FY 25 Virginia Emergency Shelter Upgrade Assistance Grant Fund

Description

The Virginia Emergency Shelter Upgrade Assistance Fund, was a result of Senate Bill 350, introduced by Senator Lucas, and went into effect on July 1, 2020.

Funding Intent

Moneys in the fund shall be used solely for the purposes of providing matching funds to localities to install, maintain, or repair permanent infrastructure related to standby backup energy generation for emergency shelters, including solar energy generators, and to improve the hazard-specific structural integrity (wind retrofit) of shelter facilities owned by the locality.

Funding Priorities

• Project supports/protects vulnerable and marginalized populations

• Project is a long-term and permanent risk based solution

• Localities that submit applications for their primary shelter solutions will have priority. This will be verified by Local Capabilities Assessment Report (LCAR) submissions.

Project identifies alternative solutions Grant Policy Guidance

Application Period

FY 25 Application Period Opened: November 15, 2024 Application Deadline to VDEM: February 14, 2025

Eligible Project Types

• Purchase and installation of a permanent generator for a local shelter.

• Purchase and installation of generator transfer switches or “quick connects” for a local shelter.

• Purchase and installation of a solar power generation solution for a shelter.

• Wind hardening or “retrofit” of a local shelter.

Eligibility Criteria

Local governments must have a current and locally-adopted emergency operations plan, in compliance with the Code of Virginia §44.146.19(E) (revised every 4 years) by the application deadline.

Who can apply?

Local governments, as defined as political subdivisions in the Emergency Services and Disaster Laws

§44-146.16 “any city or county in the Commonwealth and, for the purposes of this chapter, the Town of Chincoteague, West Point, and any town of more than 5,000 population that chooses to have an emergency management program separate from that of the county in which such town is located.”

How To Apply?

All project applications, and supporting documentation, must be submitted through the VDEM EM Grants by February 14, 2025.

Link: Emergency Shelter Upgrade Assistance Grant Application

Note: If you do not have a VDEM EM Grants account, please register for an account here and indicate the reason as Shelter Upgrade application, and the program category as Hazard Mitigation Assistance. VDEM staff will review and approve your account request, at which point you can begin the application.

Funding Limits

1. For FY25, there is $2,500,000 appropriated by the General Assembly to this fund.

2. Local governments are limited to one shelter upgrade application per year. However, the one application may include more than one site.

3. Limit of $450,000 (state share) for any single grant award.

4. Shelter Upgrade Fund may match any existing FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants to upgrade shelters.

5. Local governments can only receive and implement one shelter upgrade grant at a time. Construction on any previous awards must be complete at the time of application. If a current Shelter Upgrade Grant project is in progress, the local government may still apply and receive the award after the conclusion of the current project.

Cost Share Requirement

6. State cost share is limited to the Local Council of Governments Fiscal Stress Index, which could be anywhere between 60-75% of total project costs. However, local governments may “overmatch” to achieve the desired outcome of the scope of work.

7. Locality cost share percentages are available for reference below.

Period of Performance

• The period of performance (POP) is 18 months.

Contact Information

Please contact Lauren Tanner, hazard mitigation grants administrator, at Lauren.Tanner@vdem.virginia.gov.

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