Pre Disaster Flood Mitigation

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) 2021

Key dates for BRIC 2021 and FMA 2021: 

September 20, 2021 – Notice of Interest (NOI) due to Cal OES (submitted via Cal OES Community Portal)

December 1, 2021 – Subapplication due to Cal OES (submitted via FEMA GO)

Cal OES BRIC Subapplication Recommendations and Funding Priorities:

Along with FEMA’s NOFO guidelines, Cal OES recommends that subapplicants further consider the competitiveness of the BRIC program when proposing projects. Projects are most likely to be successful if they address one or more of the following:

• High-impact, neighborhood scale, natural hazard risk reduction that mitigates risk to critical infrastructure or achieves whole community risk-reduction 
• Provide protection and benefits for disadvantaged communities 
• Address climate impacts including sea level rise, drought, extreme precipitation or heat, wildfire, and/or more frequent storms (where applicable) 
• Projects that advance climate adaptation, including through inspiring generational infrastructure change and/or by including one or more nature-based solution (NBS) are particularly encouraged.
• Where appropriate, subapplications should describe how the project will make the community more resilient to climate change. 

• Address and anticipate future conditions including those related to climate, demographic, population, and/or land use changes
• Project details should include how future conditions were considered in the planning, design, and operation stages and how the project will help communities better respond to these conditions.

• Include unique or innovative partnerships such as public-private partnerships
  
• FEMA details 6 qualitative criteria in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Subapplicants should explicitly address each in their scope of work. 

Webinar Events:

Information, dates and registration information for FEMA webinars available at: FEMA 2021 BRIC and FMA Webinar Series 

Check back here for updates on dates and times for upcoming OES webinars.

Join the Hazard Mitigation Outreach email notification list for upcoming webinars, deadlines, and notices of funding opportunities.

BRIC 2021 NOFO / FMA 2021 NOFO

FEMA BRIC 2021 Fact Sheet        FEMA FMA 2021 Fact Sheet

BRIC/FMA Subapplication process:

You must submit a Notice of Interest (NOI) to Cal OES to be eligible.

Approved NOIs will result in an invitation to submit a full BRIC or FMA subapplication via FEMA’s web-based FEMA GO system.

Unfortunately, we cannot approve time extensions for the NOI due date or the subapplication date. We know many jurisdictions are impacted by recent and ongoing fires, which may prevent participation at this time, but the timeline for this FEMA program is unyielding.  If you are unable to submit an NOI for BRIC or FMA, please watch for upcoming funding opportunities in the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program (HMGP).

Notice of Interest: 

Access the Cal OES Community Portal to log-in and complete your Notice of Interest. You will need to create an account if you do not already have one.

NOI User Guide:

Please utilize the NOI User Guide for help creating an account and for a preview of the NOI questions.

Other resources: FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance

Submit questions to: HMA@caloes.ca.gov

Here is the link to the FEMA GO portal.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Authorized by Section 203 of the Stafford Act, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) will support states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards. BRIC is a new FEMA pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program aims to categorically shift the federal focus away from reactive disaster spending and toward research-supported, proactive investment in community resilience. FEMA anticipates BRIC funding projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to partnerships, such as shared funding mechanisms, and/or project design. For example, an innovative project may bring multiple funding sources or in-kind resources from a range of private and public sector stakeholders or offer multiple benefits to a community in addition to the benefit of risk reduction. For more information on the BRIC program, please see the BRIC Fact Sheet below.
 

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) 

FMA is authorized by Section1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (NFIA), 42 U.S.C. 4104c, with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FMA was created as part of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act (NFIRA) of 1994. The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-141) consolidated the Repetitive Flood Loss and Severe Repetitive Loss grant programs into FMA. FMA funding is available through the National Flood Insurance Fund (NFIF) for flood hazard mitigation projects as well as plan development and is appropriated by Congress. For more information on the FMA program please see the 2015 HMA Guidance below.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds plans and projects that reduce the effects of future natural disasters. In California, these funds are administered by the Cal OES HMGP Unit. Eligible subapplicants include state agencies, local governments, special districts, and some private non-profits. For more information about this program please visit our HMGP webpage.

Procurement Guidance Documents:

Important Procurement Information: FEMA declarations and awards issued on or after November 12, 2020 are subject to major revisions to the federal procurement rules found at 2 C.F.R §§ 200.317 - 200.327 as well as a new provision at 2 C.F.R. § 200.216 effective August 13, 2020 for new, renewed, or extended procurements under all open declarations or awards. 

 FEMA Purchasing Under A FEMA Award: OBM REVISIONS 2020

 FEMA Procurement Guidance Document Library

 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Procurement Standards – Job Aid

 Top 10 Procurement Mistakes (flyer)

 How to Avoid Top 10 Procurement Mistakes

 Using Contract Support for the Development of Hazard Mitigation Assistance Applications – Job Aid

 FEMA Grants Procurement Guidance – Contracting with Federal Funds for Goods and Services Before, During and After Disasters

FEMA GO Reference Tools:

Click here for FEMA GO Reference Tools including:

FEMA GO: User Registration & Login Desktop Reference

FEMA GO Account Creation User Guide

FEMA GO User Manual: Subapplication Development for Hazard Mitigation Grants

FEMA GO: Adding Secondary Point of Contact

FEMA GO: Submitting Applications to FEMA

FEMA GO Organization and Suborganization Management Guide

Blank Template to upload Multiple Locations for HMA grants

Blank Template to submit for FEMA GO HMA Project Subapplication

Accepting an Award in FEMA GO

Resources:

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance Website 

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance PDF: HMGP, PDM, and FMA, 2015

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Job Aids 

Pre-Calculated Benefits for Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA)

Benefit Cost Analysis Toolkit

Subapplication Documents:

Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Click “Download PDF”

Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) Click “Download PDF”

Budget Information for Construction Programs (SF-424C) Click “Download PDF”

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities