Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) & Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Programs

Information related to the annual FEMA nationally-competitive hazard mitigation grants.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program

MA State Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) BRIC FY24_FINAL

Submit a Mitigation Statement of Interest (for Construction Projects)

Submit a Mitigation Statement of Interest (for C&CB/Planning)

BRIC & FMA Technical Assistance and Webinars/Briefings

HMA Briefing Presentation Slides January 28, 2025

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, also called BRIC, is an annual FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant funded by FEMA and administered through a partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). MEMA has the authority and responsibility for the collection and review of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program subapplications, recommending technically feasible and cost effective subapplications to FEMA and providing pass-thru funding for FEMA approved and awarded project grants to eligible subapplicants.

The BRIC grant program makes federal funds available to states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local governments for hazard mitigation activities. It does so recognizing the growing hazards associated with climate change , and the need for natural hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation and resilience with respect to those hazards. These include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in the future.

FY 2024 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program - $750 Million available nationwide. The BRIC program’s guiding principles include supporting communities through capability and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation, including multi-hazard resilience or nature-based solutions including the use of native plants; promoting partnerships; enabling large, systems-based projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency. Through these efforts communities are able to better understand disaster risk and vulnerabilities, conduct community-driven resilience, hazard mitigation planning, and design transformational projects and programs.

Eligible Subapplicants include:

• State Agencies 
• Local Governments/Communities 
• Federally-recognized Native American Tribal Governments

Individuals and businesses are not eligible to apply for HMA funds; however, an eligible Applicant or subapplicant may apply for funding on behalf of individuals and businesses.

Eligible Project Activities 

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program aims to support proactive investment in community resilience and risk reduction from natural hazards. FEMA anticipates BRIC funding projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to partnerships, focus on infrastructure projects and Community Lifelines, and invest in project scoping and building capacity. More details are published in MEMA’s NOFO.

BRIC Funding 

As appropriated by the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6); Section 203(i) of the Stafford Act, as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-288) (42 U.S.C. § 5133), the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program provides resources to assist states, tribal governments, territories and local communities in their efforts to implement a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program, as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-288) (42 U.S.C. § 5133 and 5136) as implemented by Hazard Mitigation Assistance: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (FP:104-008-05).

Applicants and Subapplicants must have a FEMA approved mitigation plan as of the application deadline in order to apply for mitigation projects in accordance with Title 44 CFR Part 201. BRIC projects must be cost-effective, technically feasible, effective, and environmentally permittable. Eligible subapplications are awarded on a nationally competitive basis. Federal funding up to $50M is available at a 75 percent cost share per eligible activity. All HMA project grant applications require a completed Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) to be submitted with the application for funding, unless project qualifies for BCA Waiver (pre-calculated benefits).

FEMA continues to include provisions to implement the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act, a law which aims to direct public and private resilience investments in communities that are most vulnerable to natural hazards.

FEMA acknowledges the adoption and enforcement of building codes, specifications, and/or standards as an important mitigation activity that provides significant resilience benefits. Therefore, BRIC continues to dedicate additional funds through a State/Territory and Tribal Building Codes Plus Up for FY 2024 to carry out eligible building code adoption and enforcement activities. See below for  FY24 BRIC C&CB Building Code Activities (FEMA Program Support Material).

More general information on the FEMA BRIC program can be found at the following website: https://www.fema.gov/bric .

FY 2024 BRIC Application Start Date: 1/6/2025.

FY 2024 BRIC STATE subapplication deadline: 3/10/2025 at 11:59PM EST (note: this is the deadline for subapplicants to submit to MEMA, which is different than the FEMA deadline).

