Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System Readiness Cooperative Agreement | DHS 20 DOD 025 00 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 20 DOD 025 00 01

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System Readiness Cooperative Agreement is a FEMA-funded, DHS discretionary cooperative agreement designed to keep the nation’s 28 US&R task forces fully prepared to deploy on short notice. These task forces are nationally organized, staffed, trained, and equipped teams that support state and local governments during round-the-clock search-and-rescue operations after a Presidentially declared major disaster or emergency under the Stafford Act. The opportunity emphasizes the broad range of incidents the task forces may face, including earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and catastrophic structural collapses. When deployed, the teams integrate with and reinforce local emergency response efforts to locate survivors, conduct technical rescue operations, and help manage early response and recovery activities.

The central purpose of the cooperative agreement is sustainment and readiness. In practical terms, the funding is aimed at ensuring that the System and its sponsoring jurisdictions can maintain the administrative backbone, trained personnel, functional equipment caches, and the facilities needed to remain mission-capable. Because it is a cooperative agreement (rather than a standard grant), FEMA typically expects active involvement and coordination in how the funded activities are implemented, aligning task force readiness with national standards and System guidance.

The program’s priorities focus on several core readiness pillars. First is strong administrative and management capability at the sponsoring agency level, ensuring task force affairs are handled using best practices and that training and exercises are available so personnel can perform their assignments safely and consistently with FEMA and System standards. Second is equipment readiness: task forces are expected to acquire, maintain, and sustain tools and equipment in line with the current, approved FEMA Equipment Cache List, which is the baseline for what a task force should have ready for deployment. Third is facilities support, specifically the ability to lease space necessary for offices, training sites, and storage for equipment and supplies. Fourth is improving standby and pre-deployment preparedness through resources that support catastrophic event planning, mobilization exercises, and technical assistance, all of which help teams deploy faster and operate more effectively when an incident occurs. Finally, the program supports leadership coordination by providing forums where FEMA and sponsoring agency senior leaders can discuss strategic issues affecting the System, which helps maintain consistency across task forces and address national-level readiness concerns.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 97.025 (Disaster Prevention and Relief) and was issued by the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA. The funding opportunity number is DHS 20 DOD 025 00 01. The posting indicates an expected 28 awards, consistent with the 28 national task forces, and a total award ceiling of $37,832,000. The opportunity was created on June 24, 2020, with an original closing date of July 24, 2020. Eligibility is noted as “Others,” with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, which typically corresponds to established US&R task force sponsoring agencies and their administrative organizations rather than open competition among the general public.

Overall, the grant is less about launching new programs and more about keeping a specialized national capability ready every day. It pays for the less visible but essential work of preparedness: governance and administration, recurring training and exercises, standardized equipment sustainment, secure storage and training locations, and planning and coordination that allow the US&R System to respond rapidly and effectively when catastrophic incidents occur.

• The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security - FEMA in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System Readiness Cooperative Agreement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.025.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 24, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $37,832,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 28 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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