Tidal Basin-Michael Baker_BRIC 2026 Webinar

The mitigation best practices presented herein can be utilized at state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to lessen the impact of future disasters and demonstrate that investments made in mitigation measures are an affordable, effective, and prudent use of public funds. Mitigation grants create opportunities for safer, more resilient communities when disasters do occur.

Slide Title

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$1B in BRIC Funding What You Need to Know and How to Be Successful

Live Webinar April 14, 2026 | 3:00–4:00 PM ET

Presented by Tidal Basin and Michael Baker International

tidalbasingroup.com | mbakerintl.com

BRIC Webinar

Welcome

Meet the Panel

PANELIST

MODERATOR

PANELIST

Eric Letvin, JD, PE, CFM Vice President of Resilience, Tidal Basin

Adrienne Sheldon, PE, CFM Dept Head, Planning and Resilience & Mitigation Practice Lead, Tidal Basin Mitigation leader with 25+ years of experience in floodplain management, natural hazard mitigation, and resilient community planning across federal and consulting environments.

Christine Caggiano, AICP/PP Technical Manager, Planning, Michael Baker International

James K. Joseph Chief Growth Officer, MER3, Tidal Basin

Former FEMA executive and national disaster resilience leader with 30+ years of experience shaping hazard mitigation policy, program strategy, and implementation. Oversaw $5B in BRIC funding while at FEMA.

Urban planner and mitigation strategist focused on hazard mitigation planning, stakeholder engagement, and turning risk reduction strategies into implementable projects.

Leads government relations for Michael Baker International and growth initiatives across the MER3 business vertical, aligning Tidal Basin, MLU Services, and Michael Baker capabilities into one team supporting end-to-end resilience solutions.

Agenda

Common pitfalls that can weaken or disqualify submissions

What is BRIC and why does this cycle matter?

01.

05.

What’s in the FY 2024/2025 BRIC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Design, EHP, and delivery readiness

02.

06.

How our team can support before award and after selection

Eligibility, funding buckets, and scoring criteria

03.

07.

BCA updates, deadlines, and FEMA resources

04.

08.

Q&A

What is BRIC?

Projects that fit within BRIC’s guidelines • Flood risk reduction and stormwater resilience • Critical facility hardening and public building retrofits

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) is FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program for projects that reduce risk before disasters happen.

• Utility, water, wastewater,

and other community lifeline protection

Supports infrastructure and construction projects that lower future disaster losses

Includes natural systems when they directly support infrastructure

Rewards measurable risk reduction, implementation readiness, and stronger building codes

Is intended to shift investment from reactive recovery to

• Transportation and public- asset protection • Wildfire mitigation tied to infrastructure • Natural systems that directly support infrastructure

proactive mitigation

About the 2024/2025 NOFO

NOFO: what is in it?

• More infrastructure-focused.

Why this matters

• Emphasis on construction-ready projects, measurable risk reduction, and implementation readiness . • Only infrastructure and construction projects that have at least conceptual design are eligible. • National Competition projects must include Go/No-Go milestones in the work schedule.

1. Scope, design maturity,

schedule, and documentation must line up earlier.

2. Teams that connect grant

strategy with engineering and delivery planning will be better positioned than teams treating each task separately.

• Simplified scoring for National Competition.

• Hazard mitigation plan development/updates and scoping not directly tied to a specific infrastructure project are not eligible .

• Phased projects are not eligible .

Applicants and funding

Who can apply?

What can BRIC fund?

• Direct applicants include states, District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and federally recognized Tribal Nations • Local governments generally participate as subapplicants through an applicant agency • Multi-jurisdictional efforts are allowed, but one entity must serve as the subapplicant with primary responsibility • Subapplicants and applicants seeking project funds must have an approved hazard mitigation plan at the application deadline and at award, with limited exceptions

• Hazard mitigation projects: infrastructure and construction projects that increase resilience and reduce disaster risk • Capability- and capacity-building activities only when they directly support infrastructure resilience

• Management costs for applicants and subapplicants, subject to NOFO limits

•

Not eligible: – Phased projects – Hazard mitigation plans – Project scoping not tied to a specific infrastructure project

Poll #1

How far along is your organization’s top BRIC opportunity?

