FEMA opened $1.8 billion in funding to two grant programs this week as part of the Biden administration’s Investing in America Agenda, dangling assistance for communities facing down climate change and the extreme weather it has brought.
Climate resilience is the name of the game, and both the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs kept that concept firmly in mind. BRIC will offer $1 billion for projects to protect people and infrastructure from natural hazards and the effects of climate change, while the Flood Mitigation Assistance program will provide another $800 million to address flood risks to communities nationwide. Funding for both stemmed from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The BRIC and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs are some of the most important resilience grant opportunities in the federal government,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said. “This funding helps communities nationwide design and implement transformational projects to become more resilient to the intensifying and increasingly frequent impacts of climate change. Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the funding provided to FEMA by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we were able to infuse even more money to ensure state, local, tribal and territorial partners can continue to receive meaningful resources to achieve their resilience goals, especially for those communities most in need of support.”
FEMA has expanded its geographic scope in funding selections and the number of communities it seeks to shield as a result of funding increases under the current administration. The Biden administration upped FEMA’s annual resilience grant programs from $700 million to $1.8 billion for FY23, and the new announcements come on the heels of record breaking heat that battered the U.S. this summer.
Applicants must complete a Benefit-Cost Analysis for submission, or a narrative for projects under $1 million demonstrating benefits and cost efficacy. The requirement is waived entirely for Economically Disadvantaged Rural Communities, federally recognized tribal governments and subapplicants with a hazard mitigation project within or primarily benefiting a Community Disaster Resilience Zone.
“As climate change impacts the health, safety and security of more and more Americans, the Biden-Harris Administration is investing in communities to strengthen their resilience against this growing threat,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “The BRIC and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs provide vital lifelines to communities — including those that are most vulnerable and marginalized — funding projects that mitigate the risks associated with climate-driven extreme weather events and building a sustainable foundation for growth and prosperity.”
Both BRIC and FMA applicants must apply for assistance by Feb. 29, 2024.