RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced today that it is opening the application period for the 2020 Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs. These programs are nationally competitive. The BRIC program is new this year, and it is replacing the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant program that has been around for nearly two decades.
During the 2019 application cycle, VDEM provided additional time to develop applications, resulting in FEMA identifying $34M in projects for further review in Virginia; the largest amount in a single year. Award announcements for these projects are expected to begin in the fall of 2020.
The additional time this year will allow for:
• Identify project opportunities to prioritize vulnerable populations and communities most likely to suffer harm from disasters;
• More complete applications;
• Identify projects in the local hazard mitigation plans;
• More awareness and engagement on these programs among local public works, utilities, floodplain managers, planners and engineers;
• A continued transition of priorities from small isolated projects to projects that have a community-wide impact (homes, businesses, roads, utilities, infrastructure, etc.).
“These new pre-disaster hazard mitigation grants present a great opportunity to equitably build resilience in Virginia’s most at-risk communities” said Curtis Brown, VDEM State Coordinator. “VDEM encourages the emergency management community to coordinate with your internal stakeholders, and identify opportunities to design innovative projects that support communities disproportionately impacted by disasters.”
Depending on the project type, these grant applications require coordination with multiple departments within a community as well as state and federal agencies. Eligible pre-award costs cannot be claimed on the application until after September 30, 2020.
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)The NOFO for FMA and BRIC can be found here: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/fy2020-nofo
• FMA has been allocated $160M for FY 20
• BRIC has been allocated $500M for FY 20
State Program Evaluation Criteria
Through a stakeholder driven process, VDEM develops priorities and scoring criteria for hazard mitigation assistance grants. Criteria will be updated in August for the 2020 cycle, and the 2019 criteria is listed below. (Any updates will be posted on our website and announced through our grant list serve – Register Here.)
• Community Impact
• Long term solution (Project Useful Life)
• Return on Investment (Benefit Cost Ratio)
• Stakeholder vetted
• Scope of Work
• Fiscal Stress
• Risk Reduction related to Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Alternatives Considered
The type of projects eligible for funding are identified below.
Project Types
• Infrastructure Protective Measures
• Floodwater Storage and Diversion
• Floodplain and Stream Restoration
• Water and Sanitary Sewer Protective Measures
• Utility Protective Measures
• Stormwater Management
• Floodproofing of Historic or Non-Residential Structures
• Strategic Acquisition and Demolitions
• Green Infrastructure to Reduce Flooding
• Residential Mitigation Reconstruction
• Soil Stabilization
• Generators for Critical Facilities
• Wildfire Mitigation
• Wind Retrofit/Safe Rooms
• Drought/Aquifer Storage
• Residential Elevations
Application Submission
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://mitigationva.org by November 10, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST.
VDEM will provide three webinars on application development for FMA and BRIC.
Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 2 p.m.
Meeting link: HMA Application Development Webinar
Meeting number: 161 509 0620
Password: Mitigation2020
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 10 a.m.
Meeting link: HMA Application Development Webinar
Meeting number: 161 346 0482
Password: Mitigation2020
Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 2 p.m.
Meeting link: HMA Application Development Webinar
Meeting number: 161 511 9656
Password: Mitigation2020
Program Guidelines
For more information on how to apply, visit https://www.vaemergency.gov/grants/ or contact Debbie Messmer, State Hazard Mitigation Officer at (804) 267-7732.
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An Agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia
