By Allison Whitsitt, Director, Emergency Management, WSB
March 26, 2026
FEMA has officially released the FY 2025 and FY 2026 Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities (BRIC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), marking a major restart of the program and a significant shift in priorities, eligibility, and scoring. With $1 billion available nationwide, BRIC remains one of the most impactful federal funding opportunities for communities looking to reduce risk and invest in resilient infrastructure, but success will depend on readiness and alignment with the new rules.
What’s Changed in the FY25–26 BRIC NOFO
- Project cap reduced: Maximum federal share per National Competition project is now $20 million (down from $50 million)
- Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs):
- A FEMA-approved State or Tribal HMP is required by the application deadline and at the time of obligation
- Plan development or updates are no longer eligible costs
- HMP integration is encouraged, projects should clearly reference where needs appear in the plan
- Phased projects are no longer eligible
- Construction readiness is heavily weighted:
- Projects at 90%+ design earn 30 of 90 possible points in the National Competition
- Advancing design prior to submission is critical
Available Funding Snapshot
- Total BRIC funding: $1,000,000,000
- National Competition: $757,000,000 (cap of $20,000,000 per project)
- State/Territory allocation: $112,000,000
- Tribal set-aside: $50,000,000
- Building code plus-ups:
- $56,000,000 (State/Territory)
- $25,000,000 (Tribal)
- Pre–award application costs are eligible
Key Dates to Know
- Application opens: March 25, 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET)
- FEMA deadline: July 23, 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET)
- State deadlines: Typically 4–8 weeks earlier (varies by state)
- Period of performance: 36 months (limited extensions)
Eligible Projects & Cost Share
- Eligible activities include:
- Infrastructure-focused hazard mitigation projects
- Capability and capacity-building activities that directly support infrastructure (e.g., building code adoption, project scoping)
- Grant management costs
- Cost share:
- 75% federal / 25% nonfederal (standard)
- 90% / 10% for small, impoverished communities
- Up to 100% federal for certain insular area awards under $200,000
How Projects Will Be Evaluated
- Infrastructure project readiness and constructability
- Risk reduction outcomes and useful life
- Strong Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)
- Building code adoption and enforcement
- Consideration for new applicants and small or disadvantaged communities
- Environmental considerations, future conditions, NEPA, and clear go/nogo milestones
What Cities Should Do Now
- Identify infrastructure mitigation projects that can reach advanced design quickly
- Confirm HMP status and clearly link project needs to plan priorities
- Validate match funding and BCA assumptions early
- Coordinate internally to ensure federal procurement requirements are followed from the start
- Prepare for earlier state deadlines, not just the FEMA deadline
How WSB Can Help
WSB has experience helping communities successfully pursue BRIC funding—from early strategy and readiness assessments to application development and implementation. In the past, our team partnered with the City of Tulsa to secure the first competitive BRIC award in Region 6, a $24 million investment in resilient infrastructure. As BRIC moves forward under its new structure, WSB can help cities evaluate competitiveness, advance project readiness, and align applications with FEMA’s updated priorities—so resilient infrastructure projects move from concept to construction.
