Federal grants can play a significant role in helping state, local, tribal, and territorial governments (SLTTs), nonprofit agencies, and the private sector realize their emergency preparedness goals. Since 2002, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded more than $58 billion to grant recipients to prevent, protect against, and respond to human-made threats and natural disasters. The department recently announced final allocations of $605 million for six fiscal year 2023 competitive preparedness grant programs. 

  1. Operation Stonegarden Grant Program – Provides $90 million to enhance cooperation and coordination among SLTT governments and federal law enforcement agencies to jointly enhance security along U.S. land and water borders.  
  2. Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program – Provides $15 million to eligible tribal nations to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation against the risks associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards. 
  3. Nonprofit Security Grant Program – Provides $305 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations at a high risk of a terrorist attack. This year, $152.5 million is provided to nonprofits in 31 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)-designated areas. Another $152.5 million is available to nonprofits outside UASI areas, i.e., in any state or territory. 
  4. Port Security Grant Program – Provides $100 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities. 
  5. Transit Security Grant Program – Provides $93 million to the owners and operators of public transit systems to protect critical surface transportation and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.
  6. Intercity Bus Security Grant Program – Provides $2 million to the owners and operators of intercity bus systems to protect surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure. 

These allocations, together with the almost $1.4 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced earlier this year, total more than $2 billion. 

At BOLDplanning, a division of Agility, we encourage you to learn more about these sources of federal funding (and others) to support your organization’s emergency preparedness goals. Information is readily available online at www.dhs.gov and http://www.fema.gov/grants. Refer to the Preparedness Grants Manual for additional guidance on policies and procedures, program specifics, and rules and regulations. 

BOLDplanning blends world-class emergency, continuity, and hazard mitigation planning services with easy, accessible online software. The result is a comprehensive source for ensuring your organization is prepared for any emergency or disruption.Â