Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Emergency Management Baseline Assessment Grant (EMBAG) | DHS 22 NPD 131 00 01

EMBAG (FY 2022) Grant Opportunity FAQs

1) What is the FY 2022 Emergency Management Baseline Assessment Grant (EMBAG)?

The FY 2022 Emergency Management Baseline Assessment Grant (EMBAG) is a discretionary FEMA cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Its purpose is to strengthen day-to-day emergency management capability nationwide before disasters occur by supporting credible, voluntary national standards for emergency management programs and the professionals who lead them.

2) What problem is EMBAG trying to solve?

EMBAG is designed to help jurisdictions avoid trying to build emergency management capacity in the middle of a crisis. Instead, it supports activities that help states, tribes, territories, and local jurisdictions measure current capability, identify gaps, and work toward accredited emergency management programs and certified emergency managers ahead of an incident.

3) What is the central goal of the program?

The central goal is to strengthen nationwide, day-to-day emergency management capability by supporting voluntary national standards and peer review assessment processes that can be used consistently across jurisdictions.

4) What kinds of standards does EMBAG support?

EMBAG supports credible, voluntary national standards for emergency management programs and for emergency management professionals. The opportunity emphasizes that these standards are intended to be consensus-driven, meaning they are established, validated, and revised through a collaborative process rather than being set by a single entity.

5) What does "consensus-driven" mean in this opportunity?

Within this opportunity, "consensus-driven" refers to standards that are developed and maintained through collaboration and shared validation, with updates and revisions occurring through an inclusive process over time rather than unilateral decision-making by one organization.

6) What are the main activities that EMBAG funding supports?

Based on the opportunity description, EMBAG supports three major areas of work:

• Maintaining, updating, revising, enhancing, and testing national-level emergency management standards and the associated peer assessment methods.
• Supporting efforts to develop or update national-level accreditation connected to these standards.
• Assessing selected state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management programs and emergency managers against the national standards using a peer review approach.

7) Why does the opportunity emphasize "testing" standards and assessment methods?

The emphasis on testing is intended to ensure the standards and peer assessment processes are usable in real-world settings and not merely theoretical. Testing helps confirm that assessment methods work in practice and can be applied consistently.

8) How does accreditation fit into EMBAG?

Accreditation is described as a formal mechanism for emergency management programs to demonstrate that they meet established benchmarks tied to national standards. EMBAG supports related efforts to develop or update national-level accreditation connected to these standards.

9) What is the value of accreditation for jurisdictions and the public?

According to the opportunity description, accreditation helps jurisdictions show preparedness maturity and can increase confidence among partners and the public in the quality of emergency management programs.

10) What is meant by a "peer review" assessment approach?

The opportunity describes a peer review approach as a method used to evaluate emergency management programs and emergency managers against national standards. The purpose is to evaluate capabilities, document shortfalls, and outline a path toward compliance with the standards.

11) Who or what gets assessed under EMBAG-supported activities?

EMBAG supports the assessment of selected state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management programs, as well as emergency managers, against the national standards using peer review methods.

12) Is EMBAG intended for direct disaster response operations?

No. The opportunity frames the program as focused on core capability-building and strengthening the infrastructure of emergency management practice before disasters occur, rather than supporting direct disaster response operations.

13) What is the legal authority FEMA cites for this program?

FEMA describes EMBAG as "other assistance" authorized under Section 503(b)(2)(G) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 313(b)(2)(G)), covering activities to build tribal, local, state, regional, and national capabilities needed to respond to natural disasters, terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

14) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for EMBAG FY 2022?

The Funding Opportunity Number listed is DHS 22 NPD 131 00 01.

15) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity lists CFDA number 97.131.

16) How is this opportunity categorized?

The opportunity is categorized under Disaster Prevention and Relief and Information and Statistics.

17) What type of funding instrument is EMBAG?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.

18) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (instead of a standard grant)?

The opportunity indicates that a cooperative agreement generally implies FEMA expects more active partnership and ongoing involvement than a standard grant, including substantial agency engagement in project direction, coordination, or oversight.

19) Who is eligible to apply for EMBAG, based on the listed applicant types?

The listed eligible applicants include:

• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)

20) Does the eligibility list focus on governments or on organizations that support governments?

Based on the stated eligible applicant pool, eligibility is oriented to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations. The activities supported by the opportunity, however, are focused on standards, accreditation, and peer assessments that benefit state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management programs and professionals.

21) What was the maximum award amount listed for FY 2022?

The listed award ceiling for FY 2022 was $695,000.

22) How many awards were expected in FY 2022?

The opportunity stated an expectation of four awards.

23) When was this funding opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on May 23, 2022.

24) What was the original application closing date?

The original closing date listed was July 7, 2022.

25) In one sentence, how should EMBAG be understood?

EMBAG is best understood as an investment in the national emergency management "system of standards" - the frameworks, accreditation pathways, and peer assessment processes that help jurisdictions consistently evaluate and improve preparedness and professionalize emergency management leadership across the country.