Court Orders FEMA to Reopen $1 Billion BRIC Resilience Grants
March 31, 2026 · 2 min read
Jared Klein
A federal judge has forced FEMA to reopen its largest disaster preparedness program after a yearlong freeze, making $1 billion available for communities to harden infrastructure against fires, floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
$1 Billion Returns After a 22-State Lawsuit
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program reopened on March 25 after U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns ordered FEMA to reverse its April 2025 cancellation. The agency had shelved BRIC under former acting leader Cameron Hamilton, who called it "wasteful and ineffective," halting roughly $3.6 billion in multi-year projects nationwide.
A coalition of 22 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued to restore the funding. When FEMA failed to act within weeks of the December ruling, Judge Stearns imposed an explicit timeline — and the agency complied.
"When done correctly, mitigation activities save lives and reduce the cost of future disasters," acting FEMA leader Karen S. Evans said in a statement.
New Rules Push More Burden Onto States
The reopened program comes with significant changes. Of the $1 billion covering fiscal years 2024 and 2025, $757 million will flow through a national competition. The remainder goes to states, territories, tribal nations, and building code adoption support.
FEMA now requires applicants to demonstrate projects are "ready to implement" and has capped maximum funding per recipient. The agency also eliminated funding for hazard mitigation planning and non-financial direct technical assistance — a cut that could hit smaller communities lacking in-house expertise the hardest.
Applications Close July 23
States have a 120-day window to apply, with the deadline falling on July 23, 2026. Priority scoring will favor new applicants and communities facing poverty and economic distress.
For organizations in fire-prone, flood-prone, or seismically active regions, this is a rare opportunity to fund large-scale mitigation projects — but the new restrictions mean preparation needs to start immediately. Grant seekers tracking disaster resilience funding can find additional program analysis on grantedai.com.
In-depth analysis of FEMA program changes and application strategies is available on the Granted blog.