FEMA: $1.8B in Grants to Boost ‘Climate Resilience’
The BRIC grant program, which helps bolster U.S. defenses against climate change, published its “Fiscal Year 2023 Notices of Funding Opportunities.”
WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is making $1.8 billion available through two grant programs designed to help communities increase their resilience to climate changes, including increasingly frequent and extreme weather events:
- The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) annual grant program is making $1 billion available for projects that protect people and infrastructure from natural hazards and the effects of climate change.
- The Flood Mitigation Assistance program is making $800 million available for projects that mitigate flood risks facing homes and communities.
The funding for both programs increased under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, increasing from $700 million when President Biden took office to $1.8 billion for Fiscal Year 2023. Overall, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides FEMA with nearly $7 billion to help communities proactively reduce their vulnerability to flood, hurricanes, drought, wildfires, extreme heat and other climate-fueled hazards.
“The BRIC and Flood Mitigation Assistance programs provide vital lifelines to communities – including those that are most vulnerable and marginalized – funding projects that mitigate the risks associated with climate-driven extreme weather events and building a sustainable foundation for growth and prosperity,” says Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas
As part of the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, the BRIC and FMA programs aim to deliver 40% of their overall benefits to disadvantaged communities that are “marginalized, overburdened by pollution and underserved.” FEMA says it exceeded that goal in the last fiscal year, delivering 53% of benefits.
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