Eligibility and Documentation

Complete = Moves Forward

Eligibility and Completeness Review

Application / Subapplication to FEMA

Incomplete = Does Not Advance

Funding buckets and key caps

State/Territory Allocation $112M

Tribal Set-Aside $50M Capability/capacity-building

State/Territory Building Code Plus-Up $56M Up to $1M per state/territory for eligible building code adoption and enforcement activities. An applicant may not receive more than 15% of total available funding across all categories, including management costs.

activities capped at $2M federal share per applicant; remaining eligible hazard mitigation projects may flow to National Competition.

Up to $2M per state/territory; directly tied infrastructure activities and hazard mitigation projects.

Tribal Building Code Plus-Up $25M

National Competition $757M

Only eligible building code adoption and enforcement activities can be funded.

Unlimited number of hazard mitigation project subapplications, each capped at $20M federal share.

Building Code Plus-Up

Eligible Activity Examples

Electronic / digital resources to support code adoption and enforcement

Code adoption and enforcement activities

Code official training and certification

Statewide training program development

Modeling and studies to support enhanced building code flood provisions

Planning and zoning code updates

Building department accreditation

iccsafe.org/bric For more information:

National competition scoring criteria

5 / 15 / 30 points

Up to 20 points

20 points

15 points

5 points

10 points

Building Code Adoption and Enforcement Current model codes, local adoption, and strong enforcement can increase score.

Small Impoverished Community Statutory designation with supporting documentation.

Construction Readiness Conceptual, preliminary, or detailed design maturity.

Risk Reduction Narrative Show how risk is reduced, resilience is increased, and ancillary benefits are realized.

New Applicant or Sub-applicant Rewards communities / applicants not previously selected in BRIC National Competition.

Implementation Measures Show cost control, schedule management, monitoring,

innovation, and available staff / resources.

Up to 100 Points Total

Design maturity, credible implementation planning, and a strong resilience story matter as much as technical eligibility.

Construction Readiness Scoring

5 points

Conceptual Design Infrastructure projects with basic conceptualization and design (i.e., at least 30% design ).

Preliminary Design Infrastructure projects with refined and detailed design, including major systems, materials, dimensions, and draft specifications (i.e., greater than 30% design ). Detailed Design Infrastructure projects with detailed drawings and specifications for bidding, permitting, and actual construction (i.e., 90% design or greater ).

15 points

30 points

Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Updates

What changed

What applicants need to know

• The BCA discount rate is back at 7% following Office of Management and Budget changes in 2025. – What does this mean for applicants? Projects will need to show stronger, more immediate benefits to be considered cost effective. • Most recent pre-calculated benefit values went effective on April 8, 2025.

• Determine early whether the project needs a full BCA or can use pre-calculated benefits. • Start the BCA early. Don’t wait until the project scope and budget are finalized. Know which BCA path applies. • Keep everything aligned. The BCA inputs, project scope, cost estimates, and supporting technical documents must all match. • Streamlined does not mean simple. Flood projects, acquisitions, elevations, and reconstruction still require clear, well-organized documentation—even when a streamlined option is available.

Common application pitfalls

• Unclear or incomplete scope of work. Someone outside the project team should be able to understand what is being built, where it is located, what hazards are being addressed, and why the project matters. • Inconsistencies across the application. Scope, narrative, BCA, maps, engineering assumptions, and supporting documentation should tell the same story. • Budgets that do not tie to the line-item cost estimate or design assumptions.

Bottom line

Pay attention to the details. Inconsistencies, missing information, and incorrect project identification can make or break your application.

• Design maturity that is too thin for the funding bucket being pursued.

• Missing or weak documentation for cost share, mitigation plan consistency, site inventory, or building code status. • Waiting too long to gather EHP, permitting, procurement, and stakeholder input.

