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General Program Questions
1. What is the purpose of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program?
The FY 2024 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program is one of the grant programs that constitute the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) focus on all-hazards emergency preparedness. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS/FEMA to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies to implement the National Preparedness System and the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation.
2. What legislation authorizes funding for the FY 2024 EMPG Program?
The program is authorized by:
- Section 662 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), as amended, (Pub. L. No 109-295) (6 U.S.C. § 762);
- Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-288) (42 U.S.C. §§ 5121 et seq.);
- Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended (Pub. L. No. 95-124) (42 U.S.C. §§ 7701 et seq.); and
- National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (Pub. L. No. 90-448) (42 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et seq.).
3. How much funding is available under the FY 2024 EMPG Program?
In FY 2024, the EMPG Program will provide $319.5 million in funding from the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. No. 118-47) to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in preparing for all hazards. FEMA must also make available $50,000 from the Disaster Relief Fund to the Republic of the Marshall Islands pursuant to Article X of the Federal Programs and Services Agreement of the Compact of Free Association Act of 2003, as amended (Pub. L. No. 108-188).
4. Where is the FY 2024 EMPG Program Notice of Funding Opportunity located?
The FY 2024 EMPG Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is located online at www.fema.gov/grants.
5. Who is eligible to apply for FY 2024 EMPG Program funds?
All 56 states and territories are eligible to apply for the FY 2024 EMPG Program funding. This includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Either the State Administrative Agency (SAA) or the state’s Emergency Management Agency is eligible to apply directly to FEMA for EMPG Program funds on behalf of each state or territory. However, only one application is accepted from each state or territory. Please refer to Section C of the FY 2024 EMPG Program NOFO for more information on eligibility.
6. How will FY 2024 EMPG Program applications be submitted?
Applying for an award under the EMPG Program is a multi-step process. Applicants are encouraged to register early in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and the FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO) system, as the registration process can take four weeks or more to complete. Registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines. Please refer to Section D in the FY 2024 EMPG Program NOFO for detailed information and instructions.
All application materials will be posted on Grants.gov. Eligible applicants should submit their application through FEMA GO. For FEMA GO support, applicants should contact FEMAGO@fema.dhs.gov or (877) 585-3242, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET.
Completed applications must be submitted in the FEMA GO system no later than 5 p.m. ET on June 24, 2024.
7. What are the key dates associated with the FY 2024 EMPG Program?
- Application start date: 04/16/2024
- Application submission deadline: 06/24/2024 at 5 p.m. ET
8. How will funds be allocated?
EMPG Program awards are based on Section 662 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 762). All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico receive a base amount of 0.75% of the total available funding appropriated for the EMPG Program. Four territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) receive a base amount of 0.25% of the total available funding appropriated for the EMPG Program. The remaining balance of funds appropriated for the EMPG Program are distributed on a population-share basis.
9. What are the national priorities associated with the FY 2024 EMPG Program?
The national priorities are:
- Equity;
- Climate Resilience; and
- Readiness.
These priorities correspond directly to goals outlined in the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan. All EMPG Program recipients are encouraged to review the Strategic Plan and consider how FY 2024 EMPG Program funding can be used to support the Plan’s goals and objectives as they apply to the state/territory’s specific needs and the needs of the whole community, consistent with applicable law. The national priorities are explained in further detail in the FY 2024 EMPG Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
10. How should I identify priorities for the investment of EMPG Program funding?
Priorities and associated EMPG Program-funded projects must be mutually agreed to by the recipient and the applicable FEMA Regional Administrator (RA). Identification of priorities and development of the EMPG Program Work Plan should involve a collaborative negotiation process through which a common set of priorities will emerge based on a combination of state/territory priorities, regional priorities, and national priorities.
States/territories are required to prioritize grant funding to demonstrate how FY 2024 EMPG Program-funded investments support closing capability gaps or sustaining capabilities identified in the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)/Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) process and other relevant information sources, such as:
1) After-action reports following exercises or real-world events;
2) Audit and monitoring findings;
3) Hazard Mitigation Plans; and/or
4) Other deliberate planning products.
Additionally, states and territories are urged to consider the funding needs of local governments when developing their funding priorities.
