FEMA launches third round of Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund
Author

Brett Mattson

Naomi Freel
Upcoming Events
Related News

Key Takeaways
On January 14, FEMA announced the third funding opportunity for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) program, making $178 million available to enhance community resilience against natural hazards. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58), this program allows the establishment of revolving loan funds that provide low-interest loans for local hazard mitigation projects.
Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program
The Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program is a financial tool designed to empower local governments by providing flexible, low-interest loans for projects that reduce disaster risks and strengthen resilience. Key eligible activities include:
- Building resilience: Construct or modify infrastructure to mitigate risks from floods, earthquakes, wildfires and other natural disasters.
- Planning for the future: Update hazard mitigation plans, adopt modern building codes and make zoning or land-use changes to reduce vulnerabilities.
- Supporting other mitigation efforts: Use loans to cover non-federal cost shares for FEMA programs like the Flood Mitigation Assistance program.
- Addressing deferred maintenance: Repair or upgrade mitigation infrastructure to ensure long-term functionality.
This program provides flexibility in loan terms, with repayment periods of up to 20 years for most communities and up to 30 years for low-income areas. While counties cannot apply directly to FEMA for these grants, local governments can apply for low-interest loans through their state, territory or Tribal Nation’s RLF, making this a significant opportunity for advancing county resilience efforts.
Impact on Counties
Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF funding offers a critical opportunity for county governments to address infrastructure vulnerabilities, implement hazard mitigation plans and build long-term resilience in communities at risk of disasters. By fostering collaboration between county governments and participating entities, the program helps counties reduce disaster risks, mitigate vulnerabilities and improve recovery outcomes for residents.
Advocacy
New FEMA funding opportunities to enhance climate resilience
FEMA unveiled two significant funding opportunities to support communities in their efforts to address the growing challenges of extreme weather and natural disasters. Through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program, FEMA is making a total of $1.35 billion available to improve infrastructure resilience and mitigate flood risks.

Related News

County Countdown – June 30, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features the Senate reconciliation debate, transparency on sanctuary designations and more.

DHS releases list identifying sanctuary jurisdictions; includes nearly 400 counties
NACo, along with the National League of Cities, and the International Municipal Lawyers Association, requested additional clarification on the methodology used to create the list, and noted concerns around the legal challenges that localities face when complying with ICE detainers. As of this time, NACo has yet to hear of a county receiving a formal notification that they were included on the list.

U.S. House of Representatives introduces legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for behavioral health treatment facilities
On June 20, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act in the U.S. House of Representative. This bill aims to improve access to behavioral health care nationwide by removing long-standing Medicaid funding restrictions for behavioral health treatment in certain facilities, providing new flexibility for states and counties to meet growing behavioral health needs.