In case you haven’t heard the news already, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will award eight preparedness grant programs totaling more than $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2019. The grants, like usual, are reflective of the Department’s focus on funding for programs that address our nation’s immediate security needs and ensure public safety in our communities. As such, they will provide funding to states and local governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, to improve the nation’s readiness for terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.

“The administration remains committed to strengthening the security and resilience of our state and local communities,” said Deputy DHS Secretary, David Pekoske. “The DHS grant programs are flexible by design and will be used to help address evolving threats. They will go toward building and sustaining capabilities across all levels of government and the whole community to maximize preparedness.”

Here’s how the $1.7B in grants for emergency preparedness in FY2019 stack up:

  • Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG)—provides $350M+ to assist state, local, tribal and territorial governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazard emergency management capabilities
  • Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)—provides $1B+ for states and urban areas to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism or other threats
  • State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)—provides $415M to support the implementation of risk-driven, capabilities-based State Homeland Security Strategies to address capability targets
  • Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)—provides $590 million to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in 31 high-threat, high-density areas
  • Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)—provides $90 million to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to jointly enhance security along U.S. land and water borders

Additionally, the FY2019 program will award $10 million through a Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program; $60 million through a Nonprofit Security Grant Program; $10 million through a Intercity Passenger Rail–Amtrak (IPR) Program; $100 million through a Port Security Grant Program; $88 million through a Transit Security Grant Program; and $2 million through an Intercity Bus Security Grant Program.

Per the Department, grant recipients are encouraged to use grant funding to maintain and sustain current critical core capabilities through investments in training and exercises, updates to current planning and procedures, and lifecycle replacement of equipment. New capabilities that are built using homeland security grant funding must be deployable if needed to support regional and national efforts. And remember, all capabilities being built or sustained must have a clear linkage to the core capabilities articulated in the National Preparedness Goal (NPG).

Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and http://www.fema.gov/grants.