Funding Database: Communities Direct Technical Assistance

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Direct Technical Assistance (BRIC DTA) provides tailored support to communities and tribal nations that may not have the resources to begin climate resilience planning and project solution design on their own. Through process-oriented, hand-in-hand assistance, BRIC DTA partners with communities interested in enhancing their capability and capacity to design holistic, equitable hazard mitigation solutions that advance community-driven objectives.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include local governments and federally recognized tribal nations. FEMA will review each request and will prioritize assistance for communities that meet one or more of the definitions below:

• Are considered disadvantaged. Economically Disadvantaged Rural Communities are defined as any community of 3,000 or fewer individuals, where residents have an average per capita annual income that does not exceed 80% of the national per capita income.
• Have shown a compelling need. This includes communities with disadvantaged populations as referenced in Executive Order 14008; multiple major disaster declarations within the past five years; limited funds; or strong community engagement, but that need technical expertise.
• Have not received a grant award within the past five years. This includes Pre-Disaster Mitigation funding, BRIC grants, Flood Mitigation Assistance or Hazard Mitigation Grant Program awards.

Eligible Projects

FEMA will offer wide-ranging non-financial support to BRIC DTA communities including climate risk assessments, community engagement, partnership building and mitigation and climate adaptation planning. Support for BRIC DTA communities can range from pre-application activities to grant closeout.

Application Schedule

• Communities or tribal nations submit a BRIC DTA request in the fall. The application period for the 2023-2024 cycle was open Oct. 16, 2023 through Feb. 29, 2024.
• FEMA announces BRIC DTA selections in the spring.

Application Process

FEMA posts the dates for the application request period on the FEMA website. Fill out the Request Form (PDF) following the general form instructions on the FEMA website and submit it to the BRIC DTA inbox during this period.

Application Assistance

Refer general questions about the BRIC program to Steve McGugan, North Carolina’s State Hazard Mitigation Officer, or the FEMA Regional Office.

Funding Source

The BRIC DTA program is funded by congressional appropriation to the US Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.