Capitalization Grant Application _ Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF

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Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing
Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund
Program Capitalization Grant Application
Introduction
This form comprises the application for the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation
Revolving Loan Fund (Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF) program. Through this program, FEMA may
provide grants to capitalize entity revolving loan funds (referred to herein as entity loan funds), which
will be used to provide loans to local governments to finance projects and activities that mitigate the
impacts of natural hazards. An application will not be considered complete unless all fields in the
application are answered, and it includes the required attachments (Intended Use Plan, Project
Proposal List, and Public Notice information).
Application Submission Deadline: April 28, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET

DRAFT

All applications must be received through FEMA’s Non-Disaster Grants System (ND Grants) by the
above deadline. ND Grants System is a FEMA system that supports program management lifecycle
by allowing users to perform and manage application submission. The ND Grants System has a date
stamp that indicates when an application is submitted. Applicants will receive an electronic message
confirming receipt of their submission. For additional information on how an applicant will be notified
of application receipt, see the subsection titled “Key Dates and Times” in Section D of the Notice of
Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
FEMA will not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider these late
applications for funding. FEMA may, however, extend the application deadline on request for any
applicant who can demonstrate that good cause exists to justify extending the deadline. For
additional information on application extensions, see the subsection “Timely Receipt Requirements
and Proof of Timely Submission” in Section D of the NOFO.
A list of FEMA contacts can be found in Section G of the NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact
Information.” For assistance using the ND Grants System, please contact the ND Grants Service
Desk at (800) 865-4076 or [email protected]. The ND Grants Service Desk is available
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). For programmatic or grants management
questions, please contact [email protected]. If applicants do not know who to contact
or if there are programmatic questions or concerns, please contact the Centralized Scheduling and
Information Desk (CSID) by phone at (800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at [email protected], Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.

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Key Contacts Form
Key Contacts Form
1. Applicant Authorized Representative
Original awards and amendments will be sent to this individual for review and acceptance, unless
otherwise indicated.
Name:
Phone Number:
Title:
Complete Address:
Email:
2. Payee
Individual authorized to accept payments.
Name:
Phone Number:
Title:
Complete Address:
Email:

DRAFT

3. Administrative Contact
Original awards and amendments will be sent to this individual for review and acceptance, unless
otherwise indicated
Name:

Phone Number:
Title:
Complete Address:
Email:

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Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program Application
Application Information
1. Application Number
2. Application Year
3. Grant Year
D

Applicant Information
4. Application Title
5. Name of Applicant/Entity
6. Type of Applicant

☐ State Government
☐ Indian Tribal Government
☐ Territorial Government

7. Federal Employer
Identification Number
8. DUNS Number
9. UEI Number

DRAFT

If Indian Tribal Government was selected as the “Type of Applicant”
10. Tribal Government Name
11. Tribal Identification
Number
12. Year Major Disaster
Declaration was
Received
13. DR Number
14. Tribal Government Name

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Entity Loan Fund Use
Entity Loan Fund Use
15. Has the Entity completed the required Safeguarding
Tomorrow RLF Program Intended Use Plan with this
application (42 U.S.C. § 5135(g))?

☐ Yes
☐ No

ATTACHMENT: Please attach your Entity Intended Use Plan to this application.
16. Has the Entity completed the required Safeguarding
Tomorrow RLF Program Project Proposal List,
documenting potential local government projects and
activities to be funded by the entity loan fund?

☐ Yes
☐ No

ATTACHMENT: Please attach your Entity Project Proposal List to this application

DRAFT

17. Provide a description of how the Safeguarding Tomorrow
RLF Program will be utilized to increase resilience and
reduce risk of harm to natural and built infrastructure (42
U.S.C. § 5135(d)(3)(A)).
18. Do any proposed projects include a partnership between
two or more eligible Entities to carry out a project or
similar projects (42 U.S.C. § 5135(d)(3)(B))?
If yes, answer questions 18 to 19b. If no, move on to
Question 20

☐ Yes
☐ No

19. List the other eligible Entity/Entities that have agreed to a
partnership.

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Entity Loan Fund Use
20. Does the Intended Use Plan include a description of how
the eligible Entity/Entities partnership will be leveraged to
complete the project?

☐ Yes
☐ No

a. If Yes, please provide the page number where the
projects are listed in the Intended Use Plan.
b. If No, please provide a list of projects/activities
that will be carried out by an eligible
Entity/Entities partnership and how
responsibilities will be allocated within the
partnership.
Attachment: If applicable, please attach any documentation demonstrating that all eligible Entities
agree to the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program partnership to your application.

