What to know about FEMA’s FY2024 BRIC program
FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is an annual grant program allocating federal funds to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to implement natural hazard risk reduction activities. The FY2024 BRIC NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) was released on January 6, 2025, and there is $750 million available to build community resilience and reduce future disaster damages. Understanding both new and ongoing priorities for the program will be pivotal to state and local governments' success in this year’s application process. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know to navigate the grant application process successfully this year.
Key changes from the FY2023 NOFO
Now in its fifth fiscal year cycle, the BRIC program continues to present a valuable opportunity for state and local governments across the country to apply for disaster mitigation funding. There are minimal changes to the program’s priorities, eligibility, and evaluation criteria points compared to the FY2023 BRIC program. However, there are programmatic changes specifically related to how FEMA will allocate available funding with a new funding cap per applicant.
1. Reduction in total funding available from $1 billion in FY2023 to $750 million total available funding, of which $451 million is part of the National Competition.
2. New funding cap of 20%, or $150M, on applicants (states), which includes the sum of all federal funding category requests (Management Costs, State/Tribal Allocation or Tribal Set-Aside, Building Code Plus-Up, and the National Competition).
3. Project scoping sub-applicants can apply without FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plans. FEMA will select up to 10% of funding or $45 million for project scoping activities for the National Competition.
4. Elimination of the $400,000 minimum spend requirement for benefitting Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ) under the State/Territory allocation.
5. Additional Qualitative Evaluation Criteria guidance, which now outlines where in the sub-application each topic/information should be found and provides more detail about the information needed for each criterion.
6. A new benefiting area mapping tool, Grant Equity Threshold Tool (GETT), was added along with the previously available Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT).
Due to the new applicant funding cap, states that have historically received large amounts of funding over the 20% or $150 million cap, namely California, New York, and Florida, may receive less funding than prior cycles. For states that haven’t historically had as many awarded projects, there is now greater potential for getting more projects funded.
Overall, modifications to this year’s BRIC program are intended to streamline the application process and increase accessibility of funding. The fiscal changes to the BRIC program are driven by a reduction in total funding to $750 million and the inclusion of a new funding cap of 20%, or $150 million, per applicant (states and federally recognized Tribal nations). This cap applies to all funding categories combined. It is expected to make the sub-application review process more competitive, as applicants will have to be more strategic and prescriptive in their National Competition submissions to balance local priorities. However, it also aims to ensure a more equitable geographic distribution of funds, supporting competitive projects across a broader range of locations. This strategic adjustment balances maintaining high standards for project selection with promoting widespread resilience-building efforts.
Figure 1: Federal cost share by applicants for BRIC FY2020 to FY2023
FEMA also introduced a cap on funding for project scoping sub-applications, limiting it to 10% of program funding or $45 million. Previously, project scoping sub-applications were capped at $2M of state set-aside funds. Now there is an additional opportunity to submit project scoping sub-applications through the National Competition. Figure 2 demonstrates the fiscal breakdown of the FY2024 BRIC program.
Figure 2: Funding availability overview
- Decreased the National Competition total from $701M to $451M.
- *10% of funding, or $45 million this year, available for project scoping activities under the National Competition.
Improving equitable distribution of funds
The removal of the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) requirement for project scoping sub-applications will allow communities, particularly disadvantaged or rural ones, to begin resilience planning activities while an HMP is being developed or updated. This change enhances access to program funds and improves equity.
The updated guidance for the Qualitative Evaluation Criteria section reduces barriers for sub-applicants by clearly indicating where data points should be included to fulfill the criteria, increasing the likelihood of compliance. The introduction of a new mapping tool, the Grant Equity Threshold Tool (GETT), supports efforts to reduce barriers by providing free resources to the public, eliminating the need for expensive software to meet mapping requirements. GETT allows users to view the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), Community Disaster Resilience Zones, and Community Resilience Challenges Index in one place and calculate the percentage of the population within the proposed project area that live in the designated census tract types.
GETT, along with the previously available Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT), come with tutorials and prepopulated datasets, allowing users to import data or identify the project area within the tool, thereby streamlining the process of creating benefiting area maps as required by the NOFO. These tools improve access to program funding by taking the guesswork out of social and economic data analysis needed for a competitive BRIC application.
Guiding principles for FY2024
Overall, the priorities for FY2024 applications and sub-applications remain similar to those from FY2023 with minor changes to the language. Incorporating the following FEMA priorities into your BRIC sub-application strategy will help position you for success at both the applicant and federal levels.
1. Incentivize natural hazard risk reduction activities, including those that address multi-hazards that mitigate current and future risk to public infrastructure and disadvantaged communities.
2. Incorporate nature-based solutions, including those designed to reduce carbon emissions.
3. Enhance climate resilience and adaptation.
4. Increase funding to applicants that facilitate the adoption and enforcement of the latest published editions of building codes.
