Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is a federal pre-disaster hazard mitigation grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It replaced the Pre-disaster Mitigation (PDM) program in 2020.

Eligible applicants include local governments (e.g., cities, townships, counties, special purpose districts), state government agencies, and federally recognized tribal governments. Private and non-profit organizations are not eligible applicants.

BRIC funding is on a reimbursement basis. An eligible public agency submits an application through SCEMD proposing the project or mitigation measure and providing supporting documentation. FEMA reviews, and if the project is in line with funding policy and priorities, FEMA awards the grant. The process for approval or award of the project takes a year or more. Once the project is awarded, the applicant implements the project scope of work, spending money on eligible project expenses. The applicant then submits requests for reimbursement to SCEMD and receives 75% from federal funds.

Projects are funded on a cost-share basis – generally 75% federal and 25% non-federal/local.

• Small, impoverished communities can be eligible for a reduced local cost share (up to 90% federal/10% non-federal).
• FEMA encourages use of public-private-sector partnerships to meet the non-federal cost share.

Management costs (up to 5% of total costs) can be requested for eligible grant administration expenses; if approved, management costs are reimbursed at 100% federal share.

• Mitigation projects that increase resilience and public safety; reduce injuries and loss of life; and reduce damage and destruction to property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure.
  • Examples include housing acquisitions or demolition, flood mitigation measures, structural flood control, and mitigation planning.
  • Priorities include mitigating risk to public infrastructure or community lifelines or that use nature-based solutions.
• Capability and capacity-building (C&CB), such as adopting building codes, project scoping, mitigation planning and planning-related activities, and other activities that improve the administration of mitigation assistance.
• Non-financial direct technical assistance.

Ineligible projects include response communications systems, emergency support equipment, vehicles, projects already in progress, and projects receiving other federal money.

• $2,000,000* is allocated for each state to award based on federal and state criteria. Up to $1,500,000* of the state set-aside can be used for mitigation planning and related activities.
• $2,000,000* is allocated for enhancing building code adoption and enforcement activities.
• States can submit an unlimited number of applications in the national competition (cap of $50 million (federal share) per project.*)

• Notify SCEMD of intent to apply.
• Register in FEMA Go at go.fema.gov/register.
• Create a FEMA Go account and assign roles and permissions to members of the organization. Notify SCEMD when your account is set up and permissions are in place or if help is needed.
• Participate in a BRIC applicant briefing offered by SCEMD.
• Work with SCEMD mitigation staff to develop and submit project application by established deadline.

• SCEMD outreach: October-November 2023
• Federal notice of funding opportunity released: October 12, 2023
• Applications due to SCEMD: December 15, 2023
• Applications due to FEMA: February 26, 2024
• Pre-award selection notice: Summer 2024
• Period of performance:
  • Start: date of the state's federal award
  • End: 36 months from the start date