Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has announced $1.6 billion for eight Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) preparedness grant programs to provide critical funding to help state and local officials prepare for, prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism and other hazards.

This new funding is in addition to the $405.1 million announced in April for the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program.

“Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the threat landscape has continued to evolve,” explains Secretary Mayorkas with regard to this year’s grant awards.

“DHS has remained vigilant while adapting to protect the homeland. Through our grant programs, DHS makes critical investments to support our partners across every level of government and in the private sector as we work together to keep our communities safe.”

“Following the hostage situation at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, I called for an increase in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This program provides essential resources to help protect nonprofit organizations at risk of terrorist attacks.”

(A hostage situation at a synagogue in Colleyville on Saturday, January 15 ended after nearly 11 hours when law enforcement safely rescued all four hostages. Courtesy of CBSDFW and YouTube. Posted on Jan 15, 2022.)

“This year, Congress will provide a total of $250 million, an increase of $70 million from last year,” continued Mayorkas. “This increase will allow more nonprofit organizations across the nation to make physical security enhancements to help protect against attacks.”

“The increase also enables DHS to expand participation in this critical program and increase our support to historically marginalized communities and HBCUs in an effort to build capacity and address an evolving threat environment. In the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget request to Congress, DHS has proposed an additional increase in funding for this critical program to $360 million.”

(Biden 2023 budget proposal: ‘This year, we’re on track to cut the deficit by more than one trillion, $300 billion’. Courtesy of Yahoo Finance and YouTube. Posted on Apr 2, 2022.)

“As the threats to our nation continue to evolve, our grant programs must evolve with them,” Mayorkas said.

“This year, I have designated two new national priority areas for the FY 2022 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant programs: Community Preparedness and Resilience; and Election Security.”

“With this year’s grant awards, DHS is prioritizing support to state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement efforts more than ever before. Since 2007, DHS grant programs have required a minimum of 25% of funds be granted to Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA).”

“This year, for the first time, I am increasing funding to LETPA from a statutory minimum of 25% to 30%, resulting in a $51.5 million increase from the prior year. Through these efforts, the Department is supporting law enforcement’s ability to understand, recognize, prepare for, prevent, and respond to pre-operational activity and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of terrorist activity.”

The Fiscal Year 2022 grant guidance will continue to focus on the nation’s highest-risk areas, including urban areas that face the most significant threats and national priorities, and the Urban Area Security Initiative will enhance regional preparedness and capabilities by funding 36 high-threat, high-density urban areas.

This includes five additional urban areas that will receive funding to build and sustain capability based on an evolving threat environment. This represents Congressional intent to limit these funds to those urban areas that represent up to 85% of the nationwide risk.

(For example, see the outstanding coordination of homeland security professionals and participating law enforcement agencies of Florida’s Urban Areas Security Initiative program showed how it’s done. The scenario involved a water-borne terrorism incident aboard the Star Ship dinner yacht anchored in the channel behind the Tampa Convention Center. With the bomb-toting terrorists on board, teams of special operators from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough Fire Rescue, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Tampa Police Department, Tampa Fire Rescue, and U.S. Coast Guard boarded the vessel from the air and the water. Bottom line: the terrorists lost. Courtesy of HCSOSheriff and YouTube. Posted on Jun 29, 2016.)

DHS has identified six national priority areas in the FY 2022 grant cycle: cybersecurity; soft targets and crowded places; intelligence and information sharing; domestic violent extremism; community preparedness and resilience; and election security.

Grant recipients under the State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security Initiative will be required to dedicate a minimum of 30% of their awards across these six priority areas.

• Twelve percent is required through minimum spend amounts for four priority areas, and recipients have flexibility on how to allocate the remaining 18% across the six priority areas:

  • Cybersecurity (no minimum spend)

  • Soft target and crowded places (3%)

  • Information and intelligence sharing (3%)

  • Domestic violent extremism (3%)

  • Community preparedness and resilience (3%)

  • Election security (no minimum spend)

After extensive consultation with grantees leading up to the announcement, DHS is focused on balancing the need to invest in high-priority areas giving jurisdictions the flexibility to make prioritization decisions based on their own assessments of their needs.

As with previous years, 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 2022

The following grants are non-competitive and awarded to recipients based on a number of factors:

Homeland Security Grant Program

Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP): State Homeland Security Program—provides $415 million to support the implementation of risk-driven, capabilities-based state homeland security strategies to address capability targets. Awards are based on statutory minimums and relative risk as determined by DHS/FEMA’s risk methodology.

HSGP: Urban Area Security Initiative

• HSGP: Urban Area Security Initiative—provides $615 million to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in 36 high-threat, high-density areas. Awards are based on relative risk as determined by DHS/FEMA’s risk methodology.

