire 2024 (FM-5502) Notice of Funding Opportunity California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services 1
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire 2024
Notice of Funding Opportunity (FM-5502)
Program Overview
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) presents a mitigation funding opportunity for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire. HMGP Post Fire provides mitigation project funding to affected communities and burned areas where FEMA has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) declaration during the previous Federal fiscal year. This funding opportunity will be a targeted effort by Cal OES and not solicited statewide like the traditional Cal OES Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Funding for multiple events is aggregated into one grant under the first declaration of the Federal fiscal year; declarations made between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, will be administered under FM-5502. HMGP Post Fire 2024 includes FM-5502, FM-5503, FM-5515, FM-5519, FM-5522, FM-5535, FM-5536, FM-5537, and FM-5538.
HMGP Post Fire 2024 Eligibility
This opportunity provides funding for FMAG-declared counties to implement mitigation activities that reduce risk to life, property, and infrastructure from wildfire. FMAG- declared counties eligible for HMGP Post Fire 2024 include Butte, Mariposa, Riverside, Kern, Tehama, Lake, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles.
• Subapplicants must have an approved and adopted local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP) at the time of FEMA subgrant award.
• Mitigation projects must be eligible, feasible, cost-effective, and Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) compliant per FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Program and Policy Guidance.
• Projects must be stand-alone mitigation activities that reduce natural hazard risk as their primary benefit.
o Cal OES strongly encourages the submission of mitigation projects that achieve multiple benefits (i.e., environmental, ecosystem, economic benefits, etc.).
• State agencies, tribal governments, local governments, special districts, and certain private non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for projects that directly benefit FMAG-declared counties (consistent with 44 CFR §206.221and 206.434).
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HMGP Post Fire 2024 (FM-5502) Notice of Funding Opportunity California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services 2
• This funding opportunity presents limited funding for eligible mitigation activities across the State. Figure 1 demonstrates the timelines associated with this funding opportunity.
• Eligible Subapplication Types for HMGP Post Fire 2024:
o Projects (Shovel-ready and phased): Activities involving construction and/or physical work.
▪ Elements of a shovel-ready project:
• 60% design is completed
• All sites have been identified
• CEQA review is completed
▪ Phased projects include:
• Phase I: Design activities, community outreach, and site identification
• Phase II: Ground disturbance and construction
o Advance assistance, planning, planning-related, and 5% initiative subapplication types will not be considered under this funding opportunity.
• Eligible wildfire mitigation projects must clearly demonstrate hazard mitigation of the risk from wildfire to residential and non-residential buildings and structures, including public and commercial facilities. Projects must be in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), be adjacent to or intermingled with the built environment, and provide protection to life and the built environment from future wildfires. o The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is an area where human-made structures and infrastructure (e.g., cell towers, schools, and water supply facilities) are in or adjacent to areas prone to wildfire.
ELIGIBLE WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR HMGP POST FIRE 2024 • Defensible space
• Ignition-resistant building materials
o Only eligible if the property owner has completed or agrees to complete and maintain defensible space measures around the structure. • Ignition-resistant infrastructure
o Ignition-resistant utility pole structures
o Repair/replace/upgrade water systems
• Fire suppression system (sprinklers)
o Only external water hydration or thermal insulation systems are eligible. • Fuel reduction/vegetation management
• Post-wildfire flooding prevention and sediment reduction measures o Reforestation, restoration and/or soil stabilization
o Ground cover vegetation re-establishment (e.g., seeding and mulching) o Erosion prevention measures on slopes
o Flash flooding prevention measures resulting from runoff (e.g., drainage dips and debris traps)
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Figure 1: HMGP Post Fire 2024 Timeline
Date Description
October 11, 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Released October 11, 2024 Notice of Interest (NOI) open via Cal OES Engage Portal October 11, 2024,
through
November 15, 2024
Project Scoping Calls (Programmatic and BCA)
November 15, 2024 NOI submission due to Cal OES
After NOI Approved Subapplication Open via Cal OES Engage Portal January 8, 2025 Subapplication due to Cal OES via Engage Portal All NOIs must be submitted by the posted deadline. NOIs submitted after this date may be considered for the next available funding opportunity.
