Vermont communities have access to more than $36 million in state and federal Hazard Mitigation grants. These funds are earmarked for projects that will help protect life and property from future floods in Vermont.
These grants come from three different programs:
Flood Resilient Communities Fund (FRCF)
The Vermont Legislature has allocated an additional $15 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to reduce future public safety and water quality impacts of flood hazards in Vermont. The program focuses on voluntary buyouts of flood-vulnerable properties and natural resource projects. This program prioritizes projects that are not eligible for FEMA funding.
Next Funding Rounds: Friday, October 28, 2022, and Friday, March 31, 2023.
State Hazard Mitigation Program Match: $8 million was allocated by the Vermont Legislature in FY23 (pending the Governor’s signature) to provide State match for FEMA funds to purchase properties identified for high flood risk.
NOTE: while we are not able to use our State ARPA funding as match, towns are able to use their Local Fiscal Recovery Fund allocation, up to their “revenue loss” amount, for non-federal match for hazard mitigation programs. Towns are not able to use State Fiscal Recovery Fund grants for nonfederal match of hazard mitigation programs.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
Vermont will receive just over $11 million in federal HMGP funds, this funding is tied to the COVID-19 federal disaster declaration. By statute, states receive HMGP funds equal to a percentage of costs incurred under a federal Public Assistance disaster.
State application deadline on June 30, 2022, deadline to FEMA August 5, 2022 (VEM has requested an extension from FEMA and anticipates a new State deadline of September 30, 2022.)
Eligible projects include property buyouts with flood or landslide risk (NOT required to have been flooded in the past); culvert or bridge upsizing; road relocation or elevation; floodproofing of non-residential structures; property elevations; planning activities; and generators for critical facilities.
A Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) is a requirement for most construction projects, although typically not for buyouts. VEM has hired a contractor to assist communities with BCAs in this round of funding.
A second, smaller HMGP round will be close $1 million. State deadline: Friday, August 26, 2022. All projects under this funding round will have a 90% federal share instead of the standard 75% federal share.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
The BRIC 2022 set-aside will be at least $1.5 million for planning and scoping work, e.g. to complete an alternatives analysis for a problem location, develop design plans for a preferred alternative, and develop a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA).
Next Funding Round: exact dates will be established when FEMA releases the notice of funding (typically in August) but anticipated mid-December State deadline.
For more information visit: https://vem.vermont.gov/funding/mitigation