OUR MISSION
The Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program ("CHAMP") resides within the Resilience Infrastructure Bank of the I-Bank,
an independent State Financing Authority responsible for providing and administering low interest rate loans to qualified New Jersey municipalities,
counties, agencies, instrumentalities and other eligible entities in New Jersey for the purpose of financing hazard mitigation and resilience projects
pursuant to the State Hazard Mitigation Plan ("State HMP") and the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation ("STORM") Act.
"The NJ Infrastructure Bank, together with the NJ Office of Emergency Management, developed a process for providing hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid in advance of FEMA grant funds to local communities for resilience projects as a result of Superstorm Sandy. This partnership, co-administered with NJDEP, has evolved over the past 10 years into a seamless process which will be replicated for the new CHAMP Program. The I-Bank and OEM are excited about the opportunity to build out the Resilience Infrastructure Bank’s CHAMP Program and expand resilience funding to communities for pre-disaster projects."
David Zimmer, CFA
New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, Executive Director
"If the Resilience Infrastructure Bank functions anything like the I-Bank’s SAIL Disaster Financing Program for post-disaster projects, it will be a home run for communities in need of these funds. When SMRSA took advantage of the SAIL disaster financing program, working with the I-Bank and OEM, the entire process was fast and efficient. The Program ensured that the funds promised us by FEMA were received in less than 2 months, and then provided low-cost loans for our match dollars that remained. It was a terrific experience and I expect the RIB’s CHAMP Program to be equally valuable."
Ryan R. Krause, P.E., C.M.E.
SMRSA, Executive Director