DHS has allocated more than $1.7 billion for preparedness grant programs
Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) is encouraging eligible applicants in the 15th District of Texas to apply for available preparedness grant programs through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Department recently released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Notices of Funding Opportunity for eight DHS programs that total more than $1.7 billion.
The grant programs provide funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. This funding allows the 15th District of Texas to improve its readiness in preventing, protecting against, responding to, recovering from and mitigating major disasters and other emergencies.
“Being prepared is the best way to respond,” Congressman Gonzalez said. “This DHS funding presents Central and South Texans with the opportunity to take control, prepare, and protect residents from any future disasters or emergencies. When the next storm hits, when the next disaster happens, I want to know that the 15th District of Texas has every tool in the box to stand ready, capable, and prepared.”
Consistent with previous grant guidance, dedicated funding is provided for law enforcement and terrorism prevention throughout the country to prepare for, prevent and respond to pre-operational activity and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of terrorist activity.
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. All capabilities being built or sustained must have a clear linkage to the core capabilities articulated in the National Preparedness Goal.
Preparedness Grant Program Allocations for Fiscal Year 2019:
- Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) — provides more than $350 million to assist state, local, tribal, territorial governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities.
- Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) — provides more than $1 billion for states and urban areas to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other threats.
- State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) — provides $415 million to support the implementation of risk-driven, capabilities-based State Homeland Security Strategies to address capability targets. States are required to dedicate 25 percent of SHSP funds to law enforcement terrorism prevention activities.
- Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) — provides $590 million to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in 31 high-threat, high-density areas. States and Urban Areas are required to dedicate 25 percent of UASI funds to law enforcement terrorism prevention activities.
- 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 the United States land and water borders.
Since the enactment of the 9/11 Act, FEMA has required states to ensure that at least 25 percent of the total funds awarded to them under SHSP and UASI are dedicated toward law enforcement terrorism prevention activities (LETPA). The total LETPA allocation can be satisfied from SHSP, UASI, or both. In addition, states must obligate at least 80 percent of the funds awarded under SHSP and UASI to local or tribal units of government within 45 days of receiving of the funds.
- Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP) — provides $10 million to eligible tribal nations to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation against risk associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards.
- Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) — provides $60 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. This year, $50 million is provided to nonprofits in UASI-designated urban areas, and $10 million is provided to nonprofits located in any state or territory.
- Intercity Passenger Rail – Amtrak (IPR) Program — provides $10 million to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system.
- Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) — provides $100 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities.
- Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) — provides $88 million to owners and operators of transit systems to protect critical surface transportation and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.
- Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) — provides $2 million to owners and operators of intercity bus systems to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.
All preparedness Notices of Funding Opportunities can be found at www.grants.gov. Final submissions must be made through the Non-Disaster (ND) Grants system located at portal.fema.gov.
Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.
