Fiscal Year 2026 Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program - Region 8

The Cooperating Technical Partners Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security as part of the National Flood Insurance Program. The program is designed to strengthen national and local capacity to understand and reduce flood risk by partnering with qualified entities that can develop, maintain, and improve flood hazard data and mapping resources. Through these cooperative agreements, FEMA works closely with state, local, tribal, academic, and nonprofit partners to ensure that communities have access to reliable flood risk information that supports planning, mitigation, and insurance decisions. The primary purpose of the program is to enhance the ability of communities and government stakeholders to identify flood-prone areas and take informed action to reduce risk. Recipients are responsible for developing flood hazard data, producing and updating maps, and supporting technical analyses that contribute to risk awareness and resilience. The program emphasizes completion of existing mapping efforts rather than initiating new studies during this funding cycle, aligning with FEMA priorities to finalize ongoing projects and improve data quality and accessibility. The outputs generated through this program are used by both public and private sectors for land use planning, infrastructure development, and insurance requirements. Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, reflecting FEMA’s substantial involvement in project execution. FEMA collaborates with recipients on planning, oversight, and quality assurance, including review of deliverables and coordination of communication with stakeholders. Allowable activities include flood risk projects, letter of map revision review activities, and project management tasks. Certain costs are explicitly prohibited, including construction, equipment purchases such as computers, international travel without approval, and lobbying activities. Funds must supplement existing resources and cannot replace previously allocated funding for the same purposes. Eligibility is limited to entities that already have an active Partnership Agreement with FEMA under the program. Eligible entity types include state and local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with appropriate federal tax status. Applicants must submit documentation confirming their partnership agreement and provide detailed project plans through a Mapping Activity Statement or Scope of Work. Subawards are permitted, but all subrecipients must comply with federal requirements and oversight standards. The application process requires registration in federal systems including SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and FEMA GO. Applicants must submit standard federal forms such as the SF-424 and related assurances, along with program-specific documentation including the partnership agreement and project work plan. Applications are reviewed based on eligibility, completeness, and alignment with program priorities, followed by scoring across criteria such as past performance, technical capability, and partner contributions. FEMA staff evaluate submissions and rank them for funding decisions. The application timeline for this funding opportunity begins in early July and closes in mid-August. Applications must be submitted through FEMA GO by the deadline, and late submissions are not accepted. Award decisions are anticipated in early September, with funding issued by the end of September. The period of performance is expected to run for three years, beginning October 1 and ending September 30. During this time, recipients must comply with reporting requirements, including quarterly financial and performance reports. FEMA provides technical assistance and maintains ongoing communication with recipients throughout the project lifecycle. Program contacts are available through FEMA regional offices and centralized support channels. The program is part of a recurring federal funding effort, though specific priorities and eligible project types may change annually. This funding opportunity represents a significant investment in national flood risk management infrastructure, with total funding distributed across multiple regions to support coordinated and data-driven resilience efforts.

Focus on demonstrating past performance with FEMA projects, strong technical mapping capability, and clear partner contributions that leverage FEMA funding; ensure all required documents including Partnership Agreement and detailed SOW are complete and aligned with FEMA priorities