Cal OES Prioritization Criteria for HMGP Post Fire 2024 • Cal OES will prioritize subapplications with a total cost less than $1 million for HMGP Post Fire 2024.
o HMA projects with a total project cost under $1 million, at the time of submission, may be evaluated for cost-effectiveness with a narrative in place of the standard Benefit Cost Analysis that includes qualitative and quantitative data demonstrating the benefits and cost-effectiveness of the project.
▪ Instructions for completing a cost-effectiveness narrative may be found on the FEMA “Benefit-Cost Analysis” webpage. During its review, FEMA will validate the cost effectiveness narrative and estimate and record a benefit cost ratio for the proposed project during its review.
• Defensible space, ignition-resistant building materials (home hardening), ignition-resistant infrastructure, and hazardous fuels reduction projects will be prioritized.
• Generator projects will not be prioritized.
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For your subapplication to be considered competitive the following should be addressed:
• Subapplications should demonstrate effective risk reduction on a community- wide scale.
• The subapplication must explain what would happen to the community if the mitigation action were not implemented (e.g., damages, loss of service / function, morbidity / mortality). It should then also detail the proposed level of protection increase due to the implementation of the mitigation action. • The subapplication should anticipate challenges to implementation. o What risks have you identified, and what measures have you taken to mitigate some of these risks?
o Have you conducted public outreach before submitting this NOI? o Does the subapplicant have the full authority over the infrastructure or project treatment area?
o Do you need to obtain easements or memoranda of understanding to complete the work?
o Is this your first time applying for grant funding?
o Do you need to hire a contractor?
o Have you considered complex permitting requirements?
• The subapplicant should address how the subgrant will be managed (if awarded) to keep the mitigation action on time, within budget, and within the approved scope of work. This can be addressed throughout the scope of work section.
Additional HMGP Eligibility Details
Hazard Mitigation Plan Eligibility
Eligible subapplicants MUST have a FEMA-approved local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP) or tribal hazard mitigation plan prior to FEMA’s official notice of grant award (e.g., when the grant is officially approved/obligated). This means that the subapplicant participated fully in a LHMP process, the LHMP is complete, reviewed by Cal OES and FEMA Region IX, adopted by the governing board through an official resolution, and FEMA Region IX issued a plan approval letter to the subapplicant jurisdiction.
Eligible subapplicants that do not meet the hazard mitigation planning requirement may have another eligible subapplicant apply on their behalf. If a private nonprofit applies, the county in which the work will be performed must meet the LHMP ATTACHMENT 1-4
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requirement.1 Please note, state agencies meet this requirement through their inclusion in the 2023 California State Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Cost Share Requirements
The total cost to implement approved mitigation activities is funded by a combination of Federal and non-Federal sources. HMGP projects are funded at 75 percent Federal and a 25 percent non-Federal cost share for eligible project activity costs. Cal OES will not contribute to the non-Federal cost share and must be fully guaranteed by the subapplicant at time of subapplication submission.
Subapplication Process
1. Interested subapplicants must submit a Notice of Interest (NOI) via the Engage Cal OES Portal prior to submitting a subapplication. Include the phrase “HMGP Post Fire 2024” or “HMGP PF 24” in your NOI title.
a. Prior to submitting the NOI, subapplicants will need to be prepared to address the following questions:
i. What natural hazard(s) will specifically be addressed in this proposal?
ii. What is the problem caused by the natural hazard?
iii. What are the consequences if the project is not completed? iv. What are the existing conditions (existing level of protection, design level, etc.) and the proposed level-of-protection increase? v. Trigger event. In the subapplication, you will need to describe the trigger event causing the problem.
vi. Is this project shovel-ready or phased?
2. Cal OES will review NOIs for eligibility. If approved, eligible subapplicants will be invited via the Engage Cal OES Portal to complete and submit a full project subapplication.
3. Following the subapplication submission, Cal OES conducts a comprehensive programmatic and Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) review. Additional requests for information (RFI) are likely to occur.
