Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program - Region 7 | DHS 20 MT 045 07 01

FY 2020 FEMA Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program - Region 7: FAQs

1) What is the FY 2020 Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program - Region 7 grant?

This is a FEMA discretionary grant opportunity (administered by the Department of Homeland Security) intended to strengthen and improve the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It does this primarily by expanding, upgrading, and applying flood hazard mapping and related risk assessment work in FEMA Region 7 through cooperative agreements with technical partners.

2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The main purpose is to help communities better understand where flooding is likely to occur, reduce future flood losses, and become more resilient over time. Practically, the program supports partners in producing, refining, and using credible flood hazard data and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), and encourages that information to be used in real mitigation and planning decisions.

3) Which federal agency is offering the opportunity?

FEMA is offering the opportunity through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

4) How does the CTP Program relate to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)?

The CTP Program is designed to strengthen and improve the NFIP by improving the quality, coverage, and usefulness of flood hazard identification and flood maps that support NFIP-related floodplain management and insurance rating.

5) What types of activities does the program support?

Based on the summary provided, the program centers on work such as producing and updating flood hazard data, improving Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), performing related risk assessment work, integrating partner and stakeholder data into mapping and risk products, and ensuring mapping outputs are used to guide mitigation planning and community risk-reduction actions.

6) What are Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), as referenced in this opportunity?

FIRMs are FEMA flood maps used to identify flood hazard areas. In this opportunity, FEMA emphasizes producing, refining, and applying credible flood hazard data and FIRMs so communities can better understand flood risk and make decisions that reduce risk.

7) What is FEMA Risk MAP, and why is it mentioned?

Risk MAP stands for Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning. The CTP Program is described as a major support mechanism for FEMA's Risk MAP initiative, which focuses on delivering high-quality, technically sound data that improves public awareness of flood risk and motivates protective action.

8) What is the program trying to change about how flood maps are used?

The program explicitly aims to avoid having mapping products "sit on a shelf." FEMA highlights the intent to have flood hazard data and mapping products actively feed into mitigation planning, local risk assessments, and decisions about how to reduce flood risk.

9) Who is the program intended to build relationships with?

The program is designed to strengthen working relationships across federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners, with the goal of improving coordination and the practical use of flood risk information.

10) What are the FY 2020 emphasis areas for Risk MAP and CTP efforts?

For FY 2020, FEMA indicates an emphasis on (1) pushing mitigation actions forward and (2) ensuring technical credibility, while also keeping community engagement active throughout the full Risk MAP lifecycle.

11) What are the four practical priorities highlighted for FY 2020?

The summary lists four practical priorities:

• Initiating new projects in watersheds with high risk and significant needs for updated flood hazard data.
• Integrating mapping partner data and other stakeholder-provided information into mitigation planning and risk assessments, and using it to shape actionable mitigation strategies.
• Helping generate real community actions that reduce flood risk.
• Partnering in ways that maximize the impact of local, state, and federal dollars by aligning investments and reducing duplication of effort.

12) Does the opportunity focus only on new mapping, or also on updates?

It supports both. FEMA describes developing flood hazard data and maps for places that have never had modern, clearly identified flood risks, and also updating or building upon existing mapping products where better information is needed.

13) What does FEMA mean by "technical credibility" in this context?

In the context provided, "technical credibility" refers to producing high-quality, technically sound flood hazard data and mapping products that can be trusted and used for public awareness, risk assessments, and mitigation decisions.

14) How does community engagement factor into the work?

FEMA indicates community engagement should remain active throughout the full Risk MAP lifecycle, implying that outreach and coordination with communities and stakeholders should occur alongside technical mapping and risk assessment efforts.

15) What larger national priorities does this opportunity align with?

The summary states it aligns with several preparedness and resilience priorities, including the DHS 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review mission area on Strengthening National Preparedness and Resilience, the National Mitigation Investment Strategy (supporting Presidential Policy Directive 8 on National Preparedness), and FEMA strategic goals related to building a culture of preparedness and readiness for catastrophic disasters.

16) What type of funding instrument is used?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement.

17) What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?

The summary lists this opportunity under Disaster Prevention and Relief, CFDA 97.045.

18) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is DHS 20 MT 045 07 01.

19) When was this opportunity created and when did it close?

The listing indicates it was created on March 2, 2020, and had an original closing date of May 1, 2020.

20) How many awards did FEMA anticipate making for Region 7?

FEMA anticipated making about four awards for Region 7.

21) Is there an award ceiling listed?

The public summary shows an award ceiling of 0. The summary notes this typically indicates the ceiling was not specified in the public listing and would need to be confirmed in the full notice or related FEMA guidance.

22) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include:

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
• Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than higher education institutions)

23) What kinds of organizations is FEMA looking for as partners?

The opportunity is aimed at organizations that can serve as strong technical and programmatic partners in producing flood hazard data, improving mapping products, and ensuring those products are actively used to guide risk reduction and resilience-building decisions in communities across Region 7.

24) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

The summary identifies the funding mechanism as a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates FEMA expects substantial involvement and collaboration with awardees during project performance, consistent with the program's emphasis on partnership and coordination.

25) Why does FEMA emphasize aligning investments and reducing duplication?

FEMA highlights partnership approaches that maximize the impact of local, state, and federal dollars by aligning investments and reducing duplication of effort, reinforcing the program's goal of coordinated, efficient flood risk mapping and mitigation support.

26) How does this opportunity measure or demonstrate value?

FEMA frames the FY 2020 priorities as important for meeting externally reported performance measures and for demonstrating Risk MAP value to sponsors and stakeholders.

27) What outcomes is FEMA ultimately trying to achieve through this work?

According to the summary, FEMA aims to improve public awareness of flood risk, motivate actions that protect people and property, reduce future flood losses, and support long-term community resilience by ensuring credible flood hazard data and maps are created and actively used in mitigation decision-making.