Funding for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance in 2025

Hazard Mitigation

FEMA-funded mitigation measures provide a long-term solution to a risk or resilience problem, rather than meet an immediate disaster response or recovery need. Historically, FEMA has funded mitigation measures through a number of Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs:

• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM);
• Building Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC);
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP);
• Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program (STRLF); and
• Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA).

These programs are funded by annual appropriations (PDM); from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), either directly (HMGP) or as a set-aside (BRIC); and from National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders' premiums. In addition, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) appropriated $3.5 billion for FMA, $1 billion for BRIC, and $500 million for STRLF for FY2022-2026.

Analysis of OpenFEMA data indicates that no new funding has been approved or obligated for any HMA programs since March 2025 (see Table 1 and Table 2) other than congressional earmarks (see section on PDM and Table 2). FEMA did obligate funding in 2025 for projects awarded in previous years.

Recent Developments

A January 2025 Executive Order instituted a process to assess the performance of FEMA, establishing a Review Council which was scheduled to issue a report in December 2025. This report has not yet been issued, but recent developments for BRIC have been widely reported. FEMA has not provided any information on the status of HMGP, FMA, or STRLF.

HMGP

The President may award HMGP funding after a major disaster declaration or Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) and is generally requested by a Governor at the same time that Public Assistance and Individual Assistance are requested after a disaster. HMGP is awarded on a sliding scale as a percentage of the estimated amount of total federal assistance for the disaster and is normally available statewide. Historically, the largest amount of mitigation funding has been awarded through HMGP. States can use HMGP funds for any eligible activity for any type of hazard and are not limited to the disaster for which the grant was awarded.

Analysis of OpenFEMA data shows that HMGP has not been approved for a new major disaster declaration since March 18, 2025 (see Table 1). A total of 31 disasters have been awarded HMGP for a major disaster declaration in FY2026, with three disasters awarded HMGP funding after January 20, 2025. One of these three disasters has had funding obligated, for management costs.

BRIC

FEMA introduced the BRIC program in FY2020 to distribute a new source of funding made available by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA). For each major disaster declaration, the President is authorized to set aside from the DRF an amount equal to 6% of the estimated aggregate amount of funding awarded under seven sections of the Stafford Act. This funding, plus money appropriated in the IIJA, was used to operate BRIC from FY2020 to FY2023.

On April 4, 2025, FEMA issued a press release indicating it was ending the BRIC program, and issued an advisory update on April 16 with details of how funding would be canceled (see CRS IN12609 for additional information). In mid-July, 20 states filed a lawsuit against FEMA. In response to this lawsuit, FEMA and the Justice Department stated that BRIC had not been terminated, and FEMA had not repurposed any BRIC funding. In August 2025, a judge granted the motion for a preliminary injunction and on December 11, 2025, issued a ruling that the administration had unlawfully terminated BRIC and issued a permanent injunction enjoining the termination of the BRIC program. The ruling neither compels FEMA to award any specific grants, nor enjoins FEMA from replacing the BRIC program in future with a different mitigation program. FEMA has not issued a response to the ruling.

FMA

FMA grants are only available to communities which participate in the NFIP to assist in efforts to reduce or eliminate flood damage to buildings and structures insurable under the NFIP. Until FY2022, when Congress appropriated $3.5 billion for FMA in the IIJA, the FMA program was funded entirely by premiums paid by NFIP policyholders.

FEMA issued a NOFO for FMA FY2024 on January 6, 2025, with $600 million available. FEMA retracted the NOFO on February 14, 2025, and it has not been reissued. Analysis of OpenFEMA data shows that no new FMA funding was awarded or obligated in FY2024, FY2025, or FY2026.

STRLF

The Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program (STRLF) began in FY2023 and authorized FEMA to enter into agreements with eligible entities to establish low-interest revolving loan funds for hazard mitigation. The STRLF program can be used for projects that do not meet the cost-effectiveness guidelines for other HMA programs and also for the nonfederal cost share for mitigation activities under all Stafford Act programs. FEMA selected eight state applications for FY2023 funding and 12 states for FY2024 funding and published a NOFO with $178 million available in FY2025. It is unclear to what extent these funds have been obligated.

PDM

After a moratorium, beginning in the 117^th Congress, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees adopted a process inviting Members to request funding for specific projects to be reviewed by the Committees. FEMA's PDM program has been used since FY2022 to fund pre-disaster mitigation projects through Congressionally Directed Spending (Senate) and Community Project Funding (House), commonly known as earmarks. PDM funding was made available FY2022-FY2024, but earmarks were not funded for FY2025.