Flood Impacted Political Subdivision Infrastructure Development Grant Application Guidelines

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Extension of Grant Funds:

As part of Senate Bill 2013, the 2013 Legislature approved an extension of the flood impact grant funds provided through the Energy Infrastructure and Impact Office. This change will allow the reimbursement of Flood Impact Grants beyond the previous June 30, 2013 deadline. We encourage the use of these funds as soon as possible to realize the benefits they can provide.

August 30, 2012, the North Dakota Board of University and School Lands made $2.4 million in awards for flood-recovery projects. A list of the awards can be found using the following Link.

On May 31, 2012, the Land Board made additional first round awards for Flood-Impacted Political Subdivision Infrastructure Development Grants. Please access the list of awards made using this link!

The Board of University and School Lands (Land Board) is accepting applications for Flood-Impacted Political Subdivision Infrastructure Development Grants. Qualifying Political Subdivisions include Cities, Counties, Schools, Park Districts, and other entities authorized by the state as a taxing political entity. Projects qualifying for grant funds fall into the following categories as outlined in legislation passed during the special session of the Legislature in November of 2011.

• Develop new community infrastructure, the need for which is directly related to the displacement of residents due to flooding. Infrastructure includes but is not limited to community-owned waterlines, sewer, curb and gutter.
• Evaluate the extent of damage to community-owned infrastructure.
• Restore or repair flood-related damage to community-owned infrastructure.
• Expand landfill capacity or reimburse flood-related waste disposal costs.
• Raise roads or develop flood control structures.
• Acquire property needed for floodway development or levee construction.
• Acquire homes damaged by levee construction.
• Provide reimbursement for other flood related expenses.

Applicants must be a political subdivision within one of the nine FEMA declared Individual Assistance disaster counties as a result of damages sustained in the 2011 flood: Barnes, Benson, Burleigh, McHenry, Morton, Ward, Ramsey, Renville, or Richland Counties.
Grants can fund up to 50% of the cost of an eligible project. Grant fund awards will target political subdivisions with damage repair costs that are not covered by other types of funding from government sources or insurance. Projects that have already been funded or are underway will receive lower priority, as the grants are not intended to supplant other funding.
The grant application shall describe the political subdivision’s eligible project, the source for the required matching funds, and any additional detail supporting the project requested.

To the extent possible, grant applications from eligible political subdivisions should be combined and prioritized at the county level and submitted jointly from each county. The deadline for submitting proposals for the initial distribution of grants is March 20, 2012. Completed applications can be sent electronically to: floodimpact@nd.gov.

The proposals will be evaluated by the Energy Infrastructure and Impact Office, which shall make recommendations to the Land Board, which will authorize grant awards.

All project applications should be accompanied by professionally documented cost estimates. The following details should be included in applications for funds from the initial distribution of grants. This is the base documentation necessary within an application; additional information may be requested. All applications should include a primary point of contact, who can be contacted for additional information.

• Development of new community infrastructure needed to support displaced residents:
• Number of households that will be supported or established by the project, both short term and long term.
• Level of affordable housing and multi-family housing that would be constructed by the project described in the grant application.


• Projects necessary to evaluate and identify the extent of flood damage to community-owned infrastructure:
• Define the actual costs to evaluate the extent of damage.
• Describe the necessity of evaluating flood-related damage through a third party.


• Efforts to restore or repair flood-related damage to community-owned infrastructure:
• Describe the damage and efforts to resolve, and describe why restoration is not covered by other programs.
• Priority directed to costs to restore or repair the flood-related damages that are not funded by the Federal Government, the State of ND, or insurance.


• Expansion of landfill capacity or reimburse flood-related waste disposal costs necessitated by flood-related debris.
• Include documentation of the landfill capacity challenges and describe the plan for expanding the capacity.


• Projects to raise a roadway.
• Describe and detail with maps, road raise projects that are not eligible for cost share from Federal or ND State funds.


• Projects to acquire property needed for floodway development or levy construction.
• Applicants should include documentation of permits needed to divert water that will reduce future hazards and detail jurisdiction to flood protection.


• Acquisition of homes damaged by levee construction.
• Detail damage to home(s) including photos.
• Provide copies of documentation of insurance proceeds or other funds received by the homeowner related to the levee-related damage.
• Explain why other funds are not available to purchase or repair the home.


• Projects for other flood-related damage
• Describe the unique expenses that were not reimbursable through any other Federal, State, or Insurance program.

A combination of factors will be used to evaluate “Relative Damage” among the nine eligible counties. Up to $25.5 million will be made available in the initial grant round and $4.5 million will be reserved for unanticipated or unknown needs. The reserved funds would not be targeted to specific counties, but awarded based upon merit and need and lack of funding from other sources. Applications are due March 20, 2012.

Following a successful grant award, political subdivisions will be asked to concur with the terms of the Flood Impact Grant, which include completing the project described and supplying documentation of the progress or completion of significant phases of the funded project to use as the basis for fund disbursement.

Approval of “Requests for Reimbursement” of funds will be based on the scope of work identified in the approved grant application. Changes from the original scope of work must be submitted to the Flood Impact Office Director for review and approval prior to execution. Unauthorized changes in scope may result in a denial of reimbursement funds. After grant funds have been approved, if funding from any other source becomes available, grantee must notify the Director, so that the Land Board may reallocate funds to other applicants or projects. Funds not expended or projected to be expended during the life of the authorized project, as of September 30, 2012, may be reallocated to other applicants or projects.

The reporting and accounting requirements will be specified in the grant award notice provided by the Flood Impact Office.