Fiscal Year 2026 Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program - Region 9

The Cooperating Technical Partners Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and serves as a key mechanism for advancing the goals of the National Flood Insurance Program. The program is designed to build local and regional capacity to understand, map, and mitigate flood risks by establishing formal partnerships between FEMA and eligible governmental, nonprofit, and academic entities. Through these partnerships, recipients collaborate with FEMA to develop and maintain flood hazard data and mapping products that inform community planning and risk reduction strategies. The primary objective of the program is to enhance the identification of flood-prone areas and provide communities with accurate, high-quality flood risk information. This supports evidence-based decision making, encourages resilient development practices, and improves public awareness of flood hazards. For the fiscal year covered by this opportunity, FEMA emphasizes completing existing flood mapping projects rather than initiating new studies. As a result, allowable activities are limited to flood risk projects, letter of map revision review activities, and project management functions that contribute directly to ongoing mapping efforts. Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, reflecting FEMA’s substantial involvement in project execution. The agency collaborates closely with recipients throughout the project lifecycle, including planning, review of deliverables, quality assurance, and coordination with stakeholders. Funding may support activities such as technical hazard identification, mapping updates, and review of flood map revisions. However, certain costs are explicitly prohibited, including construction, equipment purchases, and international travel unless pre-approved. The program does not require cost sharing, though applicants demonstrating strong partner contributions may receive favorable consideration during evaluation. Eligibility is restricted to entities that already maintain an active Partnership Agreement with FEMA, which serves as a prerequisite for participation. Eligible applicants include state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, institutions of higher education, and qualifying nonprofit organizations. Applicants must submit this signed agreement along with their application and demonstrate the technical capability, staffing, and organizational structure necessary to carry out program activities. Subawards are permitted, and applicants may partner with other entities to implement project components. Applications must be submitted through the FEMA Grants Outcomes system, and applicants are required to maintain active registrations with SAM.gov and Grants.gov prior to submission. Required components include standard federal forms, a detailed budget, and a mapping activity statement or scope of work outlining proposed activities. FEMA evaluates applications based on past performance, technical capability, and the extent of partner contributions. Applications that fail to meet threshold requirements, including eligibility and completeness, are removed from consideration before scoring. The application period opens in early July and closes in mid-August, with awards expected by the end of September. The period of performance spans approximately three years, beginning in October and concluding in September of the third year. During this time, recipients are required to submit quarterly financial and performance reports and comply with all federal administrative and programmatic requirements. While the opportunity is offered annually across FEMA regions, applicants must monitor future cycles for updated timelines and priorities based on federal funding allocations and program needs.

Emphasize past FEMA partnership performance, demonstrate strong technical mapping capability, and highlight partner contributions to strengthen competitiveness