NIST MEP Disaster Assessment Program

The NIST MEP Disaster Assessment Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Competitive Awards Program. The program is designed to support current Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers in responding to natural or other major disasters that have resulted in a FEMA Major or Emergency Disaster Declaration. The initiative focuses on strengthening the resilience of small- and medium-sized manufacturers by assessing operational impacts following disasters and helping affected manufacturers identify and access recovery resources. The program also seeks to improve long-term disaster preparedness across the national manufacturing sector through the sharing of lessons learned and best practices. The funding opportunity supports projects that evaluate how disasters affect manufacturing operations, including supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, infrastructure damage, utility interruptions, financial strain, and customer loss. Applicants are expected to identify manufacturers located within disaster-affected regions, assess the extent of operational disruption, and determine factors that contributed either to severe impacts or to organizational resilience. In addition to conducting assessments, funded MEP Centers must assist impacted manufacturers in locating federal, state, and local recovery assistance programs. Recipients may also provide guidance regarding disaster preparedness and risk mitigation planning, although direct business recovery services funded under this award are prohibited and must instead be conducted under separate MEP cooperative agreement funding. Eligible applicants are limited to recipients of current MEP Center cooperative agreements. Applicants may submit proposals independently or as part of a consortium involving other MEP Centers or contractors. Each MEP Center may only participate in one application per FEMA Disaster Declaration. Priority consideration is given to projects that include the MEP Center serving the affected state and to consortium applications covering all impacted states when a FEMA declaration spans multiple jurisdictions. There is no non-federal matching requirement for this opportunity. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning NIST anticipates substantial involvement with recipients during project implementation, reporting, and dissemination activities. Funding levels are expected to range from approximately 50000 dollars to 1000000 dollars per award depending on the severity and scope of the disaster event. The period of performance may not exceed 18 months unless a no-cost extension is approved. Applicants are required to include travel costs for at least one MEP National Network meeting during the project period unless those costs are already covered under another MEP award. Allowable costs include personnel, travel, equipment, subawards, and indirect costs in accordance with federal cost principles. Program income generated under the project must be managed using the additive method and properly reported. Profit or fee above actual cost is not permitted. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. The application package includes federal standard forms such as SF-424, SF-424A, CD-511, and potentially SF-424B and SF-LLL where applicable. Applicants must also submit a detailed project narrative, budget narrative and justification, current and pending support forms, participant tables, references, resumes, and required letters of commitment. The project narrative is limited to twenty double-spaced pages and must address project execution, impacts, evaluation methods, dissemination strategies, management structure, and budget alignment. Applications are reviewed according to criteria that include responsiveness to manufacturer needs, methodology, implementation strategy, coordination with partners, evaluation plans, organizational management, and financial reasonableness. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted within sixty calendar days following a FEMA Disaster Declaration affecting all or part of a state or Puerto Rico. NIST expects review and award processing to occur within approximately ninety calendar days after receipt of a complete application. The program functions as an ongoing disaster response mechanism rather than a fixed annual competition, and applications continue to be accepted until superseded by a future notice of funding opportunity. Questions regarding eligibility, evaluation criteria, and proposal preparation must be submitted in writing to mepnofo@nist.gov. Programmatic inquiries may also be directed to Bryana Head at 301-975-4885. Webinar information sessions may be offered periodically to explain the opportunity and application requirements, although participation in these sessions is optional.

Emphasize direct alignment with disaster-impacted manufacturers; demonstrate strong assessment methodology and data analysis plans; clearly define dissemination strategies for lessons learned across the MEP Network; provide detailed measurable milestones and realistic budgets aligned to project objectives.