U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20472 Grant Programs Directorate and National Preparedness Directorate Information Bulletin No. 295 November 5, 2008 TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact All Core City/Core County Points of Contact All State Homeland Security Directors All State Emergency Management Agency Directors All Eligible Regional Transit Agencies All Private Sector Transportation Security Partners All Public and Private Sector Port Security Partners FROM: W. Ross Ashley, III Assistant Administrator Grant Programs Directorate Federal Emergency Management Agency SUBJECT: Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Program Guidance and Application Kits The Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) and National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are pleased to announce the availability of the FY 2009 Program Guidance and Application Kits. These kits should be available online at http://www.fema.gov/grants later today. Program Guidance and Application Kits are available for the following programs, representing over $3 billion in available FY 2009 grant funding. • FY 2009 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) • FY 2009 State Homeland Security Program Tribal (SHSP Tribal) • FY 2009 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) • FY 2009 Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) • FY 2009 Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) including: o FY 2009 TSGP: Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP) o FY 2009 TSGP: Intercity Passenger Rail (Amtrak) • FY 2009 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) • FY 2009 Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) • FY 2009 Trucking Security Program (TSP) • FY 2009 Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP) • FY 2009 Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG) • FY 2009 Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP) www.fema.gov • FY 2009 Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) Detailed guidance and application instructions for all of the aforementioned grant programs is provided at http://www.fema.gov/grants. Eligible applicants must apply through the online Grants.gov system at http://www.grants.gov. The Grants.gov customer support hotline is 1-800518- 4726 and the hours are Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Please note: due to ongoing technical issues with the grants management systems, FEMA/GPD will NOT be opening grants.gov at this time. We will be releasing a subsequent Information Bulletin (IB) that will note when the systems will be available for application. You should, however, continue to work through your planning processes, as the Department fully intends to open the systems in time for you to meet the prescribed application timelines (either 30, 45 or 90 days). The Department has also made significant changes to the personnel cost provisions within many of the programs, including HSGP and the allowability for intelligence analysts. These changes bring the programs in line with the 9/11 Act, as well as the recent Personnel Reimbursement for Intelligence Cooperation and Enhancement of Homeland Security Act (PRICE Act). The provisions of Information Bulletin #281, released on March 5, 2008, still apply to previous year grants, and the three-year federal funds limitation on supporting intelligence analysts with FY 2006 – FY 2008 HSGP funding is still in effect. However, grantees may now utilize FY 2009 HSGP funding to support both new intelligence analyst positions and support the continuance of intelligence analyst positions that were previously supported with SHSP and UASI funding. All supplanting rules still apply. Also, under FY 2008 HSGP, SAAs are required to develop a sustainment plan for supporting intelligence analyst positions after the three-year federal funds limitation expires. That sustainment plan may now include FY 2009 HSGP funding, since SAAs may use this grant to support existing intelligence analyst positions that were previously covered by SHSP and UASI funding. Additional questions may be directed to your FEMA Program Analyst or the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk at askcsid@dhs.gov or 1-800-368-6498. 2