Regional priorities will be determined by the Regional Administrator based on their unique knowledge of the region’s preparedness and emergency management needs, including broader insight into common capability gaps across the region and potential opportunities for economies of scale to capitalize on those commonalities. Regional priorities should also be based on an analysis of THIRA/SPR data and other information sources provided by the states/territories in their area(s) of responsibility. As a result of these negotiations, the region and state/territory should reach a consensus on three to five priorities each recipient will focus on addressing and improving in its EMPG Program Work Plan.
When developing state/territory priorities, applicants should also consider the national priorities: equity, climate resilience, and readiness. Recognizing that every state and territory has its own unique preparedness and emergency management needs, the national priorities should inform the identification of state/territory priorities and regional priorities when developing the common set of mutual priorities as agreed upon by the Regional Administrator and each state/territory. Ideally, the regional and state/territory priorities will complement and support the national priorities.
11. Are there any spending requirements associated with the national priorities?
There are no specific spending requirements associated with the national priorities. To the extent possible, and consistent with applicable law, equity considerations must be factored into all FY 2024 EMPG Program-funded investments across all national priority areas. Additionally, applicants are required to designate at least one project in their FY 2024 EMPG Program Work Plan and budget narrative that specifically addresses equity considerations. Additionally, climate resilience considerations are a continued area of focus for FY 2024.
12. How should I link EMPG Program-funded projects to the identified priorities?
The EMPG Program Work Plan requirements, and the optional Work Plan Template, support the collection of objective information and quantitative data that will allow FEMA to measure program effectiveness and investment impacts. This also enables compliance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.301, which requires federal awarding agencies to measure recipient performance to show achievement of program goals and objectives, share lessons learned, improve program outcomes, and foster adoption of promising practices. Recipients are required to link EMPG Program-funded investments to THIRA/SPR results and other relevant materials that inform capability priorities and needs, and to include specific performance measures that will allow FEMA to measure the impact of those investments based on the core capabilities that are being addressed.
13. Is submission of a Work Plan required, and is there a Work Plan Template I can use?
Consistent with previous years, submission of an EMPG Program Work Plan is a mandatory component of the EMPG Program application. The Work Plan outlines the state/territory’s emergency management sustainment and enhancement efforts, including new and ongoing activities and projects, that are driven by identified preparedness priorities and proposed for the EMPG Program period of performance. The updated FY 2024 EMPG Program Work Plan Template (available on the Grants.gov EMPG Program application page) is provided to facilitate the work plan development process. The submitted EMPG Program Work Plan must address all the information/data requirements included in the FY 2024 EMPG Program Work Plan Template, FY 2024 EMPG Program NOFO, and FY 2024 Preparedness Grants Manual. Therefore, although not required, EMPG Program applicants are strongly encouraged to use the available FY 2032 EMPG Program Work Plan Template. States and territories are required to identify whether and how each project included in their EMPG Program Work Plan addresses equity-related considerations or the impacts associated with climate change (as applicable). See the FY 2024 Preparedness Grants Manual for more information about the requirements for addressing these priorities in the EMPG Program Work Plan submission.
14. Are there any specific funding requirements associated with the FY 2024 EMPG Program?
There is a continuing requirement that at least 87.5% of all projects that include Planning, Training, and/or Exercise deliverables align with closing capability gaps identified and documented in the state/territory’s most recent THIRA/SPR submission and other relevant information sources, as explained above.
15. What is the period of performance?
The period of performance is 36 months.
16. What other resources are available to address programmatic, technical, and financial questions?
- The FY 2024 EMPG Program Work Plan Template User Guide and Webinar Materials are located online at www.fema.gov/grants to assist applicants in navigating the Template.
- For additional program-specific information, please contact FEMA Grants News at (800) 368-6498 or fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov. FEMA Grants News hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
- For support regarding financial grants management and budgetary technical assistance, applicants may contact the DHS/FEMA Award Administration Help Desk via e-mail at mailto:ASK-GMD@fema.dhs.gov.
- The FEMA Regions also provide technical assistance to EMPG Program primary recipients. A list of contacts in the FEMA Regions is available at www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts.