The "new" BRIC: FEMA’s $1B shovel-ready infrastructure pivot
FEMA’s recent shift marks the end of planning for planning’s sake, moving toward high-impact construction. In this new era of hazard mitigation, only the most shovel-ready projects will succeed.
- FEMA now prioritizes tangible infrastructure like flood control and grid hardening over soft studies.
- The July 23, 2026, deadline rewards jurisdictions that have already finalized comprehensive designs.
- Local leaders must align with State Hazard Mitigation Officers who hold the keys to essential funding.
In the world of hazard mitigation, change is often incremental. But the March 25, 2026, announcement from FEMA regarding the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program is anything but a minor adjustment. For state and local leaders, emergency managers, and infrastructure planners, the landscape has shifted fundamentally.
After a period of uncertainty regarding the program’s future, FEMA has released the funding opportunity for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.1 With $1 billion on the table, the message is clear: the era of planning is over. FEMA is pivoting toward high-impact, construction-ready projects. This is not just a policy shift, but a call to action for communities to demonstrate technical maturity and administrative speed.
The big pivot: From planning to performance
For years, BRIC was viewed as a holistic tool, funding everything from building code adoption to complex, multi-year feasibility studies. The 2024–2025 cycle changes that by removing funding for hazard mitigation planning and non-financial direct technical assistance, essentially placing the onus of readiness back on states and local jurisdictions.
This infrastructure-first mandate means that the competition will be fiercer than ever. Projects that are not "shovel ready," meaning they lack finalized engineering designs, environmental clearances, or clear cost-benefit analyses, will likely struggle to find a foothold in this new regime. While this simplifies the money flow, it increases the risk for sub-applicants. You must come to the table with a project that is ready to break ground, not a project that needs another year of FEMA-funded study before the first stone is turned.
A narrow window: The 120-day sprint
The timeline announced is tight. The application period opened on March 25, 2026, and closes on July 23, 2026, giving communities a mere 120 days to coordinate, refine, and submit sub-applications. In the context of federal grants, this is a sprint.
This timeframe favors communities that have been proactive in their capital improvement planning. The winners of this cycle will be those who can quickly package existing shovel-ready designs into the streamlined National Competition scoring system.
The strategy: Empowerment through responsibility
FEMA’s leadership has stated that this new iteration of BRIC is designed to "reduce federal overreach" and "shift responsibility to the states," creating an opportunity for local leadership to take the wheel. By simplifying the scoring system and removing the National Review Panel’s sub-application scoring, FEMA has removed a layer of decision-making.
How can local governments win in the new BRIC environment? To navigate this transition successfully, we recommend a three-pronged approach:
- Prioritize tangible infrastructure: Avoid "soft" projects. Focus on flood control systems, grid hardening, and seismic retrofitting. Think of projects that offer measurable protection to private property and public safety.
- Audit your "shovel-readiness": Ensure your engineering and environmental assessments are current. In a competition focused on moving money faster, any delay in your ready-to-implement status will hurt you.
- Strengthen state coordination: With the federal government stepping back from direct technical assistance, your relationship with your State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) has become your most critical link. States now hold more authority, so align your local priorities with their resilience strategies immediately.
A call to action
The re-introduction of BRIC under these new guidelines is a wake-up call for the hazard mitigation community. The limited window and infrastructure-only focus are not just administrative changes; they’re a new philosophy of disaster resilience. It’s about decisive action over deliberation.
Cotality remains at the forefront of this evolution, helping our partners decode these updates and transform complex infrastructure needs into winning sub-applications. The July 23 deadline is approaching rapidly. The question for your community isn't just "What do we need?" but "What are we ready to build today?" Be prepared by connecting with our team to start your planning.
