Flood Mitigation Program

Overview
The State of North Carolina provided funds to the Golden LEAF Foundation to award funds to units of local government for public infrastructure projects for flood mitigation.

Award Amount
Up to $2,000,000 may be awarded per project. Golden LEAF expects most awards in this program will not exceed $1,000,000.

Projects requesting more than $500,000 must complete the application addendum (posted on the Golden LEAF website) and submit the addendum as an attachment with the application. Applications requesting more than $500,000 that do not submit the addendum with their application at the time of submission will not be eligible.

Available Funds
Golden LEAF has approximately $13.2 million remaining for this program. At Board meetings in February and April 2024, Golden LEAF anticipates awarding a combined total of approximately $6.5 million (depending on the quality of applications submitted and amounts requested by the December deadline), with the balance of the funds to be reserved for awards at the June Board meeting.

Deadline

Date Submitted	Eligible for Consideration
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 12pm	April 4, 2024 meeting of the Golden LEAF Board*
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 12pm	June 6, 2024 meeting of the Golden LEAF Board

*Applications may also be considered at the February 1, 2024 meeting of the Golden LEAF Board.

**Applications submitted that are missing required attachments or provide materially incomplete information will not be considered as having met the deadline.**

Modifications

Status	Process
If you have an active *application* and you would like to update/increase the amount requested.	Reach out to your assigned Golden LEAF Program Officer and ask for the application to be sent back to you in Fluxx to allow modifications.
If you have an active *grant* for a construction project and you need to request a change in scope or want to request additional funding.	Reach out to your assigned Golden LEAF Program Officer for guidance on submitting a modification.
If you have an active *grant* for a planning project and you would like to request funding to implement a recommended/targeted solution.	Project must be submitted as a new application through Fluxx.

Ineligible Projects
This program is focused on mitigating the causes of flooding.

Stream Debris Removal
At this time, stream debris removal is not an eligible use of funds in this program. Applicants are encouraged to pursue the Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program through the Department of Agriculture and/or stream debris removal funds available through the Department of Environmental Quality.

Buildings, Generators, Etc.
Funds may not be used for projects to improve or alter other infrastructure, including elevation of buildings, elevation of controls or other improvements of sewer infrastructure, or other related projects to protect infrastructure from flooding.

Land Acquisition
Funds may not be used to acquire property, regardless of intended use.

Priorities
Golden LEAF expects that applications will exceed funds available for this program and the Golden LEAF Board of Directors will have to prioritize projects for awards. Applications will not be recommended for funding on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Characteristics of competitive proposals include:

Efforts to mitigate against hazards with a frequency beyond a hurricane or other named storm.
Clear benefit for residents, businesses, and other entities within a community with priority on those where flooding poses a risk for life, health, and safety.
A demonstrated likelihood of success and feasibility demonstrated by engineering reports and analysis by professional engineers.
A current (within the last six months) estimate of probable cost or other similar document
Linked to a comprehensive stormwater assessment or planning effort with community support.
Sustainable outcomes that can be maintained following use of funds.
Leveraging of non-Golden LEAF funds or demonstrating that local funds are unavailable and/or insufficient to complete the project.

If you have questions about how your proposed project would be prioritized, please submit the inquiry form linked here.

Application Review and Notification
Applicants will be notified when their proposal is scheduled for consideration at a meeting of the Golden LEAF Board of Directors. This notification typically occurs no less than ten days prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. Applications will not necessarily be taken up at the next meeting of the Board or in the order they are received.

The Golden LEAF Board of Directors will decide whether or not to fund the proposal, request more information, or take some other action. Communications regarding the application and the Board’s action will be sent to the person identified as the Project Director on the application form.

Eligible Entities

Funds may only be awarded to units of local government. Local governments from all 100 counties are eligible. For purposes of this program, units of local governments include counties and cities and their boards, agencies, commissions, authorities, and institutions.

Eligible Projects
This program is focused on reduction of existing flooding.

Construction of new or improvement of existing publicly owned stormwater infrastructure, including natural drainage infrastructure and flood control equipment.
Repair of existing stormwater infrastructure damaged or destroyed by flooding, which must include improvements to mitigate against flooding.
Engineering expenses related to planning and development of flood mitigation solutions. See guidelines for additional detail on eligible use of funds in this category.