FEMA Fact Sheet

December 2022 1 

Private-Public Partnerships Support 

Reducing Risks and Building Resilience

A private-public partnership (P3) provides a forum for local government to collaborate with 

the private sector to develop equitable and inclusive mitigation strategies.

Background

The Building Private-Public Partnerships (P3) guide identifies ways that a P3 can help plan to build resilience in 

jurisdictions and positively influence and coordinate public and private investments in mitigation projects. This 

includes leveraging the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program and the 

Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program funding to benefit disadvantaged communities. 

Reducing Risks and Vulnerability

A P3 can help jurisdictions develop common resilience objectives based on an assessment of shared disaster risks 

and vulnerabilities. An assessment can be conducted using existing tools and at a minimum should include 

consideration for the natural, social, built and economic environment in a community. 

Understanding the risk environments provides the necessary 

context upon which mitigation priorities, plans and strategies

can be developed. Developing a risk and vulnerability profile of 

the community that includes vulnerable and disadvantaged 

groups will help to identify the best use of resources. 

With this information, communities can strengthen disaster 

risk management by including stakeholders who have a shared 

responsibility in handling disaster risks. This information helps 

to inform cooperation between public and private investments 

to improve resilience. This information also helps to identify 

opportunities to enhance disaster preparedness for effective 

response and recovery. 

Coordination and collaboration between private sector, 

nonprofit and government organizations can improve the 

resilience of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities and 

reduce the costs of disasters.
Private-Public Partnerships Support Reducing Risks and Building Resilience

Learn more at fema.gov December 2022 2 

Building Resilience

Reducing risk and vulnerability through whole community inclusion helps identify solutions where all stakeholders 

can leverage their resources to collectively build community resilience. A P3 can help build resilience in jurisdictions.

Figure 1: Building Community Resilience

Natural Environment Resilience Activities

 Use nature-based projects to mitigate flooding risk, reduce coastal erosion and create wildfire buffers. 

 Develop mitigation proposals (e.g., BRIC, Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF) for the natural and built environment.

Built Environment Resilience Activities

 Plan infrastructure projects to include hazard-specific building codes for hazards such as floods or earthquakes. 

 Consider retrofitting existing infrastructure and consider relocating critical utilities outside of high-risk areas. 

 Join the Community Rating System and National Flood Insurance Program and adopt requirements to reduce 

infrastructure risk metrics to lower flood insurance rates for property owners, renters and businesses. 

 Increase community resilience by adopting and enforcing the latest building codes.

Social Environment Resilience Activities

 Participate in disaster risk governance activities, collaborative planning teams, local emergency planning 

committees and development of core mitigation capabilities that require the private sector. 

 Engage small businesses and local advocates to better serve vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. 

 Jointly apply for mitigation funding opportunities and execute awarded projects. 

Economic Environment Resilience Activities

 Support development, stabilization and restoration of community lifelines and critical infrastructure.

 Coordinate and harmonize private investment, economic development and emergency management disaster 

response and recovery expenditures to ensure economic growth and prosperity in a community. 

 Coordinate development of resilient local supply chains.