Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Description: Provides grants to identify mitigation actions and implement projects that reduce risks posed by natural hazards, promote partnership to enable high-impact investments, support adoption and enforcement of codes and standards to facilitate community-wide risk reduction impacts, and to reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disasters. Section 1234 amended Section 203 of the Stafford Act to create a new funding mechanism that will set aside 6 percent of federal post-disaster grant funding in support of a new pre-disaster hazard mitigation grant program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).

Eligibility Requirements:

• Public utilities
• Private non-profit (PNP) and private for-profit (PFP) utilities may be eligible if the local government submits an application on their behalf.
• Eligible applicants are states and territories that have had a major disaster declaration in the last seven years or are federally recognized tribes that are located entirely or partially in such states.
• To be eligible for BRIC funding, the utility should have projects included in the local hazard mitigation plan. Contact your local mitigation officer (typically in the local emergency management agency) or ask your State Hazard Mitigation Officer for your local contact. To help work with your local mitigation officer, see EPA’s Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters: A Starter Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities.

Type and Cost Share: FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Cost Share Guide (PDF) (28 pp, 1.1 MB, About PDF) outlines the cost share for all mitigation programs. BRIC is a grant with a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state/local match, and for small and impoverished communities a 90 percent federal and 10 percent state/local match. The non-federal cost share may consist of cash, donated or third-party in-kind services, materials, or any combination thereof. FEMA encourages innovative use of public and private-sector partnerships to meet the non-federal cost share. See combine funds for ways to satisfy the state/local match.

Mitigation Project Resources

• EPA developed guidance to assist in developing mitigation projects for earthquakes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, droughts and power outages. See EPA’s Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters: A Starter Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities.
• FEMA encourages mitigation strategies including green infrastructure, floodplain and stream restoration, aquifer storage and recovery, and flood diversion and storage.

Application: The "applicant" includes all 50 states, U.S territories, the District of Columbia, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. The applicant prepares and submits the application and accepts input from the sub-applicant (e.g., local government or utility). When awarded, the eligible recipient (e.g., state) makes sub-awards to local governments (including utilities).

Website and Deadline: All BRIC application and eligibility information are included in an annual Notice of Funding Opportunity, which is posted at BRIC.