Hazard mitigation assistance is a group of FEMA grant programs that pay for projects reducing long-term risk from natural disasters, covering up to 75 percent of eligible costs and up to 90 percent for small, lower-income communities. The money flows through state, tribal, and local governments rather than directly to homeowners, and it funds concrete work like elevating flood-prone houses, buying out repetitive-loss properties, hardening infrastructure against wind, and restoring wetlands or shorelines. The logic is simple: prevention costs less than recovery.
The Three Grant Programs
Federal mitigation funding runs through three programs, and knowing which one applies to your situation is the first practical step.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
HMGP activates only after a presidentially declared major disaster. Funding is calculated as a percentage of total estimated disaster assistance for that event, on a sliding scale that starts at 15 percent of the first $2 billion and drops from there.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 5170c – Hazard Mitigation Communities in and near the declared area get roughly four years to complete projects: the period of performance ends 48 months after the application period closes.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
BRIC runs on an annual cycle and does not require a prior disaster. FEMA announced $1 billion for the current cycle, with applications open March 25 through July 23, 2026, through the FEMA GO portal.2Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA Announces $1 Billion in Federal Funding to Help States Mitigate Impact Projects compete nationally, so meeting every technical requirement does not guarantee an award.
Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
FMA targets flood damage to properties insured through the National Flood Insurance Program and is funded from the National Flood Mitigation Fund.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4104c – Mitigation Assistance FEMA announced $1.1 billion in revised FMA and Swift Current opportunities in April 2026.4Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA Funding Opportunity to Help Communities Reduce Flood Risk and Save Lives FMA is also competitive, and repetitive-loss and severe repetitive-loss properties get priority.
What the Federal Share Covers
Across the three programs, the standard split is 75 percent federal, 25 percent non-federal.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4104c – Mitigation Assistance The local share can come from local or state budgets or private contributions, and in-kind services sometimes qualify depending on the program and project type.
Small impoverished communities get a better deal. Jurisdictions with 3,000 or fewer people and average per capita income at or below 80 percent of the national average qualify for up to 90 percent federal funding, cutting the local match to 10 percent.5Federal Emergency Management Agency. Evaluation Criteria for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities National Competition for Fiscal Years 2024-25 For rural communities without the tax base to cover a quarter of a multi-million-dollar project, that difference decides whether the work happens at all.
Who Can Apply
Individual homeowners and businesses cannot apply directly. The structure has two tiers: state, territorial, and federally recognized tribal governments are the “applicants” that deal with FEMA, and local governments and certain private nonprofits are “sub-applicants” underneath them.6Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program Each state designates one agency to manage each HMA program.
If you want a federally funded home elevation or buyout, the path runs through your city or county. The local government builds a sub-application on your behalf, the state bundles it with other projects, and the state submits the package to FEMA.6Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program Your project’s fate depends partly on whether your local government has the willingness and capacity to participate. Communities new to FEMA grants often struggle here.
There is help. Under HMGP, management costs for sub-application development and technical assistance are 100 percent federally funded, so states can guide smaller communities through feasibility work and benefit-cost analysis without charging them.7Federal Emergency Management Agency. Before You Apply – Things to Know and Do Before for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds
The Mitigation Plan Prerequisite
No approved plan, no project money. Every applicant needs a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan before receiving project grant funding, and local plans must be reviewed, revised, and resubmitted every five years.8eCFR. 44 CFR 201.6 – Local Mitigation Plans A lapsed plan makes the whole jurisdiction ineligible across all three programs. Your specific project also has to line up with a priority the plan already identifies, so a request that doesn’t fit the community’s established strategy will not survive review.
What Projects Qualify
HMA funds physical work that permanently reduces risk. Common categories include acquiring flood-prone structures and converting the land to permanent open space, elevating buildings above base flood levels, localized drainage improvements, and retrofitting for wind or seismic resistance.
Nature-based projects are increasingly encouraged and often score well because they deliver benefits beyond hazard reduction. Eligible work includes wetland restoration, floodplain reconnection, rain gardens, permeable pavement, green roofs, living shorelines, dune restoration, and oyster reef construction.9Federal Emergency Management Agency. Building Community Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions – A Guide for Local Communities
Property Buyouts Come With Permanent Strings
Land purchased with FEMA mitigation funds must stay open space in perpetuity. Allowed uses are limited to parks, wetlands management, nature reserves, grazing, and similar low-intensity activities. Walled buildings, paved roads, storage tanks, landfills, and levees are prohibited.10eCFR. 44 CFR Part 80 – Property Acquisition and Relocation for Open Space The deed restrictions are recorded permanently, and every three years the sub-recipient must inspect the property and certify continued compliance. If the land changes hands, it can only go to another public entity or qualified conservation organization, and the restrictions travel with it.
After acquisition, the property is also no longer eligible for future federal disaster assistance or for NFIP coverage on any structures.10eCFR. 44 CFR Part 80 – Property Acquisition and Relocation for Open Space A buyout is a one-way door: the land leaves the development and federal recovery system for good.