Additional risks

Benefit-Cost Analysis

Flood and property projects

• Unsupported values, missing source documents, or assumptions that are not referenced. • Using the wrong recurrence interval for historic events or relying on weak damage histories. • Failing to account for residual risk after project implementation. • Treating pre-calculated benefits as a shortcut for documentation quality; they still require the right eligibility proof.

• For acquisition/elevation/reconstruction projects using pre-calculated benefits, confirm the structure is in the Special Flood Hazard Area. • Show the building footprint relationship to the SFHA clearly on the mapping. • Document fair market value correctly for acquisition projects, typically with a recent appraisal. • Address tenant-occupied properties, relocation implications, future conditions, and long-term floodplain compliance early.

Poll #2

What is your biggest challenge right now?

EHP, permitting, and design readiness

• FEMA requires projects with potential environmental or cultural resource impacts to go through Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) review before federal funds are released to carry out the work. • New construction, facility modification, site work, floodplain/wetland impacts, and work that may affect historic properties can all trigger review steps and outside agency consultation. • The highest National Competition construction-readiness score is tied to detailed design and can include completed EHP and permitting documentation. • Applicants should also think ahead about floodplain management, Army Corps of Engineers permits, local development permits, and how future conditions are reflected in the project.

Helpful Tip: Early design development, early site screening, and early EHP coordination can reduce avoidable delays later.

Application deadlines

State, territorial, and tribal deadlines may be earlier

Application window opened March 25, 2026

BRIC deadline: July 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET

FEMA advises completing registrations well ahead of submission.

One United Team for BRIC Support

Infrastructure and mitigation planning, engineering design, environmental services, geospatial support, construction-ready project development, building code support, and construction management.

Grants, program management, FEMA GO, BCA coordination, mitigation planning support, and recipient/subrecipient administration experience.

One team for application coordination and alignment of scope, design, budget and schedule means faster procurement and mobilization.

How we can help

Before award

After selection

• Screen projects for BRIC fit, funding-bucket alignment, and scoring potential • Support stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, state pre-applications, subapplications, and FEMA GO narratives • Coordinate conceptual-to-preliminary design inputs, technical documentation, cost estimating, and BCA support • Address mitigation plan consistency, building code strategy, and EHP/permitting readiness • Help identify compliant procurement pathways and available contract vehicles so support can start quickly if the project moves forward

• Respond to RFIs and follow-up documentation requests • Organize recipient and subrecipient management costs, schedules, scopes, and reporting responsibilities • Advance engineering design, permitting, EHP coordination, and construction packaging • Support construction management, field execution coordination, reimbursement readiness, and documentation control

• Maintain audit-ready records through closeout

Q&A

Eric Letvin

Adrienne Sheldon Christine Caggiano James K. Joseph

Mark Boone

Resources

• FEMA BRIC Program Page – overview, links, and current support materials: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities

• FY 2024/25 BRIC NOFO – view the full Notice of Funding Opportunity: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/361620

• State Hazard Mitigation Officer List – identify the right state contact and subapplication process: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/state-local-territorial-governments/state-contacts

• FEMA GO – application submission, reporting, invoicing, and payment tracking: https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go

• BCA Page – cost-effectiveness tools, methodologies, and support: https://www.fema.gov/grants/tools/benefit-cost-analysis

• BCA Helpline – Questions can be submitted to: bchelpline@fema.dhs.gov

• EHP Resources – environmental and historic preservation guidance and job aids: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/environmental-historic

• Building Code Adoption Tracking – confirm code adoption status relevant to scoring: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/bcat

• HMA Guide – program policy, guidance, and job aids across the grant lifecycle: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance

Thank you.

Let us help you build the right project, submit a stronger application, and stay supported through delivery.

For more information, contact Eric Letvin, Vice President of Resilience, Tidal Basin

Resilience@tidalbasingroup.com

tidalbasingroup.com | mbakerintl.com

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