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INSIGHTi
Recent Funding Increases for FEMA Hazard
Mitigation Assistance
Updated July 27, 2022
Introduction
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs have al
received additional funding in the 117th Congress, particularly through the Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act (IIJA).
Over the years, post-disaster mitigation has received significantly more funding than pre-disaster
mitigation. GAO found that of the approximately $11.3 bil ion in mitigation funding obligated from
FY2010 to FY2018, 88% was for post-disaster grants through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(HMGP) and Public Assistance (PA). FEMA’s competitive pre-disaster grant programs, the Flood
Mitigation Assistance program (FMA) and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM) accounted
for about 12% of the total; see Figure 1.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
(BRIC)
Funding for pre-disaster mitigation was changed by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, which
authorized the President to set aside from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), for every major disaster
declaration, an amount equal to 6% of the total funding awarded under seven sections of the Stafford Act.
Based on historical disaster expenditures, FEMA’s expectation was that this set-aside would be $300-
$500 mil ion per year; however, the COVID-19 major disaster declarations resulted in additional funding.
As of June 30, 2022, $2.022 bil ion was set aside in the DRF for pre-disaster mitigation.
The BRIC Program began in FY2020, with $500 mil ion available for BRIC in FY2020 and $1 bil ion
available in FY2021. The IIJA appropriated $1 bil ion for BRIC, with $200 mil ion in each of FY2022-
FY2026. This funding is in addition to the 6% set-aside.
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President Biden announced on July 20, 2022 that $2.3 bil ion would be available for BRIC in FY2022.
FEMA gave more detailed numbers, with $186.5 mil ion from the IIJA funding and $2.0185 bil ion from
the DRF.
Figure 1. Funding for Pre-Disaster Mitigation FY1997-FY2022
Sources: CRS Report RL34537, FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program: Overview and Issues; FEMA, National Pre-Disaster
Mitigation Fund, Fiscal Year 2017 Report to Congress, September 1, 2017, p. 4; FEMA Notices of Funding Opportunity
(NOFOs) for PDM 2017, 2018, and 2019; FEMA NOFOs for BRIC FY2020 and FY2021; and White House Fact Sheet, July
20, 2022.
Flood Mitigation Assistance
FEMA also operates the FMA program, which is available only to communities that participate in the
NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program). $200 mil ion was available for FMA in FY2020 and $160
mil ion was available in FY2021. Twenty-six states did not submit FMA applications in FY2020 and 31
states did not apply in FY2021.
The IIJA appropriated $3.5 bil ion for FMA, with $700 mil ion for each of FY2022 to FY2026, and
provides a 90% federal cost share for a property (1) that is located in a census tract with a CDC Social
Vulnerability Index score of not less than 0.5001; or (2) that serves as a primary residence for individuals
with a household income of not more than 100% of the applicable area median income.
On March 14, 2022, FEMA announced the first initiative to be funded with the IIJA funding, the Swift
Current Initiative Funding Opportunity. The goal of Swift Current is to obligate FMA dollars for NFIP-
insured and substantial y damaged properties as quickly and equitably as possible after a flood. Swift
Current al ocates $60 mil ion to Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These states were
selected because they were affected by Hurricane Ida and have the highest repetitive loss and severe
repetitive loss of NFIP-insured unmitigated properties, as wel as the highest total insurance claims within
their respective FEMA regions.
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The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the COVID-
19 Disasters
HMGP assistance is triggered by a major disaster declaration or Fire Management Assistance Grant
(FMAG) under the Stafford Act, awarded on a sliding scale as a percentage of the estimated amount of
total federal assistance for the disaster. States with a FEMA-approved Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan
before the disaster are eligible for HMGP funding of 20% of the total amount of disaster assistance.
States, territories, and tribes (STTs) can use HMGP funding for mitigation projects for any type of natural
hazard and for any eligible activity that reduces risk and builds resilience. HMGP funding does not have
to be used for the particular incident or disaster type for which it was al ocated. For example, funding
al ocated for wildfires in one county could be used for flood mitigation activities in a different county, if
eligible.
FEMA announced on August 5, 2021, that $3.46 bil ion in HMGP funding was made available to states,
territories, and tribes (STTs) with major disaster declarations for the COVID-19 pandemic for 4% of
eligible relief costs (see Error! Reference source not found.). This funding is not restricted to
pandemic-related mitigation activities. Four percent is a lower percentage than is usual y awarded for
HMPG, but the total funding of $3.46 bil ion represents the largest amount of HMGP funding in a single
fiscal year. (The largest amount previously was $2.29 bil ion in FY2005.)
Congressional Community Projects
Funding was appropriated in FY2022 for the PDM program for 68 Congressional Community Projects,
(commonly referred to as earmarks, which were restored by the 117th Congress in both the House and the
Senate), with awards totaling $153,922,408 to one tribe and 28 states (some states received multiple
awards).
Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Program
A new source of hazard mitigation funding wil be available from a new program to be known as the
Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Program, which was created by the Safeguarding Tomorrow
through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020 (STORM Act). This law amended the Stafford Act by
authorizing FEMA to enter into agreements with STTs to establish hazard mitigation revolving loan
funds. The STORM Act authorized the appropriation of $100 mil ion annual y for FY2022 and FY2023 to
make grants to capitalize new revolving loan funds. The IIJA appropriated $500 mil ion for the revolving
loan program, with $100 mil ion for each of FY2022 through FY2026. FEMA’s goal is for a program
launch and Notice of Funding Opportunity to be published towards the end of calendar year 2022.
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Figure 2.Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funding for Major Disaster Declarations
Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source: FEMA, HMGP Al ocations for COVID-19 Declarations.
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Author Information
Diane P. Horn
Specialist in Flood Insurance and Emergency
Management
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
IN11733 · VERSION 10 · UPDATED