Protections for Displaced Residents
When a federally funded acquisition displaces homeowners or tenants, the Uniform Relocation Assistance Act applies. Agencies must give at least 90 days of advance written notice before requiring anyone to move, and no one can be forced to relocate until a comparable replacement dwelling has been identified and made available. Tenants who occupied the property for at least 90 days before negotiations began qualify for rental or down-payment assistance of up to $9,570. Displaced residents get reimbursement for actual, reasonable moving expenses, and businesses may receive reestablishment costs of up to $33,200.11eCFR. 49 CFR Part 24 – Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition for Federal and Federally Assisted Programs Agencies cannot ask or pressure anyone to waive these rights.
What Applications Have To Prove
Benefit-Cost Analysis
This is where most weak applications die. Unless a streamlined method applies, every project must show that avoided future damages exceed project cost, producing a benefit-cost ratio of 1.0 or higher.12Federal Emergency Management Agency. Benefit-Cost Analysis FEMA cannot waive it. Sub-applicants must use FEMA-approved methodology, and the current mandatory tool is BCA Toolkit Version 6.0, an Excel add-in.13Federal Emergency Management Agency. How to Perform a Full BCA If the math doesn’t work, no narrative can save the project.
Environmental and Historic Preservation Review
FEMA has to evaluate environmental and historic impacts before approving any project. Applications include site maps, photographs, and descriptions of potential impacts on ecosystems and historic structures.14FEMA. National Environmental Policy Act EHP review runs alongside other reviews but can delay approval for projects near wetlands, endangered species habitat, or historic sites.
Scope, Budget, and Phased Projects
Applications need a detailed scope of work covering design through completion, a realistic schedule with milestones, and a line-item budget. Everything is submitted through the FEMA GO portal.
Communities without resources to develop full technical documentation upfront can pursue a phased approach. Phase I covers engineering studies, feasibility analysis, BCA development, and EHP documentation. If Phase I deliverables show the project meets program requirements, Phase II construction may be approved.15Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide Phase I still requires demonstrating potential cost-effectiveness, explaining why the chosen approach was selected over at least two alternatives, and providing conceptual drawings. Phasing is available under HMGP, BRIC, and FMA.
Review, RFIs, and Appeals
The submission path moves local to state to FEMA. Sub-applicants upload projects into FEMA GO, the state reviews for technical soundness and forwards to FEMA, and FEMA then conducts parallel administrative, technical, and EHP reviews. Complex infrastructure projects can take several months or longer.
When reviewers find gaps, FEMA issues a Request for Information. The first informal RFI gives the sub-applicant 30 calendar days to respond. A second informal request allows 14 days. After that, FEMA’s regional administrator issues a formal request with another 30-day deadline.15Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide Missing the final deadline can mean denial. The clock starts on the date FEMA sends the request, not the date anyone reads it.
FEMA notifies the state through FEMA GO when a project is selected, and the state then executes a grant agreement with the sub-applicant to disburse funds. If an application is denied, the applicant can appeal to the FEMA Regional Administrator; if the first appeal is denied, a second appeal is allowed within 60 days.
Duplication of Benefits
FEMA cannot fund any loss already covered by insurance, another federal program, or another financial source. Before making an award, FEMA checks for insurance settlements, SBA disaster loans, or other aid tied to the same property.16eCFR. 44 CFR 206.191 – Duplication of Benefits Getting both insurance money and FEMA funds for the same loss means repaying the duplicate. Disclose every insurance recovery upfront and pursue adequate settlements before applying.
What Recipients Have To Do After the Award
Flood Insurance
Property owners who receive federal disaster or mitigation assistance for structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas must purchase and maintain flood insurance. Failing to comply can bar the owner from future federal disaster assistance. For homeowners, the requirement stays with the property address even if the damaged building is replaced. For renters, it covers contents for as long as the renter occupies the flood-damaged building.
Reporting and Records
States monitor sub-recipient progress and process reimbursement requests throughout the grant period.17eCFR. 44 CFR Part 206 Subpart N – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Reporting frequency depends on the state’s approved administrative plan, so confirm your state’s schedule early. Grant records, financial documentation, and supporting materials must be kept at least three years after the final financial report is submitted.18eCFR. 2 CFR 200.334 – Record Retention Requirements If any audit, litigation, or unresolved claim is pending when that window would close, records stay until the matter is resolved.
Closeout for Acquisition Projects
Acquisitions have added closeout steps. Sub-recipients provide FEMA with a copy of the recorded deed showing the required restrictions, a photograph of each site after completion, latitude-longitude coordinates for every property, and identification of any repetitive-loss structures.19eCFR. 44 CFR 80.21 – Closeout Requirements The deed must use FEMA model deed restriction language. If a property is later found out of compliance, the sub-recipient has 60 days to correct the violation. Failing that, FEMA can withhold future awards, require title transfer, or initiate legal action.