Evaluation criteria reminders to maximize competitiveness
With fewer funds available, a cap on applicant funding, and additional opportunities for securing project scoping funds, sub-applicants should spend time thinking tactically about their BRIC sub-applications. FEMA’s emphasis on equitable geographic distribution of funds means that sub-applicants need to highlight how their projects will provide the greatest impact to overall community as well as rural, underserved, or disadvantaged communities. These adjustments require applicants to streamline and strengthen their proposals to stand out in a more competitive environment.
FEMA has not made any significant changes to its technical and qualitative evaluation criteria compared to the FY2023 BRIC cycle. Keep in mind the following point allocations when writing sub-applications, as they form the foundation for success. The final score for sub-applications is determined by averaging the scores from all panelists.
Technical Evaluation Criteria
- 15 points for Critical Infrastructure Projects.
- 5-15 points for Nature-Based Solutions or Structural Seismic Activity for Hazard Mitigation.
- 5-20 points total for Building Code Adoption, Adoption of Higher Standard, and Enforcement with 5-10 points for building code adoption and 10 points for building code enforcement using the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule.
- 10 points for projects that are generated from a previous FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance project scoping award or any other federal grant award, or the sub-applicant is a past recipient of BRIC Direct Technical Assistance.
- 30 points for projects in or primarily benefiting CEJST communities *OR* 40 points for primary benefits to Economically Disadvantaged Rural Community, federally recognized Tribe, or Community Disaster Resilience Zone community.
Qualitative Evaluation Criteria
- 30 points for Risk Reduction and Resilience Effectiveness, including how the project will provide secondary benefits, such as addressing inequities and reducing greenhouse gases.
- 20 points for Climate Change and Other Future Conditions based on if the project will enhance climate adaptation, respond to the effects of climate change and future conditions, and provide relevant data sources and models.
- 15 points for Implementation Measures, including explanations for how the costs and schedule will be managed and how the project will be successfully completed.
- 25 points for Population Impacted that identifies benefits to the entire community, describes the impacted population, including CEJST communities, and how the project plans to maximize positive and minimize negative impacts to disadvantaged communities.
- 5 points for Community Engagement and Other Outreach Activities, showing that the project will promote discussion and disaster resilience among the community.
- 5 points for Leveraging Partners to ensure projects meet community needs.
Four strategies to enhance mitigation project success
To effectively navigate this year’s BRIC funding changes, consider the following four key strategies:
1. Understand your state’s prioritization process
Ask your state about their evaluation and prioritization process so you understand priorities and if they plan to submit all sub-applications.
2. Consider competitive project costs
Consider submitting smaller projects that may have higher chances of success. For context, $150M will fund two $50M projects with a handful of smaller projects. For higher-dollar projects, sub-applicants may want to consider increasing local match. This strategy demonstrates the sub-applicant’s commitment to the project and reduces the amount of federal funding needed from the grant.
3. Submit scoping sub-applications
Submit project scoping sub-applications to build your pipeline of compliant and more competitive project applications for future cycles.
4. Conduct Benefit–Cost Analyses
Conduct your BCAs, even if your project is lower than the $1 million threshold. This takes guesswork away from State and FEMA reviewers and makes it easier to evaluate applications.
Leverage other federal funding programs
BRIC grant funding is just one component of the disaster resilience funding that is available through the 2025 Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. Other funding sources, such as the US Department of Housing Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (HUD CDBG-DR), and state appropriations, such as funding that the North Carolina General Assembly is approving, can be better fits for certain projects.
For communities in states with open disaster declarations, consider submitting high-dollar mitigation projects focused on critical infrastructure with benefits to large populations or low-to-moderate income populations to other programs such as FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) or HUD CDBG-DR. For example, HUD allocated $1.6 billion in CBDG-DR funding to North Carolina for 2024 hurricane recovery and billions in HMGP funding is expected to be allocated across states impacted by Hurricane’s Milton and Helene.
One way to tactically leverage various funding programs is to create a funding strategy. A funding strategy can provide a clear roadmap and structured plan to pursue and apply for different federal, state, and local funding opportunities. Funding strategies can help an entity stay focused and organized and be more efficient with their available resources. By having a clear plan, entities can be proactive and tailor multiple grant applications for one project or similar projects to better match the requirement of each grant program.
Navigating the application process
The application period opened on January 6, 2024. All applications must be submitted into the FEMA Grant Outcomes (FEMA GO) management system by 3pm ET on April 18, 2025. Interested sub-applicants should consult with their State, Tribal, or Territorial agency—and monitor their websites—for additional details and deadlines for pre-applications and sub-applications. States often have their own deadlines for pre-applications (or Letters of Interest, Notices of Intent, etc.) and sub-applications that enable them to conduct a thorough review, request additional information, and ultimately approve or deny submission to FEMA. We encourage you to reach out to your State Hazard Mitigation Office or other State, Tribal, or Territorial agency for assistance.