CSBG-AT-2023-06 Disaster Supplemental Phase 1 Application Guidance FY 2023

Community Services Block Grant

Action Transmittal

AT#: CSBG-AT-2023-06

DATE: June 21, 2023

TO: CSBG States

SUBJECT: CSBG Disaster Supplemental Phase 1 Application: Initial Planning, Needs Assessment, and Cost Documentation Grants

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

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RELATED REFERENCES

Community Services Block Grant Act, U.S.C. 9901 et seq.; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law No: 117-328); Department of Health and Human Services Block Grant Regulations 45 C.F.R. Part 96 and; CSBG Information Memorandum No. 164.

PURPOSE

To provide instructions and the application requirements for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Disaster Supplemental for Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, for Initial Planning, Needs Assessment, and Cost Documentation grants. Applications are due on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

BACKGROUND

The Office of Community Services (OCS), CSBG was appropriated $25 million in supplemental funds under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law No: 117-328). The funds are being made available to states authorized under the CSBG Act that were directly affected by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, 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 grant recipients based on need and should address necessary expenses directly related to the consequences of Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. CSBG grant recipients 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, if they fall within available grant resources under the CSBG Act and if grant recipients can verify that costs were not previously reimbursed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or private insurance.

OCS is allocating the funds in three phases: 1) initial planning, needs assessment and cost documentation grants; 2) interim recovery efforts; and 3) longer term recovery efforts (which will be released over two years). This process allows for necessary adjustments during the implementation and for funds to be expended by eligible entities through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2027. This Action Transmittal provides instructions specifically focused on the first phase of this process.

For more information about the CSBG Disaster Supplemental for Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, see Information Memorandum (IM) 2023-164.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PHASE 1, INITIAL PLANNING, NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND COST DOCUMENTATION GRANT

OCS will make awards available for the grants to the eligible states for initial planning, needs assessment and cost documentation efforts because of the qualified disasters. Please review the following actions to allow for timely submission and feedback on your application.

Criteria for Potential Grant Recipients

Applicants for the CSBG Disaster Supplemental grants for initial planning, needs assessment and cost documentation must meet the following criteria to receive funds.

• Designated Authority from Governor or Chief Executive — States 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 must have been affected by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian 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 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.

Based on the criteria outlined above, CSBG Disaster Supplemental grant funding will only be provided to current CSBG grant recipients in Florida, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. Grant recipients must in-turn award funds to eligible entities already designated by the state for CSBG funding. OCS will not accept direct applications for funding that do not come from a current CSBG grant recipient in one of the states listed above. OCS strongly encourages CSBG lead agencies to work in close partnership and consultation with other community stakeholders in the design and delivery of disaster recovery services to address the most significant community needs.

Funding Allowances Under the CSBG Disaster Supplement Initial Planning, Needs Assessment and Cost Documentation Grants

Applicants of the CSBG Disaster 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)), recipients 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 the CSBG Disaster Supplemental. For the phase one application, this means that a state that applies for $500,000 in funding, could apply up to $55,000 for state administrative costs. 
• Recipients 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 allocation amounts for each potential grant recipient, which should be used by applicants in developing distribution plans for CSBG funds. 

Application Content and Requirements

Eligible grant recipients must apply and submit a plan to OCS to receive Phase 1 funds. A full submission of your application must include a Standard Form for Federal Assistance (SF-424M) along with the following additional sections:

1. CSBG Administrative Information
2. Initial Needs Assessment narrative
3. State Use of Funds
4. Information on Individual and Community Income Eligibility Requirements
5. Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance plan
6. Statement of CSBG Assurances
7. Federal Certifications

All applications must provide critical information consistent with the following requirements:

• 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 along with other information necessary for grants management purposes.
• CSBG Administrative Information — The application must provide information on the agency, program contact and authorized official, including a governor’s authorization letter, which may be identical to the letter included in the accepted CSBG State Plan.
• Initial Needs Assessment — The application must include a brief disaster description, including dates of the disaster and key facts about impacts on affected communities using commonly available data, such as data used in the initial declaration process, a description of the state’s plans to complete a detailed community needs assessment process in each affected community, an assessment of any tribal jurisdiction needs and partnerships, and a description of plans for coordination with any other available disaster recovery resources in the state.
• State Use of Funds — The application narrative must include an itemized state budget that outlines major categories of expenditure for state administration and/or additional state-level expenses; the start-up allocation amounts for CSBG eligible entities and the applicant’s process for receiving, reviewing, and approving Disaster Community Action Plans and budgets from the eligible entities.
• 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, including the required income eligibility up to 200% of the federal poverty line and information on how the state will assure that services that provide a community-wide benefits target and benefit low-income communities.
• Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance — The plan must provide brief descriptions of a risk assessment process for states and eligible entities, previous audit and monitoring findings for eligible entities, internal controls processes, equipment and property processes, procedures for determining allowable costs, cash management requirements, period of performance requirements, and processes for procurement, suspension, or debarment. The brief narratives should be customized to the supplemental disaster recovery efforts but may include links or references to established state procedures applicable to CSBG generally or to all grants overseen by the state grant recipient.
• Statement of CSBG Program Assurances — The application should include the specific programmatic, administrative, and fiscal assurances precisely as they appear in the CSBG Act (except for 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.
• Federal Certifications — The state authorized official providing certifications regarding lobbying, drug-free workplace requirements, debarment, and environmental tobacco smoke.

Deadlines

Applicants who have met the eligibility criteria under the CSBG Disaster Supplemental must apply for phase 1 funds by Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Submission of Application

The application materials for the CSBG Disaster Supplemental, initial planning, needs assessment and cost documentation grants, must be submitted to Roneika Carr and copy Seth Hassett and 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 to ensure that the applicants submit a timely and complete application.

FUNDING AWARDS

Grant recipients whose applications are submitted to OCS by July 20, 2023, and received approval from OCS will be awarded their funds by the Office of Grants Management (OGM) by August 4, 2023.

Grant recipients who submit their applications to OCS after the July 20, 2023 deadline and received approval from OCS will be funded by OGM on a rolling basis.

Note: OGM will issue the Notice of Grant Award electronically via email distribution to the Authorized Official noted within the Online Data Collection System (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 hosted a webinar on Thursday, May 18, 2023 on the application process. This T/TA provided 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 ACF staff.

For questions regarding accurate completion of the application, contact:

Roneika Carr
Policy Program Specialist, Office of Community Services
Phone: 202-401-4595
Email: Roneika.Carr@acf.hhs.gov  

For questions regarding the fiscal reporting, and the SF-425, contact:

Angel Chen
Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management
Phone: 646-905-8120
Email: Angel.Chen@ACF.hhs.gov

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

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