Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Intent
BRIC is a new FEMA pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation PDM program. The guiding principles of the program are to (1) support state and local governments, tribes, and territories through capability and capacity-building to enable them to identify mitigation actions and implement projects that reduce risks posed by natural hazards; (2) encourage and enable innovation while allowing flexibility, consistency, and effectiveness; (3) promote partnerships and enable high-impact investments to reduce risk from natural hazards with a focus on critical services and facilities, public infrastructure, public safety, public health, and communities; (4) provide a significant opportunity to reduce future losses and minimize impacts on the Disaster Relief Fund; and (5) support the adoption and enforcement of building codes, standards, and policies that will protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public, take into account future conditions, and have long-lasting impacts on community risk reduction, including for critical services and facilities and for future disaster costs.
Application Period
FEMA Application Period: Opens on September 30, 2020
Application Deadline to VDEM: November 10, 2020 5:00 PM Eastern Time. This will give VDEM time to review all applications, request additional information, submit all applications through the peer review process and enter highest ranked projects in the new FEMA Go System by FEMA’s application deadline of January 29, 2021.
Eligible Project Types
- Capability- and Capacity-Building (CC&B) Activities: enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of the current workforce to expand or improve the administration of mitigation assistance. This includes:
- Building code activities
- Partnerships
- Project Scoping
- Hazard Mitigation Planning
- Planning Related Activities
- Other Related Activities
- Mitigation Projects: are 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.
- 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 percent of the total amount of the grant award, of which not more than 10 percent of the total award amount may be used by the Recipient and 5 percent by the subrecipient for such costs.
- Direct Technical Assistance: Non-financial assistance to communities to build a community’s capacity and capability to improve its resiliency to natural hazards and to ensure stakeholders are capable of building and sustaining successful mitigation programs, submitting high-quality applications, and implementing new and innovative projects that reduce risk from a wide range of natural hazards.
FEMA Priorities
For FY2020, the priorities for the program are to incentivize public infrastructure projects; incentivize projects that mitigate risk to one or more lifelines; incentivize projects that incorporate nature-based solutions; and increase funding to Applicants that facilitate the adoption and enforcement of the latest published editions of building codes. For details on community lifelines, please visit https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines
Mitigation Plan Integration
In addition, communities are encouraged, but not required, to pursue Plan Integration, which is a process in which communities look critically at their existing planning framework and align efforts. Integration of hazard mitigation principles into other local planning mechanisms (comprehensive plans, transportation plans, floodplain ordinances, etc.) and vice versa is vital to build a safer, more resilient community. This two-way exchange of information supports community-wide risk reduction, both before and after disasters occur. Not only will the community’s planning efforts be better integrated, but by going through this process there is a higher level of interagency coordination, which is just as important as the planning mechanisms themselves. Additional information on Plan Integration can be found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1908- 25045-0016/integrating_hazmit.pdf
Who can apply?
- State-level agencies, including State institutions of higher education;
- Federally Recognized Tribal Governments
- Local jurisdictions that have a FEMA approved and locally adopted hazard mitigation plan at the time of application.
Additional Eligibility Criteria
Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) for Mitigation Projects applicants applying for mitigation projects must provide a BCA or other documentation that validates cost-effectiveness. BCA is the method of estimating the future benefits of a project compared to its cost. The end result is a BCR, which is derived from a project’s total benefits divided by its total project cost. The total benefits and costs must be entered in the Cost-Effectiveness section of the project application and a FEMA-approved BCA must be attached as documentation, as applicable. C&CB activity and management costs subapplications do not require a BCA. FEMA has created software to ensure that the BCR is calculated in accordance with FEMA’s standardized methodologies and OMB Circular A-94. FEMA’s BCA Toolkit is available on the FEMA website at www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis. Version 6.0 or newer are the only versions FEMA will accept as documentation for demonstrating cost-effectiveness. A nonFEMA BCA methodology may only be used if pre-approved by FEMA in writing. For more information, visit the BCA webpage at https://www.fema.gov/benefit-cost-analysis
How To Apply?
The VDEM grants portal is currently accepting pre-applications/applications for this cycle. VDEM encourages applicants to submit pre-applications as soon as possible so VDEM grant administrators can determine eligibility prior to being prompted to submit an application. All project applications, and supporting documentation, must be submitted through the https://vdem.emgrants.com by November 10, 2020 at 5pm.
Cost Share Requirement
The federal share is limited to 75% of the total eligible costs. A 90% cost share may be eligible for small and impoverished communities (defined in the NOFO below).
Grant Resources
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants Guidance
FEMA – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Page
FEMA – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities NOFO
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