FEMA will provide capitalization grants for entities to establish revolving loan funds for mitigation projects and activities to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts of events such as drought, extreme heat, severe storms, wildfires, floods and earthquakes.
This is an opportunity to prioritize low-impact development, wildland-urban interface management, conservation areas, reconnection of floodplain and open space projects.
In addition, funding can be utilized for building code adoption and enforcement. Loans will be awarded for these activities in accordance with the state, tribal, territorial, or District of Columbia’s Intended Use Plan for their fund.
The Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund program also allows grant recipients to provide loans for zoning and land-use planning.
Loans may be used to satisfy a local government’s non-federal cost share requirement for other FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs, such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Flood Mitigation Assistance grant programs.
In an effort to promote an entity-led program, FEMA will not limit or restrict project types beyond the limitations established in the statute.
Allowable uses include:
- Mitigation Activities: Eligible project types under this program will include activities that mitigate the impact of natural hazards, zoning and land use planning changes, and building code enforcement.
- Non-Federal Cost-Share: Loans may be used by local governments to satisfy a local government’s non-federal cost-share requirement for other FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs, such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Flood Mitigation Assistance grant programs.
To align with the timelines for these programs, entities are encouraged to list all possible cost share loans in their application materials to allow options to award loans to those projects. An entity should list any potential projects where a loan may be utilized for this purpose in the project proposal list that is submitted with its capitalization grant application.
- Local Government Technical Assistance: Entities may provide technical assistance to local governments applying for and receiving loans. Technical assistance provided by entities to local governments shall not exceed 5% of the capitalization grant the entity received.
- Entity Administrative Costs: Entities may use a portion of the capitalization grant for costs associated with administering their revolving loan fund. The statute requires entity loan fund administrative costs shall not exceed the following limits, whichever is greatest: $100,000 per year; 2% of the capitalization grants made in that fiscal year; or 1% of the value of the entity loan fund.