DRAFT

21. Does the Intended Use Plan include a description of how
the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program will be
leveraged in a systematic and regional approach to
achieve resilience, which may include impacts to river
basins, river corridors, watersheds, estuaries, bays,
coastal regions, micro-basins, micro-watersheds,
ecosystems, and areas at risk of earthquakes, tsunamis,
droughts, severe storms, and wildfires, including the
wildland-urban interface (42 U.S.C. § 5135(b)(1)(E))?

☐ Yes
☐ No

a. If Yes, please provide the page number where the
projects are listed in the Intended Use Plan.
b. If No, please provide the location in the Hazard
Mitigation Plan that will state how the
Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program will be
leveraged in a systematic and regional approach
to achieve resilience in future updates.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Information
FEMA recommends that future State or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan updates include information
that meets the requirements in this application. This includes the detailed assessment of recurring
major disaster vulnerabilities and how HMA Programs, including the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF
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Program, may be leveraged to support a systematic and regional approach to achieve resilience.
FEMA recommends that these assessments be tied to vulnerable areas, critical infrastructure, and
critical economic sectors within the Entity (see 42 U.S.C. § 5135[b][1][C]).
Hazard Mitigation Plan Information
22. Does the Entity have a FEMA-approved State/Tribal
Hazard Mitigation Plan?
23. Plan Name
24. Plan Type (Tribal Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan, State
Hazard Mitigation Plan, Enhanced State Mitigation
Plan)
25. Date Approved by FEMA
26. Plan Expiration Date
27. Please provide a link to your current approved
State/Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan.
28. Does the current approved State or Tribal Hazard
Mitigation Plan contain a detailed assessment of
recurring major disaster vulnerabilities impacting the
Entity that demonstrates a risk to life and property (see
42 U.S.C. § 5135 [b][1][B])?
a. If Yes, please provide the chapter, section, and
page number where this assessment is
provided within the currently adopted plan.
b. If No, provide a detailed assessment of
recurring major disaster vulnerabilities
impacting the Entity that demonstrates a risk to
life and property.
29. Please describe any major vulnerability gaps in the
current approved State or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan,
including any ways in which the plan does not consider
the vulnerabilities described under Question 27 (42
U.S.C. § 5135[b][1][C]).

☐ Yes
☐ No

☐ Yes
☐ No

DRAFT

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Public Notice
Public Notice
30. Has the Entity completed the mandatory public notice of
no less than six weeks in length prior to the submission
of this application inviting hazard mitigation project
proposals from local governments (42 U.S.C. §
5135(b)(1)(A))?

☐ Yes
☐ No

Attachment: Please attach a copy of the Public Notice or Publishers Affidavit with the source of the
publication and date clearly visible.
31. Has the Entity provided the opportunity for public
☐ Yes
comment and review of the Intended Use Plan prior to the ☐ No
submission of this Application (42 U.S.C. § 5135(g)(1))?

DRAFT

Attachment: Please attach a copy of the appropriate documentation with the source and method
of the public comment opportunity and date clearly visible.

Environmental Justice and Equity

Environmental Justice and Equity
30. Are there any low-income geographic areas, as defined in
42 U.S.C. § 5135(m)(6), that are listed in the Project
Proposal List in the Intended Use Plan (as defined in the
Definitions Section)? To determine low-income geographic
area status, please follow the directions on page 9.

☐ Yes
☐ No

31. Are there any areas identified with a Center for Disease
☐ Yes
Control (CDC)/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)
☐ No
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html)
greater than or equal to 0.8 that are listed in the Project
Proposal List in the Intended Use Plan (as defined in the
Definitions Section)? To determine SVI, please follow the
directions on page 10.

32. Are there any areas identified with a Center for Disease
☐ Yes
Control (CDC)/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)
☐ No
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html)
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Environmental Justice and Equity
greater than or equal to 0.6 but less than or equal to 0.8
(0.6 ≤ CDC SVI ≤ 0.8) that are listed in the Project Proposal
List in the Intended Use Plan (as defined in the Definitions
Section)? To determine SVI, please follow the directions on
page 10.
33. Are there any Indian tribes (federally recognized tribes and
tribal entities that are not federally recognized tribes) that
are listed in the Project Proposal List in the Intended Use
Plan?

☐ Yes
☐ No

Entity Loan Fund Administration
The documentation provided must demonstrate: (1) that the capitalization grants, entity share,
repayments of loans, and interest earned will be accounted for separately (42 U.S.C. § 5135
(c)(3)(A)) and (2) that establishing assistance priorities and carrying out oversight activities will
remain in the control of the Entity’s Emergency Management Agency (42 U.S.C. § 5135(c)(3)(B)).

DRAFT

Entity Loan Fund Administration
34. Has the Entity established an Entity Loan Fund where
capitalization grants, the entity share, repayments of
loans, and interest will be deposited (42 U.S.C. §
5135(c)(2))?
35. Will the Entity be prepared to deposit not less than 10%
of the proposed grant into the Entity Loan Fund on or
before the date of receiving the capitalization grant
award (42 U.S.C. § 5135(c)(4)(A))?
36. Does the Entity intend to combine the financial
administration of the Entity Loan Fund with the
financial administration of another Revolving Loan
Fund established by the Entity and not associated with
the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program (42 U.S.C. §
5135(c)(3)? If yes, answer items (a) – (d).
a. Please list the name of the organization/agency
that will handle the financial administration of
the Entity Loan Fund.
b. Provide the page number in the Intended Use
Plan where the Entity describes how the
capitalization grant, entity share, repayment of
loans, and interest earned on amounts in the

☐ Yes
☐ No

☐ Yes
☐ No

☐ Yes
☐ No

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Entity Loan Fund Administration
entity loan funds will be separately accounted
for.
c. Provide the page number in the Intended Use
Plan where the Entity describes how the agency
responsible for emergency management would
remain in control of establishing assistance
priorities and carrying out oversight activities.
d. Provide the page number in the Intended Use
Plan where the Entity identifies the name of the
other Revolving Loan Fund(s) that financial
administration would be combined with.

Definitions
Entity: Any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
are eligible to apply for Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program funds. Federally recognized tribal
governments having received a major disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2021, are also eligible to
apply.

DRAFT

Entity Loan Fund: Prior to receipt of a capitalization grant award, an entity loan fund must be
established and thereafter administered by the applicant agency responsible for emergency
management, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 5135(c). Entity loan funds are the revolving loan fund
structures that receive a capitalization grant and administer loans to local communities.
Low-income Geographic Areas: Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 3161(a)(1), an area that meets one of the
two following criteria: (1) “the area has a per capita income of 80% or less of the national average”;
or (2) “the area has an unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which
data are available, at least 1% greater than the national average unemployment rate”(42 U.S.C. §
5135(m)(6)).
How to determine if a census tract qualifies as a low-income geographic area for Question 31.
Entities will need to determine whether a census tract is a low-income geographic area using one of
two methodologies.
Methodology 1: Low-income geographic area determined by per capita income.
Per capita income can be found through the Explore Census Data (https://data.census.gov/). FEMA
recommends using the most recent “ACS 5-year Estimates Detailed Tables.” Entities can determine
if a census tract is a low-income geographic area using the following steps:
▪

Click on “Advanced Search”
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▪

In the search bar, input table “B19301” as a search parameter

▪

Below, click on “Geography,” then “Census Tract.” Select the “Entity,” then “County,” then
choose the Census Tracts.

▪

Click “Search” in the bottom right-hand corner.

▪

Compare the identified census tract per capita income against the 2021 ACS 5-Year Estimate
National Per Capita Income ($37,638)

▪

If the census tract per capita income is 80% or less of the national average, then the census
tract is identified as a low-income geographic area.

Methodology 2: Low-income geographic area determined by unemployment data.
The unemployment rate can be found through the Explore Census Data (https://data.census.gov/).
FEMA recommends using the most recent “ACS 5-year Estimates Detailed Tables.” Entities can
determine if a census tract is a low-income geographic area using the following steps:

DRAFT

▪

Click on “Advanced Search”

▪

In the search bar, input table “DP03” as a search parameter

▪

Below, click on “Geography,” then “Census Tract.” Select the “Entity,” then “County,” then
choose the Census Tracts.

▪

Click “Search” in the bottom right-hand corner.

▪

Find “Unemployment Rate” under “EMPLOYMENT STATUS” and document the percent.

▪

Compare the identified census tract per capita income against the 2021 ACS 5-Year Estimate
National Average Unemployment Rate (6.3%).

▪

If the census tract per capita income is at least 1% greater than the national average
unemployment rate, then the census tract is identified as a low-income geographic area.

Center for Disease Control (CDC)/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html): The CDC SVI is a relative index of 16
different socioeconomic and demographic variables from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American
Community Survey. The composite CDC SVI score ranges between 0 and 1 with 0 representing the
least vulnerable census tract and 1 representing the most vulnerable census tract in the nation.
FEMA defines scores between 0.6 - 0.8 as moderate to high vulnerability and scores between 0.8 - 1
as high vulnerability census tracts.
How to determine if a census tract qualifies as socially vulnerable for Questions 32 and 33

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Entities will need to determine the SVI status for the census tracts that benefit from the project.
Information on census tract SVI scores for the 2020 Census can be found here. Entities should set
the following parameters on the map for determining SVI scores:
▪

SVI Theme: “Overall SVI”

▪

Geographic Comparison: “Nationwide”

▪

State Selection: N/A

▪

Geographic Unit: “Census Tract”

▪

Data Year: “2020”

Entities can then search for counties in the search bar or zoom to the geography. When zooming in,
clicking on the census tract(s) will reveal the SVI score.

DRAFT

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