Funding

There are many possible funding sources for community projects aiming to reduce risk to life and property. They include:

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has several Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs.
• Hazard Mitigation Grants
• Flood Mitigation Assistance
• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants
• Severe Repetitive Loss Grants
For an overview of what types of projects are covered by each grant type, see this FEMA table (PDF, 14 KB). For brief summaries of the grant programs, see the State's Hazard Mitigation Grants web page.

In Massachusetts, these programs are administered by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Questions? Contact Acting State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Richard Zingarelli, at (617) 626-1406 or Richard.Zingarelli@state.ma.us.
• Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services (a part of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs) offers grants for various projects, including land acquisition. For more information see the Grant and Loan Guide on their homepage.
• Massachusetts Coastal Smart Growth Program has a useful list of many grant programs, some of which may be applicable to efforts to protect coastal communities.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Services Center maintains a list of grant announcements and provides links to additional NOAA, other federal agency, and nonprofit funding. Other opportunities focus on the following four categories:
• Coastal and Natural Resource Management
• Communities
• Data and Information
• Regional Specialties – including information specific to the Northeast
• United States Army Corps of Engineers provides technical services and planning guidance for a broad range of activities, including:
• Flood Plain Management Services
• Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Projects
• Flood Damage Reduction
• Emergency Streambank and Shoreline Protection
• Clearing and Snagging Projects to reduce flood damages
• Navigation Projects
• Ecosystem Restoration in Connection with Dredging (and related beneficial re-use of dredged material)
• Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects including salt marsh restoration
• Environmental Restoration including modifications of current Corps installations to reduce their ecological impacts
For additional information, see the New England District's Corps website.
• For an exhaustive searchable list of available federal grants, see grants.gov.