Emergency Management Performance Grants (97.042)
Program
97.042 Emergency Management Performance Grants
Federal Agency
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Authorization
Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000, Public Law 106-74; 38 U.S.C. 301; Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, Title II, Section 201(d), Title VI, Sections 611 and 613, 42 U.S.C. 5196 and 5196(b); Public Law 93-288, as amended; 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., 42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq.
Program Number
97.042
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To assist the development, maintenance, and improvement of State and local emergency management capabilities, which are key components of a comprehensive national emergency management system for disasters and emergencies that may result from natural disasters or accidental or man-caused events. By combining former program activities into the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), FEMA is providing States the flexibility to allocate funds according to risk and to address the most urgent State and local needs in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Working within the standard Federal government grant administration process, EMPG provides the support that State and local governments need to achieve measurable results in key functional areas of emergency management: 1.) Laws and Authorities; 2.) Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment; 3.) Hazard Management; 4.) Resource Management; 5.) Planning; 6.) Direction, Control, and Coordination; 7.) Communications and Warning; 8.) Operations and Procedures; 9.) Logistics and Facilities; 10.) Training; 11.) Exercises; 12.) Public Education and Information; and 13.) Finance and Administration.
Types of Assistance
Formula Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
EMPG funds may be used for necessary and essential expenses involved in the development, maintenance, and improvement of State and local emergency management programs. EMPG may be used from time to time as the instrument for delivering Federal assistance for specified program activities subject to terms and conditions established by the Director of FEMA.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
All States are eligible (including the District of Columbia and territories and possessions of the United States). Local government entities are not eligible to apply directly to FEMA.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Funding under this program is ultimately used by emergency management organizations and programs of States, the District of Columbia, territories and possessions of the Unites States, local, and Indian Tribal governments.
Credentials/Documentation
None.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Technical assistance is available for application preparation from the FEMA Regional Offices.
Application Procedure
All eligible applicants are provided annual guidance on EMPG's, including instructions for grants management. The instructions are fully consistent with all applicable Office of Management and Budget circulars and the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments (the Common Rule) which FEMA has implemented as 44 CFR 13. As early as possible in each fiscal year, FEMA provides the State a planning estimate of funding for EMPG's for the next fiscal year based on the level of funding requested in the President's Budget.
Award Procedure
FEMA Regional Directors make final decisions to approve grants to the States and notify States of their awards.
Deadlines
All eligible applicants are notified of target dates and any applicable deadlines by way of the annual EMPG guidance package.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
None.
Renewals
A new application is required for each Federal fiscal year.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula. For each eligible State and Territory, a target allocation is derived by calculating the same proportion of available funds as the State received under the prior year's allocation. A matching requirement is calculated for each State and Territory. Each recipient's cost share percentage will increase by one percent over the prior year's match until the 50 percent Federal/50 percent State level is reached. FEMA administers cost sharing requirements according to the Common Rule, 44 CFR Part 13.24.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The funding period for assistance under EMPGs is the Federal fiscal year for which the funds are appropriated. As required by 44 CFR Part 13.23 and appropriations law, all funds must be legally obligated by the end of the fiscal year. Any necessary changes to the scope of the grant may be made up to, but not after, the end of the fiscal year. EMPG funds are obligated to the States and made available through the Department of Health and Human Services' SMARTLINK System. States are required to initiate requests for funds as close as administratively feasible to the actual disbursements for program costs.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Financial and performance reports must be submitted as required by OMB Circular No. A-102, 44 CFR Part 13.40, 44 CFR Part 13.41, and the annual EMPG guidance. Quarterly reports are due 30 days after the end of each quarter, and final reports are due 90 days after the expiration or termination of grant support. All eligible State recipients have been provided the instructions for grants management developed by FEMA's Office of Financial Management.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that spend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
All pertinent records relating to Federal financial assistance must be maintained and retained for a period of 3 years, as required and defined by OMB Circular No. A-102 and 44 CFR Part 13.42.
Program Accomplishments
All States and eligible Territories have received EMPGs in fiscal year 2002.
Financial Information
Account Identification
70-0700-0-1-999.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 02 $132,284,762; FY 03 est $14,921,725; and FY 04 est not available.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$410,000 to $10,600,000; $2,377,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
44 CFR 13 and 14. Annual EMPG guidance. FEMA Office of Financial Management Grants Management instructions. All available, relevant guidance is routinely provided to eligible State participants. State and local organizations desiring information about this program should contact their State emergency management departments or agencies.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
FEMA Regional Directors. See Appendix IV of the Catalog for a listing of FEMA Regional Office addresses. State and local government officials are encouraged to contact their State and local emergency management departments or agencies.
Headquarters Office
Department of Homeland Security 245 Murray Drive, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20528 Tel. (202) 282-8000.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Not applicable.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Applications are reviewed to ensure that the State's emergency management objectives are clearly stated and that expected results and benefits are specified. The State's approach to performance measurement must be described and agreed to by the FEMA Regional Office.
