FEMA has recently opened the FY20 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Notification of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program and the new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) pre-disaster mitigation grant programs.
The FMA grant program provides states, local communities, tribes, and territories with funding for mitigation activity to strengthen the resilience to flood damage from natural disasters. There is a total of $160 million dollars allocated to the FMA grants. Grant winners will have to address one of the key eligibility requirements in order to be considered:
- Reduces vulnerability of communities to disasters and their effects.
- Promotes individual and community safety and their ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies (resilience).
- Promotes community vitality after a disaster.
- Lessens response and recovery resource requirements after a disaster.
- Results in safer communities that are less reliant on external financial assistance.
Read the FMA NOFO here.
FEMA has also made funds available through another grant program, the Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC). Through BRIC, in FY20, FEMA will distribute up to $500 million dollars. Each state or territory is allocated $33.6 million and up to $600,000 per applicant. The BRIC priorities are to
- incentivize public infrastructure projects;
- incentivize projects that mitigate risk to one or more lifelines;
- incentivize projects that incorporate nature-based solutions; and,
- incentivize adoption and enforcement of modern building codes.
Read the BRIC NOFO here.
FEMA is also hosting NOFO Webinars for more information on both the BRIC and FMA grant programs. Register for one here.