FY 2024 FEMA BRIC NOFO

FEMA GO Resources

BRIC - MEMA FAQs

FEMA Community Lifelines

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program

MA State Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) FMA FY24_FINAL

Submit a Mitigation Statement of Interest (for FMA Construction Projects)

Submit a Mitigation Statement of Interest (for FMA Scoping/Planning)

BRIC & FMA Technical Assistance and Webinars/Briefings

The goal of the FMA (Flood Mitigation Assistance) grant program is to employ cost-effective measures to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Federal funding for this nationally-competitive grant program is generally an annual allocation (subject to Congressional appropriation). Applications for this grant program must be submitted through the FEMA Grant Outcome (FEMA GO) system. All HMA project grant applications require a completed Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) to be submitted with the application for funding, unless project qualifies for BCA Waiver (pre-calculated benefits).

FY 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program - $600 Million available nationwide. This includes $60 million total for C&CB Scoping/Planning, $420 million total for Localized Flood Risk Reduction Projects (previously Community Flood Mitigation Projects) and $120 million total for individual projects. The priorities for this program are to incentivize investments that reduce risk and increase pre-disaster mitigation, including expanding the use of insurance to manage risk through funding flood mitigation projects for properties insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Individuals and businesses are not eligible to apply for HMA funds; however, an eligible Applicant or subapplicant may apply for funding on behalf of individuals and businesses.

FY 2024 FMA Application Start Date: 1/6/2025.

FY 2024 FMA STATE subapplication deadline: 3/10/2025 at 11:59PM EST (note: this is the deadline for subapplicants to submit to MEMA, which is different than the FEMA deadline).

FY 2024 FEMA FMA NOFO

FEMA GO Resources

Swift Current (Under Flood Mitigation Assistance)

MA State Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) FMA Swift Current FY23_FINAL

Submit a Mitigation Statement of Interest (for Construction Projects)

FMA FY 2023 Swift Current Presentation Slides July 25, 2024 (DR-4780-MA)

The FMA Swift Current grant program makes federal funds available to states, U.S. territories, federally recognized tribal governments, and local governments to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It does so with a recognition of the growing flood hazards associated with climate change, and of the need for flood hazard risk mitigation activities that promote climate adaptation, equity, and resilience with respect to flooding. These include both acute extreme weather events and chronic stressors which have been observed and are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in the future.

The purpose of FMA Swift Current is to reduce or eliminate the flood risk to NFIP-participating communities and repetitive flood damage to structures and buildings insured by the NFIP following a flood-related disaster event, and to enhance community flood resilience within NFIP-participating communities. It does so by providing funding for mitigation opportunities immediately after a flood disaster event with the aim of delivering mitigation outcomes as quickly as possible.

Eligible activities in FMA Swift Current are Individual Flood Mitigation Projects, for example, structure elevation, property acquisition and structure demolition/relocation, dry floodproofing, and mitigation reconstruction. FMA Swift Current aims to streamline funding through disaster declaration and flood insurance claims-based eligibility criteria, minimized application periods, and narrowed project type eligibility to Individual Flood Mitigation Projects that are Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL), Repetitive Loss (RL) and Substantially Damaged (SD).

Individuals and businesses are not eligible to apply for HMA funds; however, an eligible Applicant or subapplicant may apply for funding on behalf of individuals and businesses.

Based on the applicant eligibility criteria in the FY 2023 Swift Current Notice of Funding Opportunity, FEMA has determined as a result of the DR-4780-MA disaster declaration that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is eligible for Swift Current activation with an allocation up to $20,000,000 available.

FY 2023 FMA Swift Current Application Start Date: 6/15/2024.

FY 2023 FMA Swift Current  STATE subapplication deadline: 9/16/2024 (note: this is the deadline for subapplicants to submit to MEMA, which is different than the FEMA deadline).

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program (Congressionally Directed Spending)

The current Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant program, also referred to as L-PDM or Congressionally Directed Spending, makes federal funds available to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to plan for and implement sustainable cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from future natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on federal funding from future disasters. The program is authorized by Section 203 of the Stafford Act. 

The objective of the L-PDM Grant Program is to fund Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) projects for state, local, tribal, and territorial government efforts to plan for, and implement sustainable cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from future natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on federal funding from future disasters.