FEMA Releases National Resilience Guidance
Minimizing the damaging effects caused by natural disasters is not something that a community can take lightly, and piecemeal efforts likely will not achieve desired outcomes. To this end, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently issued its National Resilience Guidance.
FEMA defines resilience as “the ability to prepare for threats and hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from adverse conditions and disruptions.” The guidance: (1) promotes a common understanding of resilience; (2) emphasizes the critical relationship between acute shocks (i.e., events that disrupt daily lives) and chronic community stressors (i.e., long-term strains); (3) addresses the resilience roles of individuals, organizations and all levels of government; (4) provides an actionable approach to resilience planning and implementation; and (5) incorporates a community resilience maturity model that walks through concrete steps to build resilience.
Among the funding mechanisms that can be used to build community resilience includes grants and other financial assistance from federal agencies, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector. While individual grant programs frequently focus on specific activities, organizations can, as feasible, bring together multiple funding sources to fund multi-objective resilience projects.
“Oftentimes, the sources or mechanisms for funding resilience are not new, but how they are being used or combined for a specific activity may be,” according to the guidance. “Understanding the options available and how they can be used is critical, as is identifying what funding can be used early in the process to help unlock future funding opportunities. Accessing multiple funding sources may also result in opportunities to coordinate with multiple partners, strengthening both partnerships and resilience projects.”
The guidance offers a “resilience maturity model” ranging from the most minimal community efforts (i.e., “ad hoc”), to two stages of better preparation (i.e., “emerging” and “enhanced”) to the best-prepared stage (i.e., integrated) whereby a formal leadership structure is established, efforts are proactive, decisionmaking is highly inclusive, there is strong collaboration among diverse sectors, and performance measures are robust and outcomes-based.
FEMA is encouraging communities to register for its webinars on the guidance, which will be held Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern time; Sept. 26 at 3 p.m.. Eastern time; Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. Eastern time; and Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Join us for our following Thompson Grants events:
Federal Grants Forum State and Local Governments | Sept. 10-11, 2024 | Virtual Event
Nonprofit Legal, Finance, & Grants Conference | Oct. 1-2, 2024 | Arlington, Va.
