Eligibility for Swift Current Initiative

When applying for funding under the Flood Mitigation Assistance program's Swift Current initiative, applicants and subapplicants must meet these criteria.

Applicant Requirements

Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are eligible to apply.

• Each eligible state shall designate one agency to serve as the applicant for Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current funding. The applicant’s designated agency may submit only one grant application to FEMA.
• Applicants must have a FEMA-approved State Hazard Mitigation plan by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for project subapplications.

Subapplicant Requirements

Local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments and tribal governments (including federally recognized tribes that choose to apply as subapplicants) are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications to their state applicant agency.

• Structures identified in the subapplication must have an NFIP policy (including Group Flood Insurance Policy) in effect prior to the opening of the application period that must be maintained through the life of the building, regardless of the flood zone.
• Subapplicants must have a FEMA-approved Local or Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan by the application deadline and at the time of obligation of grant funds for projects.
• All subapplicants must be participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, and not be withdrawn, on probation, or suspended.

To verify the status of a community participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, refer to FEMA's Community Status Book.

Individual flood mitigation projects are eligible¹ under the FMA Swift Current. Eligible individual flood mitigation projects include the following project types: 

• Property Acquisition and Structure Demolition/Relocation
• Structure Elevation
• Dry Floodproofing of Historic Residential Structures or Non-Residential Structures
• Non-Structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings and Facilities
• Mitigation Reconstruction²
• Structural Retrofitting of Existing Buildings

Other Eligibility Criteria

Additional eligibility criteria applicable to Fiscal Year 2022 Swift Current:

• Properties included in individual flood mitigation project subapplications must be Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) properties, Repetitive Loss (RL) properties, or properties that were deemed substantially damaged after Aug. 26, 2021.
• All non-critical structure elevation, dry floodproofing, and mitigation reconstruction projects in an SFHA must apply, at a minimum, the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach. Applicants of all other types of projects are strongly encouraged to apply the flood elevations of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard’s Freeboard Value Approach. For more information about partial implementation of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard for Hazard Mitigation Programs, view FEMA Policy FP-206-21-0003.
• For critical actions³ in the Special Flood Hazard Area , the elevation requirements from Code of Federal Regulations Title 44 CFR Section 9.11 continue to apply. For any new construction or Substantial Improvement of structures, the lowest floor of the structure (including the basement) must be at or above the level of the 500-year flood.
• All individual flood mitigation project subapplications submitted as part of an FMA Swift Current grant application must be consistent with the goals and objectives identified in the current, FEMA-approved State or Tribal (Standard or Enhanced) Mitigation Plan and the local mitigation plan for the jurisdiction in which the project is located. Hazard mitigation plans should reflect statewide mitigation priorities, across all potential federal and non-federal mitigation funding sources.

For additional information on eligibility, view the full FMA Notice of Funding Opportunity at Grants.gov.

Review and Selection Process

FEMA will prioritize properties from subapplications if the building value of a single-family dwelling is less than $750,000, according to best available data, to ensure maximization of the number of NFIP-insured properties selected for mitigation projects in accordance with 44 C.F.R. § 77.4(a).

To determine the building value of a single-family dwelling, homeowners can refer to the Replacement Cost Value (RCV)⁴ documented in the most recent claim. If no RCV is provided, then homeowners can refer to the Actual Cash Value (ACV)⁵ as documented on the most recent claim. If an RCV or ACV for the structure is not available or includes errors, FEMA will evaluate properties on a case-by-case basis for removal from the subapplication.

Single-family dwellings that are not selected may be reconsidered if additional funding is available after the competitive selection of subapplications submitted prior to July 1, 2022.

If the structure does not have an RCV, then FEMA will consider the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of the structure, as listed on the most current claim of the property. If the structure has neither RCV nor ACV, FEMA will consider the assessed market value.

Equity Considerations

Sec. 223 from Executive Order 14008: “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” establishes the Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. Pursuant to this effort and to ensure maximization of the number of NFIP-insured properties in accordance with Code of Federal Relations Title Section 77.4(a), FEMA has established that properties located in census tracts with Centers for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index SVI of .5001 or greater are considered to have moderate to high vulnerability.

To accomplish this Justice40 goal, FEMA requests that, within 30 days of the application start date, each state provide FEMA with a written summary of actions (e.g., state-specific criteria or initiatives) to prioritize equitable selection of submitted subapplications under the state allocation and ensure maximization of the number of NFIP-insured properties funded under this opportunity.

Additionally, FEMA will monitor the average CDC SVI of properties included in a subapplication. FEMA may select properties within subapplications to prioritize funding for Severe Repetitive Loss, Repetitive Loss,  and substantially damaged properties in census tracts with moderate to high social vulnerability so that the average CDC SVI of properties included in a subapplication remains .5001 or greater.

For the competitive selection phase, FEMA will select subapplications submitted in excess of the state allocations prior to July 28, 2022, based on average CDC SVI score, from highest to lowest. The average SVI score per subapplication will be calculated by averaging the overall SVI scores of the census tract in which each property is located, based on validated address(es) provided in the subapplication. In the event of a tie of average CDC SVI scores, the subapplication with the greatest benefit to the NFIF will be selected.

1. If a subapplication includes a property that is not Severe Repetitive Loss, Repetitive Loss, or deemed substantially damaged after Aug. 26, 2021, FEMA reserves the right to remove the property from the subapplication prior to selection.
2. Eligible mitigation reconstruction costs are limited to a $150,000 federal share per property. Some eligible activities, such as administrative allowances and permitting fees, need not be included in the $150,000 maximum federal share.
3. Critical action: An action for which even a slight chance of flooding is too great. The minimum floodplain of concern for critical actions is the 500-year floodplain, i.e., critical floodplain. Critical actions include, but are not limited to, those which create or extend the useful life of structures or facilities. Critical action referenced here is defined as critical action by 44 CFR § 9.4.
4. The cost to replace property with the same kind of material and construction without deduction for depreciation.
5. The cost to replace an insured item of property at the time of loss, less the value of its physical depreciation.