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Grant funding is now available for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program. Awards will range from $25,000 to $30 million with a total funding availability of $160 million. Applications are due January 28, 2022.

What is the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program?

The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program makes federal funds available to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It does so with a recognition of the growing flood hazards associated with climate change, and of the need for flood hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation and resilience with respect to flooding. These include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in the future.

Who is eligible to apply? Eligible applicants include: States, District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federally recognized tribal governments.

Each state, territory, the District of Columbia, and federally recognized tribal government shall designate one agency to serve as the applicant for FMA funding. Each applicant’s designated agency may submit only one FMA grant application to FEMA. Applications under which two or more entities would carry out the award are eligible, such as a multi-state or multi-tribal initiative; however, only one entity may be the applicant with primary responsibility for carrying out the award. The designate is strongly encouraged to conduct outreach with disadvantaged communities as referenced in Executive Order 14008 prior to and during the application process.

What is the applicant eligibility criteria for FMA?

• Eligible Subapplicants: local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments, and tribal governments (including federally recognized tribes who choose to apply as subapplicants), are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications to their state/territory/tribal applicant agency. Certain political subdivisions (i.e., regional flood control districts or county governments) may apply and act as subapplicants if they are part of a community participating in NFIP where the political subdivision provides zoning and building code enforcement or planning and community development professional services for that community. Additional requirements for subapplicants are as follows: 
  • Subapplicants must be participating in NFIP, and not be withdrawn, on probation, or suspended.
  • Structures identified in the subapplication must have an NFIP policy in effect at the FMA application start date and must maintain it through completion of the mitigation activity and for the life of the structure.
• Hazard Mitigation Plan Requirement: Applicants must have a FEMA-approved State or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan in accordance with Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 201 by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for project. More detailed information about this is can be found on the FEMA website.

See a complete list of applicant eligibility criteria in this project’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provided below, pages 7-8.

What are this program’s funding priorities? FEMA will distribute the available FY 2021 FMA funding amount for the following project types:

1. Project Scoping (Previously Advance Assistance): Project Scoping to develop Community Flood Mitigation Projects and/or individual flood mitigation projects that will subsequently reduce flood claims against the NFIP. FEMA will select up to $10 million of Project Scoping subapplications. For more information, refer to the Project Scoping Fact Sheet.
2. Community Flood Mitigation Projects: FEMA will select up to $70 million of projects that address community flood risk for the purpose of reducing NFIP flood claim payments. For more information, refer to the Community Flood Mitigation Project Fact Sheet and Localized Flood Risk Reduction Projects in Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance.
3. Technical Assistance: Technical Assistance to maintain a viable FMA program over time. To be eligible to apply, the applicant must have received an FY 20 FMA award of at least $1 million federal share.
4. Flood Hazard Mitigation Planning: Planning subapplications for the flood hazard component of State, Local, Territory, and Tribal (SLTT) Hazard Mitigation Plans and plan updates.
5. Individual Flood Mitigation Projects: Projects that mitigate the risk of flooding to individual NFIP insured structures.

What is the project duration? The project period is 36 months, starting on the date of the applicant’s federal award (which will vary by award).

Given the complexity of the Community Flood Mitigation Projects, the project period for Community Flood Mitigation Projects is 48 months, starting on the date of the recipient’s federal Award.

Any subsequent amendments to the federal award will not extend the project period unless explicitly stated.

What are the funding levels for this program? There is $160 million in grant funds available. FEMA anticipates granting 30 awards and 145 subawards for this program.

The maximum award amounts are as follows:

• $300,000 per Project Scoping subapplication for individual flood mitigation projects;
• $900,000 per Project Scoping subapplication for Community Flood Mitigation Projects;
• $30 million cap per Community Flood Mitigation Project subapplication;
• $50,000 per applicant for all Technical Assistance subapplications, for recipients to which FEMA obligated an FY 2020 FMA award of at least $1 million federal share;
• $100,000 per applicant for flood hazard mitigation planning with maximums of:
  • $50,000 for state flood hazard mitigation planning;
  • $25,000 for local flood hazard mitigation planning;
• 10 percent of the total application budget for applicant management costs for applicants to administer and manage award and subaward activities (see the Management and Administration Costs subsection on pages 22-23 in this program’s NOFO);
• 5 percent of the total mitigation project, Project Scoping, and planning subapplication budget for subapplicant management costs for subapplicants to manage their subaward.

Is there a cost-sharing requirement? Cost share is required for all subapplications funded under this program. Generally, the cost share for this program is 75 percent federal / 25 percent non-federal. This means federal funding is available for up to 75 percent of eligible costs. The remaining 25 percent of eligible costs must be derived from non-federal sources.FEMA may contribute up to 100 percent federal cost share for severe repetitive loss (SRL) properties within individual property flood mitigation projects and contribute up to 90 percent federal cost share for repetitive loss (RL) properties, as defined in this program’s NOFO.

The non-federal cost share may consist of cash, donated or third-party in-kind services, materials, or any combination thereof. Cash and third-party in-kind matches must consist of eligible costs (i.e., same eligibility as the federal share).

For insular areas, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, FEMA automatically waives the non-federal cost share for the recipient when the non-federal cost share for the entire award is under $200,000. If the non-federal cost share for the entire award is $200,000 or greater, FEMA may waive all or part of the non-federal cost share at the request of the recipient.

What is the application timeline? FEMA will begin to accept applications on September 30, 2021.

Applications must be submitted no later than January 28, 2022 at 3:00pm ET.

Successful applicants will receive notification of their grant award in June 2022.

The full NOFO is available here.

For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.