The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is accepting applications for a new matching funds grant program to support communities pursuing funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. DEEP’s new matching grant program is a component of the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund, which helps communities invest in projects needed to address vulnerabilities to extreme weather and reduce impacts to critical infrastructure.
From historic flooding in the Naugatuck Valley to recent wildfires, including the 100+ acre Hawthorne Fire in Berlin, climate-driven hazards are already causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Connecticut roads, bridges, homes, and businesses. Communities are responding by developing innovative approaches to build resilience to natural hazards, often seeking to fund these resilience projects through state and federal grant programs.
FEMA BRIC is one of the largest sources of funding for projects that make communities more resilient, providing grants of up to $50M. Communities often struggle to take advantage of BRIC, however, because the program requires them to cover one quarter of the project cost. DEEP’s new program will help communities meet the funding match requirements for BRIC projects to help Connecticut take full advantage of the fiscal year 2024 funds that FEMA announced earlier this month.
The program is open to municipal governments, local public utilities, federally recognized tribal nations, and other entities eligible for BRIC funding. DEEP will award between one and three quarters of a project’s non-federal match requirements, with larger awards going to projects that benefit environmental justice communities and incorporate nature-based solutions.
