FEMA is pleased to announce the publication of its first agency-wide equity plan. The plan was initiated by the Biden-Harris administration’s whole-of-government equity agenda. FEMA’s plan outlines how our agency has, and will continue to, integrate equity into our programs. “We’re turning a page at FEMA and infusing equity throughout our agency, programs and policies to better serve people who face unique barriers before, during and after disasters,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. In the last year, FEMA has taken concrete steps to increase equitable outcomes. We’ve focused our efforts by creating a FEMA-wide equity definition and framework and integrating it into our strategic plan. An equity steering group is reviewing policies, procedures, plans and guidance agency-wide to ensure they drive equitable outcomes. The agency is enhancing our external engagement with the public by soliciting input on FEMA programs, regulations and collections of information. We are also continuing our robust engagement with the emergency management community at large. FEMA’s Equity Action Plan commits us to take our equity commitment even further into the future. It includes expanding public assistance to prioritize the needs of high risk, underserved communities, building the resilience of nonprofit organizations and investing in resources to help advance civil rights. FEMA is one of more than 90 agencies who recently published their Equity Action Plan. To see the full plans, visit Performance.gov. Today, FEMA updated its state and local mitigation planning policy guides to reflect programmatic and administrative regulatory changes. The agency routinely updates the policies to continually improve and better support stakeholders in meeting federal requirements when creating hazard mitigation plans. The updated policies facilitate consistent evaluation and approval of state and local hazard mitigation plans and promote mitigation planning and risk-informed decision-making. They also support stakeholders in meeting federal requirements with their hazard mitigation plans to receive certain types of funding. These are the next generation of policies that reinforce resilience as a whole-community effort that builds state and local capabilities to plan for long-term risk reduction, climate change and equitable outcomes. Changes to state and local policies include: The policies will become effective for all mitigation plan approvals one year from the official release date. This provides a one-year transition period for state and local governments to meet the new requirements. As of March 31, 85% of the nation’s population live in communities with current mitigation plans. FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans are required for certain types of federal grant funding. The policies are the official interpretation of the requirements in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended and other federal statutes as well in federal regulations, specifically Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations Part 201 Mitigation Planning. FEMA will host external webinars on the policy updates. A webinar on updates to the state mitigation planning policy will be held from 2 – 3:30 p.m. ET on May 10. To attend this webinar, register in advance on FEMA.gov. A webinar on updates to the local mitigation planning policy will be held from 2 – 3:30 p.m. ET on May 12. To attend this webinar, register in advance on FEMA.gov. Visit FEMA’s Policy Update webpage to learn more. FEMA released the funding notice for the Emergency Management Performance Grant program, making $405.1 million available to assist state, local, tribal and territorial governments in developing their emergency management capabilities and for all-hazards preparedness activities. The program focuses on planning, operations, equipment acquisitions, training, exercises, construction and renovation. This is one of the highest annual amounts awarded for this grant, because of the combined release of $355.1 million through annual appropriations and an additional $50 million in funding through the “Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.” This application period closes at 5 p.m. ET on June 13. Eligible applicants must submit an initial application by June 6, FEMA will notify eligible applicants to proceed with submitting their complete application package in the Non-Disaster (ND) Grants System by the application deadline. FEMA anticipates that all awards will be made no later than Sept. 30. Award amounts for each government entity are predetermined and based on the “Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006,” 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 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. The remaining balance of funds are distributed on a population-share basis. FEMA Seeks Feedback on Draft of Emergency Management Guide for Senior Officials FEMA is seeking feedback on the draft “Local Elected and Appointed Officials Guide: Roles and Resources in Emergency Management.” FEMA is hosting a webinar to provide an overview of the draft guide and gather feedback. The webinar will include a facilitated discussion with stakeholders to help improve the existing draft. A line-numbered version of the draft guide is available to allow individuals to provide comments on specific areas within the document. Advance registration is required to participate in the webinar. To register, click on the session below: The national engagement period will conclude on April 22. To review the document and learn more about the webinar sessions, visit FEMA.gov. To provide input, download the draft "Local Elected and Appointed Officials Guide" and email the feedback form to NPD-Planning@fema.dhs.gov. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. FEMA Seeks Competitive Research Proposals to Advance Emergency Management FEMA’s Higher Education Program (HighEd) is seeking competitive research proposals to help advance the discipline of emergency management. HiEd annually funds academic research that examines complex, real-world issues and provides actionable recommendations that advance the practice of emergency management. The program typically funds 10-15 exceptional proposals under $10,000. To apply, send a completed template to fema-hiedproposals@fema.dhs.gov by midnight ET April 22. This year, FEMA is prioritizing climate change and equity objectives that align with the agency’s 2022 - 2026 Strategic Plan. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. FEMA Now Accepting Nominations for Emergency Management Exchange Program FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced the agency is accepting nominations for a new emergency management exchange program. The staff exchange program will allow state, local, tribal and territorial government officials to work with FEMA leadership to develop and implement emergency management policies and programs. Program participants will work alongside FEMA leadership and staff from FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery or Resilience. These stakeholders will contribute to federal emergency management and see the impact of their contributions from a different governmental perspective. There will be a total of four participants selected for this six-month assignment to FEMA from July through December 2022. A future session is planned from January to June 2023. Nominations should include: - A letter of nomination from the leadership of the governmental program or organization. The letter should explain why the candidate is nominated for the exchange and should also contain the nominator’s contact information – including phone number and an email address.
- The nominee’s resume - including name, phone number and email address.
The nominating office point of contact should be the nominee’s supervisor or someone in a higher-level leadership position. FEMA will reimburse the participant’s home organization for the cost of the participant’s salary plus benefits, for the duration of the assignment. Nominations are due by May 6. To submit a nomination, email FEMA-EMX-Nominations@fema.dhs.gov. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. FEMA Accepts Video Submissions for 2022 Partnership Month This July, FEMA is hosting a virtual exhibitor hall to celebrate Voluntary Agency Coordination Partnership Month. Videos will be hosted on in the virtual hall as part of a month-long celebration of the strong partnerships that make emergency management possible. Your organization is invited to create a short video to be featured as part of the gallery. Video file specifications - Length: 1 minute or less.
- Resolution: 1080p.
- Format: .MP4.
- Size: 100MB or less.
- Accessibility: Provide closed captioning by including a script of the dialogue as well as an .SRT file.
For questions and video submissions, email fema-r8hostedpartnershipmonth@fema.dhs.gov To view last year’s videos, visit the partnership month website. Submit a completed version of the video no later than 5 p.m. ET on June 1. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. FEMA Hosts Nonprofit Security Grant Webinars Gain insight into how the fiscal year 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program can help your faith-based, community or nonprofit organizations by joining one of the upcoming webinars. FEMA will start this technical assistance webinar series on April 21. Each webinar will last approximately 90 minutes and will be followed by a Q & A session. Each session will present the same content. Preregistration is required for the Fiscal Year 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program webinars. Click on a link below for your preferred time: If you have any questions regarding these webinars or require special accommodations, please email FEMA-NSGP@fema.dhs.gov. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. | 
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