Before You Apply for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Funds

Eligibility

Funding

Capability- and Capacity-Building Activities

Cost Share, Pre-Award & Management Costs

Phased Projects

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funds may be used for:

• Capability- and Capacity-Building (C&CB) activities.
• Hazard mitigation projects.
• Management costs.

Hazard mitigation projects must:

• Be cost effective.
• Be designed to increase resilience and public safety and reduce the risk of injuries, loss of life, and damage to and destruction of property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure.
• Meet either of the two latest published editions of relevant, consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards that incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs.
• Align with the applicable Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP).
• Meet all criteria and applicable federal, state, tribal, and local floodplain and land use laws defined in the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide (HMA Guide).
• Meet all Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) requirements.

If the hazard mitigation project is within a Special Flood Hazard Area, it must meet all the following conditions:

• The project is in a jurisdiction that is participating in the National Flood Insurance Program and is not on probation, suspended or withdrawn.
• The property owner obtains and maintains flood insurance for the life of the structure, regardless of transfer of ownership, in an amount at least equal to the project cost or to the maximum limit of coverage made available with respect to the mitigated property, whichever is less.
• The project complies with the requirements of FEMA Policy 206-24-005: Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS).

Eligibility

Eligible states, territories and federally-recognized tribal governments can submit applications on behalf of subapplicants for BRIC funding in the FEMA Grants Outcomes (FEMA GO). This is the grants management system to support FEMA grant programs.

Applicants may have their own priorities or requirements when screening their subapplications. Subapplicants cannot submit these directly to FEMA. Subapplicants must submit them to their applicant for review and submission.

Individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations cannot apply directly to FEMA. However, they can be included in a subapplication submitted by an eligible subapplicant.

Applicants and Subapplicants

Applicants often determine mitigation priorities. These are generally aligned with the program's visions and goals. The State Hazard Mitigation Officer or the equivalent representative for a federally-recognized tribal government or territory can help determine which hazards pose the greatest threat and what the best strategies are for mitigation. From these broad strategies, subapplicants weigh public interest and target specific projects to benefit their communities.

Entities interested in creating BRIC subapplications may contact local jurisdiction managers, as well as planning and emergency management offices within local governments. These include cities, townships, counties, special districts and federally-recognized tribal governments.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants may include states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and federally-recognized tribal governments.
• The District of Columbia and each state, territory, and federally-recognized tribal government shall designate one agency to serve as the applicant for BRIC funding. Each agency may submit only one BRIC grant application to FEMA. An application can be made up of an unlimited number of subapplications.
• Applicants must have a FEMA-approved State or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan by the application deadline. Hazard mitigation planning subapplications submitted by applicants are exempt from this requirement.
• Applicants must have received a major disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in the seven years before the application period start date.

SUBAPPLICANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments, state agencies and federally-recognized tribal governments (who choose to apply as subapplicants) are considered subapplicants. They must submit subapplications to their state, territory or tribal applicant agency.
• Subapplicants must have a FEMA-approved Local or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan  in accordance with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations Part 201 by the application deadline. All C&CB activity types are exempt from the plan requirement. Federally-recognized tribal governments that are submitting as subapplicants to a state or territory are included in this exemption.

Funding

For this funding cycle for the BRIC program, FEMA will distribute up to $750 million in the following manner:

Capability- and Capacity-Building Activities

Capability- and capacity-building (C&CB activities enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of the current workforce to expand or improve the administration of mitigation assistance. This includes activities in the following sub-categories:

• Building codes.
• Partnerships.
• Project scoping.
• Hazard mitigation planning and planning-related activities.

FY 2024 Funding for Capability- and Capacity-Building

Capability- and capacity-building activities can be submitted under the state/territory allocation, tribal set-aside, and now the national competition (for project scoping). All applicants need to ensure their C&CB activities up to $2 million are ranked in order within FEMA GO.

Cost Share Requirements, Pre-Award Costs and Management Costs

A cost share is required for all subapplications funded under BRIC. The non-federal cost share funding may consist of cash; donated or third-party in-kind services and materials; or any combination thereof. Cost share amounts are as follows:

• Generally, the cost share for this program is 75% federal and 25% non-federal cost share funding.
• Hazard mitigation projects performed within or that primarily benefit a designated Community Disaster Resilience Zone are eligible for an increase in cost share up to 90% federal and 10% non-federal with the goal to lessen the financial burden on communities to perform resilience-related activities.
• Economically Disadvantaged Rural Communities (EDRCs) are eligible for an increase in funding as well, up to a 90% federal and 10% non-federal cost share. EDRCs are communities of 3,000 or fewer people, identified by the applicant, with residents having an average per capita annual income no more than 80% of the national per capita income, based on the best available data.
• For insular areas – including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands – FEMA automatically waives the non-federal cost share for the recipient when the non-federal cost share for the entire award is under $200,000. The applicant may request the waiver when they apply.
• FEMA provides 100% federal cost share funding for management costs.

Pre-Award Costs

Pre-award costs directly related to developing the BRIC grant application or subapplication that are incurred before the date of the grant award are subject to FEMA approval at the time of award.

These are examples of costs incurred prior to the application submission: gathering National Environmental Policy Act data; developing a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA); preparing design specifications; and conducting workshops or meetings related to the development and submission of subapplications.

To be eligible for BRIC funding, pre-award costs must be identified in an individual line item in the cost estimate of the subapplication.

Pre-award costs may be cost shared. Applicants and subapplicants may also identify them as their non-federal cost share.

Costs associated with the implementation of proposed projects in the submitted grant application or subapplication that are incurred before the date of the grant award are not allowed. Activities begun or completed before the date of the grant award are generally not eligible.

There is financial assistance to reimburse the recipient and subrecipient for eligible and reasonably incurred indirect costs, direct administrative costs, and other administrative expenses for a specific mitigation measure or project in an amount up to 15% of the total grant award. Generally, of this amount, no more than 10% may be used by the recipient and 5% by the subrecipient for such costs.

Eligible applicant or subapplicant management cost activities may include:

• Solicitation, review, and processing of subapplications and subawards.
• Subapplication development and technical assistance to subapplicants regarding feasibility, effectiveness, and BCA.
• Geocoding mitigation projects identified for further review by FEMA.
• Delivery of technical assistance (e.g., plan reviews, planning workshops, training) to support the implementation of mitigation activities.
• Managing awards (e.g., quarterly reporting including managing Go/No-Go milestones, closeout).
• Technical monitoring (e.g., site visits, technical meetings).
• Purchase of equipment, per diem and travel expenses, and professional development that is directly related to the implementation of Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs.
• Staff salary costs directly related to performing the activities listed above.

Phased projects are complex projects for which FEMA provides funding to subapplicants to prepare all the technical and environmental information, including design, engineering studies, final BCA and permitting, before issuing a full construction approval.

Phasing is for projects that are further along in development but lack funding to complete certain technical pieces. Phasing a project allows funds to be reserved through the same grant cycle. Note that phased projects differ from project scoping activities. Project scoping could help a community develop a project from the very beginning and includes problem evaluation, analysis of alternatives and development of a project concept or initial design in addition to all the tasks eligible for a phased project. On the other hand, phased projects are used when a subapplicant has a preliminary plan or concept where FEMA can make initial eligibility, technical feasibility, and cost-effectiveness determinations.

If the project is determined to be eligible, technically feasible, cost effective, and compliant with EHP requirements under the technical review of Phase I deliverables, the project may then be approved for construction under Phase II.