4. Cal OES will submit projects to FEMA in accordance with the State’s priorities (see the Funding Prioritization Criteria above), up to the available funding amount.
1 Check the hazard mitigation plan status by visiting the FEMA interactive mitigation plan status viewer, and/or by 1) contacting the Cal OES HMA Branch or 2) visiting the Cal OES Local Hazard Mitigation Program website and scroll down to view county-specific LHMPs.
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5. Following submission to FEMA, the subapplications will be reviewed for eligibility, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and EHP compliance prior to approving and awarding funds by FEMA.
a. Depending on the subapplication type and complexity, the FEMA review process could range from 12-24 months.
i. Subapplicant non-federal (local) cost share MUST be available at time of subapplication submission and at time of award. ii. The subapplicant MUST also be ready to implement upon project award.
iii. Subapplicants that perform work related to a subapplication prior to its submittal and/or award may be subject to the subapplication being determined as ineligible and removed from funding consideration.
SUBAPPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Cal OES will only submit complete and FEMA credible subapplications for funding consideration.2 This section provides important subapplication information and the required supporting documentation.
Period of Performance
In accordance with the FEMA HMGP requirements, the period of performance for all subapplications can be up to 48 months.
Environmental and Historic Preservation
Compliance with all applicable Federal and California EHP laws, executive orders, and regulations to assess potential impacts of a proposed project on affected physical, cultural (historic and archaeological), biological, and social resources is a condition of FEMA HMGP funding. Therefore, all HMGP project subapplications must undergo an EHP review as part of FEMA’s eligibility review process prior to award. Projects for which actual physical work, such as groundbreaking, demolition, or construction has occurred prior to project award may be ineligible for funding.
Procurement
All contracts and purchases must comply with Federal procurement guidelines outlined in 2 CFR 200 to be eligible for funding. Additionally, contracts and purchases must also comply with all applicable California and local procurement laws, regulations, and policies.
2 FEMA credible means the activity and all cost items are deemed eligible, the proposed measure and all parts of the scope of work feasible, the project is considered cost-effective with FEMA-approved Benefit Cost Analysis methodology, and compliant with all environmental and historic preservation (EHP) laws, regulations, and executive orders.
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In accordance with 2 CFR 200, contractors who assist with grant subapplication development will be ineligible to compete for subsequent procurements/contracts on the same grant award due to conflict of interest in which an unfair competitive advantage is present [i.e., future Phase I (design/EHP) and/or Phase II work (construction)].
Required Supporting Documentation
The following materials must be included as part of the subapplication in order to be considered complete:
1. Project Gantt Chart (Upload to Work Schedule Section)
2. Cost Estimate Narrative (Upload to Project Cost Estimate Section)
3. Maintenance Letter (Auto generated through Engage Portal)
4. Match Commitment Letter (Auto generated through Engage Portal)
5. Benefit-Cost Analysis Toolkit
6. Benefit-Cost Calculator PDF (Upload to BCA Section)
7. Benefit-Cost Analysis Methodology (Upload to BCA Section)
8. Benefit-Cost Analysis Supporting Documentation for Non-Default Values (Upload to BCA Section)
9. FEMA EHP Checklist (Upload to Environmental Review Section)
Award and Grant Monitoring
Upon FEMA award, subrecipients will submit requests for reimbursement as work is completed. Cal OES requires subrecipients to submit reimbursement requests quarterly via submission of the quarterly report. Reimbursement requests will be subject to supporting documentation requirements to substantiate costs and validate eligibility against the approved subapplication, cost estimate, and scope of work. Please note, work started prior to FEMA review and approval is not reimbursable and may result in total de-obligation of the project. Some non-construction, non-groundbreaking work may be eligible for reimbursement if included in the cost estimate and specified as “pre-award costs.”
Subrecipients are responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of their grant.
Subrecipients are subject to quarterly progress and financial reporting, a closeout process, and site visits as deemed necessary by Cal OES.
Technical Assistance
Cal OES is pleased to provide technical assistance to interested subapplicants. Our subject matter experts are available to discuss project eligibility, the application process, or other related matters. Please reach out to [email protected] with questions or to schedule a call.
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