FEMA Awards New BRIC Funding Opportunities

On May 19, 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced preliminary Capability and Capacity Building (C&CB) award decisions allocated to the third cycle of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

With this announcement, FEMA also presented the selection of 46 communities and tribal nations for BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance (DTA).

Supporting Communities That Implement Hazard Mitigation Initiatives

The BRIC program supports planning and C&CB activities while simultaneously incentivizing the adoption and enforcement of modern building codes. It assists states, local communities, tribes and territories in implementing hazard mitigation projects and reducing risks associated with disasters and natural hazards.

Under the preliminary announcement for the Fiscal Year 2022 C&CB awards, 11 will support efforts to adopt and implement more resilient building codes, totaling more than $3.3 million across state, territorial and local governments. These include:

1. Alaska
2. California
3. Colorado
4. Hawaii
5. Iowa
6. Maine
7. New Mexico
8. New York
9. Northern Mariana Islands
10. Oregon
11. Virginia

The investment in code activities for this cycle totals more than $1 million more than in each of the previous two years.

Beyond supporting the adoption of the 2021 International Codes® (I-Codes), the awards support Building Department Accreditation and digital solutions to improve building department services and resilience.

BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance (DTA)

DTA aims to provide comprehensive support in hazard mitigation and climate resilience planning to communities, tribes and territories. The goal of DTA is to reduce disaster damage, enhance community resilience and sustain successful mitigation programs.

The support offered by the BRIC program covers a wide range of areas, including risk assessments, community engagement, partnership building, mitigation and climate adaptation planning.

DTA can be particularly important for communities lacking grant writers or a governmental structure to initially approach a BRIC application, which could include the development of a brand-new building department or even facilitation adoption of the codes in communities.

Understanding FEMA’s Competitive Funding Awards

Later this summer, FEMA will announce the preliminary BRIC awards funding through the National Competition, as well as Flood Mitigation Assistance grant funding for flood mitigation projects.

For the competitive awards, FEMA emphasizes the importance of funding applicants who facilitate the adoption and enforcement of the latest editions of building codes, aligning with the White House National Initiative to Advance Building Codes. Code-related projects are eligible for funding as C&CB activities under the BRIC program, allowing state, territorial and tribal governments to allocate resources through formula funding.

Building codes play a crucial role in the competition-based portion of the BRIC program, focusing on funding mitigation projects that improve the resilience of critical infrastructure.

Competitive applications are evaluated based on a point system considering qualitative and technical criteria. Points are awarded for code-related factors such as statewide adoption and enforcement of recent editions of the International Building Code® (IBC) and the International Residential Code® (IRC), as well as Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) ratings.

Support Through the International Code Council

The International Code Council continues to provide information on the BRIC program’s process, supporting FEMA’s efforts to prioritize building code adoption and implementation. These initiatives, coupled with increased funding and support, aim to enhance community resilience and protect against disasters.

For more details on the sub-applications submitted for the Fiscal Year 2022 grant programs, including Flood Mitigation Assistance and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, refer to FEMA’s published overall summary.

Further information on the 46 selections can be found on the BRIC Direct Technical Assistance webpage.

Visit the Code Council’s Federal Grants webpage for additional support and information.