With over $700M made available for FY 2020 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programs, FEMA received well over 1,200 subapplications for funding. These include 31 subapplicants (30 states/territories and 1 tribal government) competing for $200M in FMA funding, and 115 subapplicants (53 states/territories and 62 tribal governments) vying for $500M in BRIC funding. Interestingly, the number of requests for BRIC funding equates to $3.6B, (yes, 3.6B!) so it will be very interesting to see just who receives the financial assistance to support which projects, when announced in summer 2021. 

“It’s exciting to know that so many of these projects, once selected and completed, will significantly strengthen national resilience and reduce disaster suffering in communities across the country,” said Katherine Fox, Assistant Administrator for the Mitigation Directorate in FEMA’s Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration.

The application period to apply for fiscal year 2020 FMA and BRIC funding opened on Sept. 30, 2020, and closed on Jan. 29, 2021. Between the time of the closing of the application period and when projects are selected for potential funding, FEMA reviews each subapplication to ensure eligibility and minimum program requirements are met. Want to learn more about the types of subapplications that were received? View the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Annual Grant Cycle Submissions Summary online at https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/hazard-mitigation-assistance-hma-annual-grant-cycle-submissions-summary

Also, if you want to learn more about the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division’s grant programs, simply visit https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation. And if time permits, check out the Making Mitigation Work Webinar Series sponsored by FEMA and the Natural Hazards Center. These free, one-hour webinars feature innovative speakers and highlight recent progress in mitigation policy, practice, and research. Learn more and register.

On behalf of everyone at BOLDplanning, a leader in hazard mitigation planning, congratulations in advance to the recipients of FEMA’s FY2020 FMA and BRIC Grant Cycle!