PIER projects must follow a broad range of federal regulations involving environmental compliance, using federal prevailing wages on construction projects, obtaining proper procurement, applying fair housing and civil rights regulations, completing financial audits, and having compliant financial systems. For more details on applicable rules, see Playing by the Rules: A Handbook for CDBG Subrecipients on Administrative Systems.
Project Leads and Applicants
To be eligible for PIER, organizations must have the skills, experience, and resources needed to successfully complete the project or program. These organizations may include:
- Tribal, state, county, and municipal governments, agencies, and districts
- Schools (K–12)
- Public housing entities
- Nonprofits with a specific public role for planning and infrastructure projects and general nonprofits for economic revitalization projects
PIER funds projects that focus on preventing future loss of life or property from natural hazards listed in hazard mitigation plans. These projects must address recovery needs from the 2020 Labor Day Disasters and involve infrastructure, planning, or economic revitalization efforts.
- Address recovery needs from the 2020 Labor Day Disasters
- Focus on infrastructure, economic revitalization, or planning
- Align with the goals of enhancing community resilience and long-term recovery
- Demonstrate the capacity to implement proposed planning activities effectively
- Engage with local stakeholders and incorporate community input into the planning process
- Address recovery needs from the 2020 Labor Day Disasters
- Include rebuilding or constructing public facilities and infrastructure
- Aim to increase community resilience
- Support new housing or replacement of damaged housing
- Address unmet economic recovery needs from the 2020 Labor Day Disasters
- Support long-term economic resilience and growth
- Focus on restoring and improving local businesses and economies
- Engage in activities such as job creation, workforce development, and business support
- Include projects that promote economic recovery and cater to vulnerable populations
- Demonstrate clear benefits to the affected community
Each type of project has specific eligibility criteria. For more detailed information, visit the PIER Program Overview for each project type:
Planning, Infrastructure, and Economic Revitalization.
Ineligible Projects
To ensure that resources are effectively and properly used for recovery purposes, certain projects are ineligible for PIER program funding.
- Improving or building city halls or other administrative buildings for general government operations [except to be compliant with The Americans with Disability Act (ADA)]
- Covering general government expenses
- Purchasing equipment not integral to a public facility
- Covering the operation costs of public facilities
- Maintaining or repairing facilities due to deferred maintenance
- Developing general capacity growth without a disaster tieback
- Assisting privately owned for-profit utility companies that do not meet U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements