The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (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 with a recognition of the growing hazards associated with climate change, and of 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.
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; 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. FEMA's Mitigation Action Portfolio showcases mitigation projects to provide practitioners with examples of activities that integrate the Investment Strategy's goals and reflect the guiding principles of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA).
Awards made under this funding opportunity will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, which will grow a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy by enhancing U.S. competitiveness, driving the creation of good-paying jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union, and ensuring stronger access to economic and environmental benefits for disadvantaged communities. The BIL appropriates billions of dollars to FEMA to promote resilient infrastructure, respond to the impacts of climate change, and equip our nation with the resources to combat its most pressing threats. FEMA will provide financial assistance to eligible BRIC applicants for the following activities:
- Capability and Capacity-Building activities – activities that 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, and other activities;
- Hazard Mitigation Projects – cost-effective projects designed to increase resilience and public safety; reduce injuries and loss of life; and reduce damage and destruction to property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure (including natural systems) from a multitude of natural hazards, including drought, wildfire earthquakes, extreme heat, and the effects of climate change;
- Management Costs – financial assistance to reimburse the recipient and subrecipient for eligible and reasonable indirect costs, direct administrative costs, and other administrative expenses associated with a specific mitigation measure or project in an amount up to 15% of the total amount of the grant award, of which not more than 10% of the total award amount may be used by the recipient and 5% by the subrecipient for such costs generally.
For more information about available assistance through the BRIC grant program, including how to submit various project types in FEMA's Grant Outcomes System (FEMA GO), refer to BRIC program support materials accessible at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities/resources
Applicants can submit applications for this funding opportunity through FEMA Grants Outcomes (GO). Access the system at https://go.fema.gov/
Up to $500,000,000 was available in FY2020 under the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program.
Subapplicants are required to have a FEMA-approved Local or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan in accordance with 44 C.F.R. Part 201 by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for hazard mitigation projects. Subapplicants are exempt from the hazard mitigation plan requirement for the following Capability and Capacity Building activity types: (1) hazard mitigation planning and planning related activities, (2) partnerships, and (3) building codes. Federally recognized Tribal governments, submitting as subapplicants to a state or territory, are included in this exemption. A hazard mitigation plan is required for project scoping subapplications. Hazard mitigation plan integration, while not required to be eligible for BRIC, is encouraged. See Section H.15 for additional information. Local hazard mitigation plans must conform to the 2011 Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide, or 2022 Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide, as applicable.