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Options guide · Updated September 2026Missed the Mississippi FORTIFIED grant? You still have six other ways to pay for the roof, whether you’re outside the wind pool, weren’t picked in the lottery, or are inland and waiting for 2027. Some are open now, some open soon, and one is empty until new money arrives.
| Option | How much | Who qualifies | Status | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strengthen Mississippi Homes, statewide phase | Up to $10,000, paid to the roofer | Owner-occupied single-family homes statewide | Planned 1 Jan 2027 Depends on the Legislature fixing a funding error | Online, via the Insurance Department |
| FHLB Dallas FORTIFIED Fund | Up to $17,000, paid to the roofer | Household income at or below 120% of area median. MS is in its territory | $0 left for 2026 As of 1 Jul 2026 | Not directly. A member bank or credit union applies for groups of 5 to 50 homes |
| USDA Section 504 Home Repair | Loans up to $40,000 at 1%; grants up to $10,000; up to $50,000 combined | Very low income, eligible rural area. Grants only for homeowners 62+ | Open year-round | Your local USDA Rural Development office |
| MWUA FORTIFIED Roof endorsement | Up to $1,500 upgrade + $500 evaluation | Wind pool policyholders after a covered claim replacing 50%+ of the roof | Automatic on eligible policies | Through your wind pool claim |
| Habitat for Humanity, Mississippi Gulf Coast | Critical home repairs, when funded | Owner-occupied homes on the Coast | Varies; doesn’t mention roofs specifically | (228) 678-9100 |
| Pay the premium yourself | About $1,000 to $3,000 over a standard roof on a typical home | Anyone replacing a roof | Any time | Ask any FORTIFIED-certified roofer |
Sources: Mississippi Insurance Department; FHLB Dallas fund page and 2026 user guide; USDA Rural Development (updated Sep 2026); IBHS/Insurance Journal (2020); Habitat for Humanity MS Gulf Coast. Checked 29 September 2026.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas runs a separate FORTIFIED fund covering Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas. It pays up to $17,000 per home, including evaluator fees, for households at or below 120% of the area median income.
You can’t apply yourself. A bank or credit union that’s a member of FHLB Dallas applies on behalf of 5 to 50 homeowners. In August 2026, Guaranty Bank delivered a $15,000 grant to a Mississippi homeowner through it.
The catch: the fund page showed $0 available as of 1 July 2026. It runs in yearly rounds, so watch for 2027. If you bank locally, ask now whether they’re a member and plan to take part.
FHLB says its fund “can be stacked with other funding sources”, as long as the same costs aren’t paid twice. It doesn’t mention the Mississippi grant by name, so check with both before counting on it.
Source: FHLB Dallas FORTIFIED Fund page and 2026 user guide.
USDA’s Section 504 Home Repair programme lends up to $40,000 at a fixed 1% over 20 years, and gives grants of up to $10,000 to homeowners aged 62 and over on very low incomes. Loan and grant can combine to $50,000.
The home has to be in an eligible rural area, and a grant must be repaid if you sell within 3 years. A roof replacement is a repair, so you can ask the roofer to build it to FORTIFIED and claim the insurance discount afterwards.
USDA’s idea of “rural” can include small towns and the edges of cities. Check your address on the USDA eligibility map before assuming you don’t qualify.
Wait if your roof has a few good years left. The statewide phase could cover up to $10,000, and waiting costs you nothing but the discount you’d have earned meanwhile.
Build now if the roof is failing, leaking or already due. Hurricane season doesn’t wait for grant rounds, and the insurance discount comes from the FORTIFIED certificate, not from the grant. The upgrade typically adds only $1,000 to $3,000 to a roof you’re replacing anyway.
Remember the track record. The 2024 pilot was frozen after very few roofs were built, and the statewide money depends on a legislative fix. A 2027 grant is likely, not certain.
Get on the alert list for the statewide phase and get a quote now so you’re ready.
The programme plans to open to all homeowners from 1 January 2027. The statewide money depends on the Legislature fixing a bill-number error early in the 2027 session.
Yes. The discount comes from the FORTIFIED certificate, whoever pays for the roof.
Its page showed $0 available as of 1 July 2026. It runs in yearly rounds, and homeowners apply through a member bank or credit union, not directly.
USDA Section 504 offers repair grants of up to $10,000 to homeowners aged 62+ on very low incomes in eligible rural areas.
If a covered claim replaces 50% or more of your roof, the MWUA endorsement pays up to $1,500 toward a FORTIFIED upgrade and up to $500 toward the evaluation. See how it works.
Every option above needs a FORTIFIED-certified roofer and a price. Getting a quote now tells you what you’d pay yourself, and puts you first in line when the statewide round opens.
Related: what a FORTIFIED roof costs in Mississippi and the programme timeline.