DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)
CITIZEN CORPS/CERT
(Community Emergency Response Team)(Federal FY 06 DHS Subgrant Funding Availability)
The Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Emergency Management (DEM), announces the release of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in conjunction with the Citizen Corps Program. The purpose of the Citizen Corps Program is to engage Florida citizens through education, training, and volunteer service to make their community safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to all types of disasters. The purpose of the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Program is to promote a partnership between local emergency services and the people they serve. This is accomplished by training citizens, neighborhoods, community organizations and workplaces in basic emergency preparedness, response, and recovery skills to function in a “neighbor-helping-neighbor” community spirit and to train citizens to function as auxiliary personnel to first responders.
This NOFA will be available effective January 17, 2006 to any regional or local government in the State of Florida. Eligible applicants also include Fire Tax Districts, other taxing or special districts, school districts, and Native American Tribes or nations within the State of Florida.
The total funds available for these subgrants at this time are: (This may be adjusted up or down as final information from the Department of Homeland Security is clarified).
A. At least $227,132 for the formation of new Citizen Corps Councils and the continued operation/expansion of existing Citizen Corps Councils. These funds may also be used for Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, CERT, Fire Corps and Medical Reserve Corps volunteer recruiting, screening, and referral of volunteers to these programs. It is our understanding at the time of this notice that the funds available under this NOFA are not available for the operational funding for the Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, or the Medical Reserve Corps Program.
B. At least $227,131 for the formation of new CERT Programs and the continued operation/expansion of existing CERT programs.
Note: Additional funds may become available for either or both programs at the discretion of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (“DEM”).
The DEM will accept separate competitive subgrant applications from eligible applicants for each of the following Citizen Corps activities:
A. Citizen Corps (General Program):
Grant size is $4,000-$20,000, with no jurisdiction receiving more than $20,000 in initial Citizen Corps General Program subgrant funds. Actual grant amounts may be less than requested.
These funds are to be used to support the formation of Citizen Corps Councils, to enhance existing Citizen Corps Councils, and to carry out the Citizen Corps goals and objectives of education, training, recruiting, screening, and referring volunteers to the four federally-chartered Citizen Corps programs and other Citizen Corps partners.
At a minimum, each application must include the following:
(a) The Citizen Corps Implementation Plan Strategy of the applicant to accomplish the mission of Citizen Corps in the applicant jurisdiction.
(b) Existing Citizen Corps Councils must include in their Implementation Plan Strategy how they intend to expand their existing programs.
(c) A plan for the sustainability of the program after the subgrant expires.
(d) The Citizen Corps Council must be properly registered with the Florida State Citizen Corps Office and that information must be updated quarterly.
(e) Preference will be given to those proposals which demonstrates a multi-jurisdictional, countywide, multi-council cooperative arrangement or regional concept.
(f) Preference will also be given to those existing Councils, which demonstrate effective, current programs serving as mentors in the development of Citizen Corps Councils in other jurisdictions.
(g) For applications from existing Citizen Corps Councils, past performance of the Council and its operations will be considered in the scoring and ranking of applications.
Certain restrictions exist on the permitted uses of these subgrant funds. DEM reserves the rights to increase grant size, provide multiple grants, or provide grants to applicants not originally funded at its discretion if additional funds or other funds become available.
A. CERT Program:
Grant size is $4,000-$20,000, with no jurisdiction receiving more than $20,000 in initial CERT Program subgrant funds. Actual grant amounts may be less than requested.
Cost effectiveness of program and past performance will be considered in the scoring and ranking for existing programs.
These funds may only be used for CERT training, instructor compensation, training supplies, training equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), CERT team supplies and equipment, and start-up of teams in areas of the State where CERT is not currently constituted or for enhancement of current CERT programs.
At a minimum, each application must include the following:
(a) A “CERT Annex Interface Document” detailing how the CERT Program integrates into the local Citizen Corps Council goals and objectives (if one currently exists).
(b) If a Citizen Corps Council does not currently exist, then the application must describe how the community intends to form a Citizen Corps Council and how the CERT Program will help partially fulfill the Citizen Corps mission in the community.
(c) If a Citizen Corps Council is proposed in the community, then the application must describe how the CERT Program will interface with the Citizen Corps Implementation plan Strategy.
Certain restrictions exist on the permitted uses of these subgrant funds. DEM reserves the right to increase grant size, provide multiple grants, or provide grants to applicants not originally funded at its discretion if additional funds or other funds become available.
It is important to note that both the Citizen Corps Council Program subgrant and the CERT Program subgrant will require tracking and monthly and quarterly reporting of the number of volunteers, the number of training courses, the number of training course graduates, and other similar information. Also, there will be financial reports due quarterly and selected financial information due monthly.
Subgrant applications must be received at the following location by no later than 4:30 p.m. EST, February 21, 2006. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure receipt of applications via mail, overnight delivery, hand delivery, or other means at the address and room number listed below by the time and date stated above:
Citizen Corps/CERT Program Office
Room 215-B, Sadowski Building
Department of Community Affairs
Division of Emergency Management
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100
EACH APPLICATION PACKAGE MUST BE LABELED ON THE OUTSIDE AS FOLLOWS:
ATTN: Citizen Corps or CERT Subgrant
Application Enclosed
All Subgrant applications must be prepared in conformance with the respective Citizen Corps General Program or CERT Program Subgrant application package instructions found at the following Internet address beginning January 17, 2006: http://floridadisaster.org.
Requests for a hard copy of the Citizen Corps General Program Subgrant application package or the CERT Program Subgrant application package or other inquiry should be directed to: Mrs. Marcia Chiricos, Community Programs Manager, e-mail: marcia.chiricos@dca.state.fl.us; Mr. Tom Weaver, Human Services Manager/Citizen Corps/CERT Lead Coordinator, e-mail: thomas.weaver@dca.state.fl.us.
