Build Strong America

What Build Strong America does

BuildStrong America is a Washington, D.C.-based national policy advocacy coalition founded in 2011 (with current website attribution dating to 2015) that works to reduce U.S. disaster costs and accelerate pre-disaster mitigation investment. Its core function is convening a broad coalition of stakeholders — firefighters, emergency responders, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, consumer organizations, and code specialists — to influence federal disaster mitigation, building code, and resilience legislation and funding.

The coalition's substantive outputs center on policy advocacy and federal engagement rather than software or technology products. BuildStrong served as a key technical advisor to Congress and FEMA on the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 and the establishment of FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, and is actively advocating for the bipartisan Resilient AMERICA Act. Its products and services include a Resource Center (white papers, testimony, videos), federal engagement and testimony services, state-level chapters (BuildStrong California, Hawaii, New Jersey) and a Regional Disaster Mitigation Forum Series, plus grant program advocacy around FEMA BRIC.

BuildStrong is funded through membership dues and coalition contributions from its institutional members, with leadership including President Phil Anderson (since founding), Executive Director Natalie Enclade Ph.D. (former FEMA and DHS), and Deputy Executive Director Aaron Davis (joined April 2025, formerly of ICC and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee). The organization operates on a small staff (1–10 employees) with no disclosed revenue or funding rounds, and has no AI, software, or proprietary technology surface.

Name

Build Strong America

Legal name

Build Strong America

Website

https://buildstrongamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BuildStrong America is a Washington, D.C. nonprofit coalition founded in 2011 that convenes firefighters, insurers, engineers, contractors, and code specialists to influence federal disaster mitigation policy, building codes, and FEMA's BRIC program through advocacy, testimony, and state-level chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Community Resilience, Preparedness Training & Exercises (HLAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Disaster mitigation advocacy
• Policy advocacy coalition
• Building code reform
• Resilience policy
• Pre-disaster mitigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Coalition Contributions: BuildStrong America operates as a coalition of diverse stakeholders including firefighters, emergency responders, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, consumer organizations, and code specialists. The organization is funded through membership contributions from these coalition members and likely accepts grants and donations to support its policy advocacy mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BuildStrong America is a national nonprofit policy advocacy coalition that unites firefighters, emergency responders, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, consumer organizations, and code specialists. The coalition advocates for increased federal and state investment in pre-disaster mitigation, modern building codes, and resilient infrastructure through legislative engagement with Congress, FEMA, DHS, and state governments, including state chapters in California, Hawaii, and New Jersey. Core activities include Congressional testimony, technical advisory services, and direct advocacy for programs such as FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).

