Capacity Building Competitive Grant

The Capacity Building Competitive Grant program is administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety through its Division of Emergency Management. The program was established by the North Carolina State Legislature to strengthen local emergency management capabilities across the state. Since its inception in state fiscal year 2022, the program has received successive appropriations, including funding for the 2024 cycle. The initiative is designed to ensure that local emergency management offices are adequately equipped, trained, and prepared to respond to a wide range of hazards and emergencies. It reflects a statewide investment in resilience and preparedness, particularly for smaller jurisdictions with limited resources. The primary purpose of the program is to support projects that build capacity, close operational gaps, and incorporate best practices within local emergency management agencies. Funding is intended to enhance readiness through targeted investments in areas such as mass care and human services, preparedness initiatives, incident management coordination, emergency operations center capabilities, and resilience planning. While the program outlines priority focus areas, applicants are not strictly limited to these categories and may propose projects aligned with locally identified risks, including those identified through formal risk assessments such as Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments. The total funding available for the 2024 cycle is 1,925,578 dollars in nonrecurring state funds. Individual applicants may request up to 200,000 dollars for a single project, and only one application per agency is permitted. Projects may include multiple components but must be presented as a cohesive initiative. The period of performance for funded projects runs from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, and all project activities and expenditures must align with this timeframe. Pre-award costs are not allowable, and funds are distributed on a reimbursement basis following submission of appropriate documentation. Eligibility for the program is limited to county emergency management agencies established under North Carolina statute and located in counties with populations of 230,000 or fewer based on official state estimates. Several larger counties are explicitly excluded from eligibility. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement for this grant, although applicants may voluntarily include matching funds in their proposals. Grant funds must supplement existing resources and may not be used to replace previously allocated funding. Certain activities such as lobbying, fundraising, and administrative overhead are not allowable under the program. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Salesforce platform by the stated deadline. The application process requires completion of multiple components, including a project abstract, detailed narrative, timeline of activities, sustainability plan, and a comprehensive budget with justification for all expenses. Supporting documentation may also be required, and additional compliance documents must be provided upon award if not already on file. The program provides training sessions and office hours to assist applicants with technical and procedural questions, though direct assistance with project design is not permitted due to the competitive nature of the grant. Applications are evaluated through a competitive review process conducted by a committee appointed by the Director of Emergency Management. Evaluation criteria include identification of needs or gaps, methodology, alignment with priority areas, project sustainability, timeline feasibility, and budget justification. Each category is assigned a weighted score, and funding decisions are based on total scores as well as availability of funds. Final award determinations are made by the Director. Applicants are notified prior to the start of the project period, with awards expected no later than July 1, 2024. The application period for the 2024 cycle opened on January 30, 2024 and closed on March 6, 2024. Questions regarding the application process were required to be submitted by February 21, 2024. The program is recurring, having been funded in multiple consecutive fiscal years, though future funding remains subject to legislative appropriation. Applicants and interested parties are encouraged to monitor program announcements for future cycles, which are expected to follow a similar annual timeline.

Align project clearly with identified gaps and target priorities; provide detailed and feasible methodology; ensure budget is fully justified and consistent with narrative; demonstrate sustainability beyond grant period