The Strengthen Mississippi Homes (SMH) program is a state grant that covers up to $10,000 of the cost to upgrade your roof to the FORTIFIED standard — a set of construction requirements, developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), designed to help roofs hold up better against wind and hail.
What to know about the Strengthen Mississippi Homes grant
The Mississippi Insurance Department manages the Strengthen Mississippi Homes program, which is funded by the state's insurance industry.
Right now, SMH is only open to a limited group of homeowners: those in Hancock, Harrison, or Jackson County who carry wind coverage through the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association (MWUA), the state's insurer of last resort. If you qualify, you'll still need to budget for a few costs the grant doesn't cover, including a home evaluation fee and any contractor costs beyond the $10,000 grant amount.
Who qualifies for a Strengthen Mississippi Homes grant?
To qualify for the SMH grant, you must meet the following criteria:
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The home must be a single-family, owner-occupied dwelling that serves as your primary residence.
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The home cannot be a rental property, condominium, mobile home, or townhome.
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The home generally needs to be in good repair to qualify. The one exception: damage caused by a hurricane, wind, or hail won't disqualify you. Keep in mind SMH funds only cover the FORTIFIED Roof upgrade itself, not general repairs, though you can use the grant alongside separate repair or rebuilding work if a storm caused the damage.
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You'll need an active Mississippi home insurance policy in place.
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You'll also need wind coverage — either a standalone policy or wind coverage built into your home insurance — active by the time the roof work is finished.
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If your property sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area, you'll need flood insurance, too.
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Plan to pay out of pocket for an inspection from a Certified FORTIFIED Evaluator approved by the SMH program.
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Your local government must enforce a building code that meets or exceeds the FORTIFIED Roof standard, a requirement under Miss. Code Ann. § 17-2-1 for homes in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties.
For its initial rollout, SMH is only open to homeowners in three of Mississippi's six coastal counties: Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson. (The other three — George, Pearl River, and Stone — aren't part of this phase yet). Current applicants must also be insured through the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association (MWUA) wind pool — an insurer of last resort for property owners who can't find coverage in the private market — and that policy must have been active for at least three consecutive years.
There are no income restrictions to apply. While this phase is limited to wind-pool policyholders in those three counties, a statewide expansion is expected in early 2027.
How the grant and selection process works
The grant covers 100% of the cost of roof mitigation, up to $10,000, for retrofitting projects that bring your roof up to the FORTIFIED Roof standard. FORTIFIED roofs have the following characteristics:
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Sealed roof deck: If high winds strip away your shingles, metal panels, or tiles, a sealed deck stops water from soaking through the exposed wood below, limiting interior damage until repairs happen.
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Reinforced roof edges: Wind usually gets its first grip at the roof's edges, so FORTIFIED calls for stronger edge materials and techniques, like a continuous adhesive starter strip and a wider drip edge, to keep gusts from working underneath the covering.
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Ring-shank nails in a tighter pattern: Standard smooth nails can loosen under repeated wind stress. FORTIFIED requires ring-shank nails, spaced closer together than typical builds, to anchor the roof deck to the frame — a change IBHS says can roughly double a roof's resistance to wind uplift.
The grant program will open for applications periodically throughout the year, with specific dates announced ahead of time. You can check the Mississippi Insurance Department website to stay informed about upcoming application periods.
What do you need to do before and after your roof retrofit?
If your grant application is approved, you'll need to schedule a home evaluation with a Certified FORTIFIED Evaluator — an independent contractor trained to assess whether a roofing project meets FORTIFIED requirements. Once you're approved for an award, SMH will send you a list of evaluators to choose from, and you'll pay the evaluator's fee out of pocket (evaluators set their own rates). The evaluator documents your home, the project, and the finished work throughout the process, and IBHS reviews that documentation before issuing the official FORTIFIED certificate.
Your contractor must be a state-licensed, insured home builder who has completed training specific to the SMH program (SMH will give you a list of approved contractors and their contact information once you're selected for a grant). Once the work is done, SMH pays the grant directly to the contractor. You're responsible for covering any costs beyond the grant award amount.
How to apply for the Strengthen Mississippi Homes grant
Follow these steps to apply for an SMH grant:
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Check your county and insurance eligibility: As of the time of writing, the program is only available to homeowners in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties who have wind and hail coverage through the MWUA wind pool. The program is expected to open to more applicants in 2027.
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Submit an SMH interest form: You can start the process by submitting an SMH interest form online. You will need to provide your name, address, contact information, county of residence, and MWUA policy number.
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Await instructions: Do not hire an evaluator or contractor, and do not begin work on your home yourself. SMH will contact you with next steps if you get approved to move forward.
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Hire a FORTIFIED Evaluator: If SMH selects you to receive an award, you will receive a list of evaluators to choose from. The evaluator will assess your home and monitor the project to ensure your roof is brought to FORTIFIED standards. You are responsible for 100% of the evaluation fee.
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Hire a contractor: SMH will provide you a list of contractors, along with their contact information, to select from. Once the grant is awarded and you choose your contractor, SMH will notify the contractor about the job. SMH will only pay the contractor the amount shown on the grant award letter. Any additional cost is yours to pay.
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Receive the grant: SMH will cover up to $10,000 for the roof upgrade, which is paid directly to the contractor once the project is complete and the required paperwork is submitted, including the FORTIFIED certificate from IBHS.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act?
The Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act, or Senate Bill 2409, took effect July 1, 2026. Rather than creating a brand-new program, it renamed and expanded an existing state roof-mitigation program, increasing the maximum grant amount and broadening coverage beyond hurricanes to include tornado, hail, and other windstorm damage. You can submit an interest form through the Mississippi Insurance Department to be considered for funding.
Who is eligible for the Mississippi roof grant?
The Strengthen Mississippi Homes roof grant is available to owners of single-family, owner-occupied homes with an active home insurance policy. The program is currently only available in select counties for homeowners who have wind and hail coverage through the MWUA wind pool.
Are there any free grants available in Mississippi?
Strengthen Mississippi Homes isn’t completely free, since you’re responsible for the FORTIFIED Evaluator’s fee out of pocket. Other homeowner assistance in Mississippi includes the USDA Single Family Housing Repair Program, which offers loans and grants to eligible low-income homeowners, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas FORTIFIED Fund, which funds FORTIFIED Roof upgrades for income-qualified homeowners.
What is a safe room grant in Mississippi?
A Mississippi safe room grant is a separate reimbursement program from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), funded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, that helps homeowners install a FEMA-compliant safe room or storm shelter. Application windows open periodically rather than staying open year-round. Check MEMA's site for the next one.