Product overview

BuildStrong America is a national policy advocacy coalition focused on disaster mitigation and resilience, not a traditional product company. The organization operates as a unified advocacy platform that brings together stakeholders including firefighters, emergency responders, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, and consumer organizations. Their core 'offerings' consist of policy advocacy initiatives (Resilient AMERICA Act, Wildfire Response Improvement Act), grant program support (FEMA BRIC program), a Resource Center containing white papers and policy research, and state-level initiatives (BuildStrong California, Hawaii, New Jersey). The organization does not develop or sell software products but rather provides advocacy services, policy guidance, and educational resources to advance federal and state resilience legislation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BuildStrong America Policy Advocacy Coalition A national coalition membership-based advocacy platform that unites diverse stakeholders including firefighters, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors, manufacturers, consumer organizations, and code specialists to advocate for disaster mitigation policies, modern building codes, and increased resilience investments. Members gain access to federal policy engagement opportunities and a unified advocacy voice on disaster resilience.
• Federal Policy Advocacy and Technical Advisory Services Technical advisory services provided to Congress and federal agencies such as FEMA on resilience policy, legislative proposals, hearings, regulatory recommendations, and rulemaking for disaster mitigation and resilience programs, including FEMA's BRIC program. Includes policy research, Congressional testimony, and white papers on disaster resilience legislation.
• State-Level Resilience Initiatives Program A regional engagement program that operates state-level disaster resilience initiatives including BuildStrong California, BuildStrong Hawaii, and BuildStrong New Jersey, as well as a Regional Disaster Mitigation Forum Series, extending the national coalition's disaster resilience advocacy at state and local levels.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every dollar invested in mitigation, as much as eleven dollars can be saved
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council (MMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuildStrong America's Executive Director Natalie Enclade serves on the Board of Directors for NIBS Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council, providing strategic alignment between the coalition's policy goals and industry standards development.
• NIBS Lifeline Advisory PanelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuildStrong America's Executive Director serves on the Executive Committee for the NIBS Lifeline Advisory Panel, focusing on policy recommendations for critical infrastructure resilience.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuildStrong America's Executive Director chairs the Resilience Policy Council for FLASH, a partnership focused on home and community safety and resilience education and advocacy.
• Big City Emergency ManagersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in supporting the Wildfire Response Improvement Act, representing urban emergency management perspectives on disaster resilience.
• National Association of CountiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner advocating for disaster resilience policy and funding at the federal level.
• National Emergency Management AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in supporting wildfire and disaster resilience legislation, representing state emergency management directors.
• International Association of Emergency ManagersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in advancing disaster resilience and mitigation policy.
• International Association of Fire ChiefsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in advocating for wildfire response improvements and emergency preparedness policy.
• House Transportation & Infrastructure CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey Congressional partner for FEMA Act briefings and resilience legislation. BuildStrong collaborates with the Committee on bipartisan disaster policy initiatives.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal agency partner. BuildStrong serves as a key technical advisor to FEMA on policy, regulatory, and rulemaking recommendations for disaster mitigation programs including BRIC.
• Liberty Mutual InsurancesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborated on Partners for Progress video series about building climate resilient communities.
• White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood PartnershipssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuildStrong participated in climate resilience roundtable discussions with federal partners to address vulnerable populations.
• Black Resilience NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in White House and FEMA collaborative efforts to reinforce climate resilience in underserved communities.
• Pew Charitable TrustssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Pew webinar about flood resilience opportunities for the new Congress.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): IBHS is an insurance industry-funded research organization that advances resilient construction standards. Both organizations advocate stronger building codes to reduce disaster losses and share overlapping member constituencies in the insurance and building sectors.
• Pew Charitable Trusts: Pew's flood-resilience and disaster recovery work overlaps with BuildStrong's mission, and the organizations have partnered on a Congressional briefing on flood resilience. Pew operates a comparable federal advocacy function on disaster mitigation funding.
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH): FLASH is a nonprofit focused on home and community safety and resilience, and BuildStrong America's Executive Director chairs FLASH's Resilience Policy Council. FLASH advocates overlapping disaster mitigation and building code policy and is the closest direct peer in residential resilience advocacy.
• National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo is a coalition partner of BuildStrong America that represents county governments on federal disaster resilience and mitigation funding. The two organizations share overlapping federal policy goals and member outreach.
• National Emergency Management Association (NEMA): NEMA is the association of state emergency management directors and is a listed coalition partner of BuildStrong America. Both organizations advocate FEMA funding and disaster mitigation legislation at the federal level.
• International Code Council (ICC): ICC is the leading developer of model building codes used across the U.S. BuildStrong's Deputy Executive Director Aaron Davis joined from ICC in April 2025, and the two organizations frequently collaborate on building code adoption incentives and FEMA BRIC initiatives.
• National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS): NIBS is a nonprofit that develops building standards and convenes the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council. BuildStrong America's Executive Director sits on both the MMC Board and the NIBS Lifeline Advisory Panel, making NIBS a direct peer in building science and resilience policy.

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): ASCE sets infrastructure standards and publishes the Report Card for America's Infrastructure. ASCE's advocacy on lifeline infrastructure resilience and federal investment overlaps directly with BuildStrong's policy priorities.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): NFPA develops widely adopted fire and building safety codes and engages in federal advocacy on resilience and wildfire safety. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping policy goals in codes and wildfire response improvement legislation supported by BuildStrong.
• American Red Cross: The American Red Cross is a major humanitarian organization engaged in disaster preparedness and response. While much broader in scope, it overlaps with BuildStrong on community preparedness policy and federal disaster funding advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvFvPfF62u9bAxurCBQ0xyA
• Xx.com/BuildStrongUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/BuildStrongAmerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/build-strong

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Build Strong America