The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced nearly $1.3 billion in funding and funding opportunities in late October for disaster recovery, hazard mitigation, resilience programs and flood-risk reduction.
The agency is offering $400 million through its Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program. The funding is intended to help states, territories, tribal nations and the District of Columbia reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and other structures.
The program can support building acquisitions and elevations, as well as communitywide projects such as drainage improvements and soil stabilization. FEMA said flooding is the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster. Applications will remain open through Feb. 26, 2027, and the agency is scheduled to host an application assistance webinar on Nov. 4.
FEMA also awarded more than $896 million for about 620 projects and assistance programs. Most of the funding will support state, territorial and local governments as they recover from disasters and prepare for future events.
More than $90 million of those awards will support approximately 75 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects. More than $2.7 million will fund Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities projects in Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
The BRIC awards follow the program’s reinstatement after FEMA announced in April 2025 that it was ending the initiative. A judge later ruled that the termination was unlawful, and FEMA restored the program in March. BRIC supports initiatives including transportation planning, water infrastructure improvements, hospital protection and tsunami and earthquake preparedness.
In May, FEMA said it was making $1 billion in BRIC funding available to state and local governments, with a renewed emphasis on infrastructure-related hazard mitigation and local leadership. However, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released in October found that more than 700 BRIC subapplications valued at $2.2 billion remained unresolved.
The new funding comes as FEMA shifts greater responsibility for disaster response toward state and local governments. FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton told emergency managers last month that states should be prepared to respond to disasters without federal assistance within as soon as six months. Recent federal reports have nevertheless identified staffing and funding challenges at state and local emergency management agencies that could complicate that transition.
Sources: Smart Cities Dive.