CSBG AT-2021-03 Disaster Supplemental Funds Stage 3 Application

Community Services Block Grant

Action Transmittal

AT#: CSBG-AT-2021-03

DATE: April 16, 2021

TO: States, Territories, Tribes

SUBJECT: CSBG Disaster Supplemental Funds Stage 3 Application

ATTACHMENT(S): Allocation Table, Stage 3 Application Template, Naming Convention

RELATED REFERENCES: Community Services Block Grant Act, U.S.C. 9901 et seq.; Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law (P.L.) 116-20); Department of Health and Human Services Block Grant Regulations 45 C.F.R. Part 96; Current Poverty Income Guidelines, 84 FR 1167; Poverty Income Guidelines Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), 2020, P.L. 116-36 and; CSBG Information Memorandum No. 156.

PURPOSE: To provide instructions and the application requirements for the CSBG Disaster Supplement Funds, Stage 3, Longer Term Recovery Efforts grants. Applications are due Thursday, May 13, 2021.

BACKGROUND

The Office of Community Services (OCS), Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program was appropriated $25 million in supplemental funds under the Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-20). The funds are being made available to states, territories and Tribes authorized under the CSBG Act that were directly affected by hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Mangkhut, Super Typhoon Yutu, and wildfires and earthquakes occurring in calendar year 2018 and tornados and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, and which have been declared by the President as a major disaster under section 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

The Supplemental funds will be distributed to grantees based on need and should address necessary expenses directly related to the consequences of the disasters. CSBG grantees must allocate the funds to qualified locally based nonprofit community antipoverty agencies and other eligible entities that provide services to individuals and families with low incomes. They may use the funds to document and reimburse any immediate costs incurred by eligible entities that were directly related to the Presidentially-declared disaster, provided that they fall within available grant resources under the CSBG Act and provided that grantees can verify that costs were not previously reimbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or private insurance.

OCS is allocating the funds in a three-stage process: 1) initial planning, needs assessment and cost documentation grants; 2) interim recovery efforts; and 3) longer term recovery efforts. This three-stage process allows for necessary adjustments during the implementation and for funds to be expended by eligible entities through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2022. This Action Transmittal provides instructions specifically focused on the third stage of this process.

For more information about the CSBG Disaster Relief Supplement Funds, see Information Memorandum (IM) 2020-156.

For more information about the CSBG Disaster Relief Supplement Funds, Stage 1 Initial Planning, Needs Assessment and Cost Documentation grants, see Action Transmittal 2020-01 Disaster Supplemental Fund Application.

For more information about the CSBG Disaster Relief Supplement Funds, Stage 2 Interim Recovery Efforts grants, see Action Transmittal 2020-03 Disaster Supplemental Funds — Stage 2 Application.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR STAGE 3, LONGER TERM RECOVERY EFFORTS GRANTS

The Office of Community Services (OCS) will make awards available for Stage 3 grants to the eligible states, territories and Tribes for longer term recovery efforts as a result of the qualified disasters. Please review the following actions to allow for timely submission and feedback on your application.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicants

Applicants for CSBG Disaster Relief Supplemental Funds Stage 3 awards must meet the following criteria to receive funds.

• Designated Authority from Governor or Chief Executive — States, territories and Tribes must be designated by the governor or chief executive with the authority to apply for CSBG ((Section 676(a) of the CSBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9908(a)). This agency is referred to by OCS as the “CSBG Lead Agency” and must be the same agency that administers the regular CSBG grant.
• Presidential Disaster Declaration — States, territories and Tribes must have been affected by hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Mangkhut, Super Typhoon Yutu, and wildfires and earthquakes occurring in calendar year 2018 and tornados and floods occurring in calendar year 2019 and which have been declared by the President as a major disaster under section 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
• Individual Assistance Authorized — States, territories and Tribes must have received FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) authorization, for which households have registered for IA assistance. FEMA Individual Assistance registrant data is available for use by state/tribal governments at FEMA Disasters.
• Have applied for and received approval for Stage 2, Interim Recovery Efforts grants or received notification of eligibility to apply from OCS.

Funding Allowances under the CSBG Disaster Supplement Stage 3 Grants

Applicants of the CSBG Disaster Relief Supplemental Funds must distribute the funds based on the following guidelines:

• In accordance with Section 675C(b)(2)) of the CSBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9907(b)(2)), grantees may allocate the higher of $55,000 or 5 percent of the total award for state administrative costs. This cap will apply cumulatively to all funds awarded for stages 1-3 of the CSBG Disaster Supplemental.

• Grantees must allocate all remaining funds to eligible entities to reimburse them for expenses for services and strategies to address ongoing disaster-recovery needs affecting low-income populations within the affected communities.

Allocation Table: OCS has attached the updated allocation amounts as of April 08, 2021. The updated allocation amounts should be used by applicants in developing distribution plans for CSBG funds.  

Note: The amounts available for Stage 3 have increased from previously published amounts because a subset of grantees that were eligible for Stage 3 have elected not to apply for the Longer Term Recovery grants, based on current needs.

Application Content and Requirements

A full submission of your Stage 3 application must include the following: 1) Standard Form for Federal Assistance (SF424M); 2) CSBG Administrative Information; 3) Narrative on Use of Funds; 4) Information on Individual and Community Income Eligibility Requirements; 5) Statement of CSBG Assurances; and 6) Federal Certifications.

1. Standard Form for Federal Assistance (SF-424M) — The form requires name and contact information for the applicant’s authorizing official and the contact information for their point of contact.
2. CSBG Administrative Information — Information on the agency, program contact and authorized official.
3. Narrative on the Use of Funds — The application narrative should include a description of the following: 1) description of needs assessment including ongoing needs resulting from the disaster’s impact on communities; 2) the allocation criteria and distribution formula for CSBG eligible entities based on needs directly related to the Presidential disaster declaration, including an allocation table for CSBG eligible entities, if necessary; 3) allocation amount for administrative funds; 4) if necessary, the allocation amount from discretionary funds; 5) the applicant’s process for receiving, reviewing, and approving Stage 3 Disaster Community Action Plans from the eligible entities, if necessary; 6) the applicant’s approach to ensure its Stage 3 needs assessment and distribution formula are publicly available; and 7) the applicants oversight and monitoring plan for Stage 3.
4. Information on Individual and Community Income Eligibility Requirements — Information on the applicant’s income eligibility requirements for the CSBG Disaster Supplemental and community-level disaster recovery services.
5. Statement of CSBG Assurances — The application should include the specific programmatic, administrative, and fiscal assurances precisely as they appear in the CSBG Act (with the exception of the assurance related to Section 676(b)(8)).

• For Programmatic Assurances — Subsections 676(b)(1)(A) — (C) of the CSBG Act.

• For Administrative and Fiscal Assurances — Subsections 678D(a)(1)(A) through (B) of the CSBG Act, including certification that cost and accounting standards of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall apply (OMB Circulars A-110 and A-122). If the authorized official has delegated signature authority, a signed confirmation of such delegation by the authorized official must be submitted with the application.

6. Federal Certifications — The state authorized official providing certifications regarding lobbying, drug-free workplace requirements, debarment and environmental tobacco smoke.

Note: OCS has provided with this Action Transmittal an application template that serves as a technical assistance tool that applicants may use to fulfill the requirements of the application. OCS will provide a formatted template directly to any territory or Tribe that applies for the grant. Applicants are not required to use this tool. If applicants choose not to use the template, please note that all applications must be converted to PDF prior to submission.

Deadlines

Applicants who have met the eligibility criteria under the CSBG Disaster Supplemental must apply for Stage 3 funds by Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Submission of Application

The application materials for the CSBG Disaster Supplemental, Stage 3, Longer Term Recovery Grants, must be submitted through the CSBG email system, CSBGStates@acf.hhs.gov. The documents should be in PDF format, not password protected and have the Naming Convention that is attached to this document.

OCS will review applications as they come in and we will notify applicants of any deficiencies and request a plan for remedial action. We will also work with the applicants to provide ongoing training and technical assistance in order to ensure that the applicants submit a timely and complete application.

FUNDING AWARDS

Grantees whose applications were submitted to OCS by May 13, 2021 and received approval from OCS will be awarded their funds by the Office of Grants Management (OGM) by June 30, 2021.

Grantees who submit their applications to OCS after the May 13, 2021 deadline and received approval from OCS will be funded by OGM on a rolling basis.

Note: The Office of Grants Management will issue the Notice of Grant Award electronically via email distribution to the Authorized Official noted within OLDC on the SF-424M. Therefore, please ensure that the Authorized Official email contact information is accurate.

TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (T/TA) AND SUPPORT

OCS will host a webinar on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 on the CSBG Disaster Supplemental Funds Stage 3 application process. This T/TA will provide information on the required materials and the process for completing the documents.

FOR INQUIRIES

Questions pertaining to the CSBG Supplemental Funds should be directed to the following:

For questions regarding accurate completion of the CSBG Disaster Supplemental, Stage 3 application, contact:

Seth Hassett
Senior Advisor, Office of Community Services
Phone: 202-401-2333
Email: Seth.Hassett@acf.hhs.gov

For questions regarding the fiscal reporting on the CSBG Disaster Supplemental Funds, and the SF-425, contact:

Diane Bragdon
ACF Grants Management Officer
Phone: 202-401-0933
Email: Diane.Bragdon@acf.hhs.gov

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS grantees.

/s/
Charisse Johnson
Director, Division of Community Assistance
Office of Community Service