  • For both the state homeland and urban area grants, 30% of the awards must address the six priority areas of cybersecurity; soft target and crowded places; information and intelligence sharing; domestic violent extremism; community preparedness and resilience; and election security. Additionally, 30% of these grants must be dedicated to law enforcement terrorism prevention activities, and 80% of these grants must be obligated from the state to local or tribal governments within 45 calendar days of receipt.

Intercity Passenger Rail

• Intercity Passenger Rail—provides $10 million to Amtrak to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system. Award made per congressional direction.

Emergency Operations Center Grant Program

• Emergency Operations Center Grant Program—provides $49 million to support the construction, renovations, and enhancements to the emergency operations center to the list of entities identified in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. No. 117-103).

The following grants are competitive, and exact awards will be announced later this year:

HSGP: Operation Stonegarden

• HSGP: Operation Stonegarden—provides $90 million to enhance cooperation and coordination among state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal law enforcement agencies to jointly enhance security along with the United States land and water borders.

Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program

• Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program —provides $15 million to eligible tribal nations to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program

• Nonprofit Security Grant Program—provides $250 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. This year, $125 million is provided to nonprofits in UASI-designated urban areas, and $125 million is provided to nonprofits outside of UASI-designated urban areas located in any state or territory.

Port Security Grant Program

• Port Security Grant Program—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

• Transit Security Grant Program —provides $93 million to 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.

Intercity Bus Security Grant Program

• Intercity Bus Security Grant Program —provides $2 million to 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.

Before determining modifications and final allocations to the grant programs, DHS coordinated extensive engagements with local and state partners and worked with a wide range of stakeholders. All the funding notices can be found at www.grants.gov.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has engaged in a concerted effort to expand and enhance outreach related to the NSGP to reach potential new applicants, especially in underserved communities.

Funding allocations for the NSGP announcement and for technical assistance in developing grant applications can be found at Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Final submissions must be made through the non-disaster grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov.

To Learn More about the available DHS’s preparedness grant programs, please visit www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.

FEMA Nominated in 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program

American Security Today’s Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program, and now in its Seventh Year, continues to recognize industry leaders of Physical and Border Security, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness – Management and Response, Law Enforcement, First Responders, as well as federal, state and municipal government agencies in the acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to Keep our Nation Secure.

The United States was forever changed 20 years ago on September 11th, and we were fortunate to have many of those who responded to those horrific tragedies join us at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon.In the days that followed 9/11, the critical needs of protecting our country catapulted us into new and innovative ways to secure our homeland – which is how many of the agencies and enterprise organizations that are today ‘ASTORS’ Awards Champions, came into being.

Our 2021 keynote speaker featured a moving and informative address from TSA Administrator and Vice-Admiral of the United States Coast Guard (Ret), David Pekoske; to our attendees who traveled from across the United States and abroad, on the strategic priorities of the 64,000 member TSA workforce in securing the transportation system, enabling safe, and in many cases, contactless travel.

Legendary Police Commissioner William Bratton of the New York Police Department, the Boston Police Department, and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department was also live at the event, meeting with attendees and signing copies of his latest work ‘The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America,’ courtesy of the generosity of our 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Premier Sponsors.

2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program Welcomes New PLATINUM SPONSOR: NEC National Security Systems (NSS)!

The continually evolving ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program will emphasize the trail of Accomplished Women in Leadership in 2022, as well as the Significance and Positive Impact of Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in our Next Generation of Government and Industry Leaders. #MentorshipMatters

So be on the lookout for exciting upcoming announcements of Speakers, Presenters, Book Signing Opportunities, and Attendees at the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon in November of 2022 in New York City!

The 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program was Proudly Sponsored by Returning 2022 Sponsor SIMS Software, along with AMAROK, ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, Fortior Solutions, and Reed Exhibitions.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.Comprehensive List of Categories Include:

Access Control/ Identification	Personal/Protective Equipment	Law Enforcement Counter Terrorism
Perimeter Barrier/ Deterrent System	Interagency Interdiction Operation	Cloud Computing/Storage Solution
Facial/IRIS Recognition	Body Worn Video Product	Cyber Security
Video Surveillance/VMS	Mobile Technology	Anti-Malware
Audio Analytics	Disaster Preparedness	ID Management
Thermal/Infrared Camera	Mass Notification System	Fire & Safety
Metal/Weapon Detection	Rescue Operations	Critical Infrastructure
License Plate Recognition	Detection Products	COVID Innovations
Workforce Management	Government Security Programs	And Many Others to Choose From!

Don’t see a Direct Hit for your Product, Agency or Organization?

Submit your category recommendation for consideration to Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at: mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.

In 2021 over 200 distinguished guests representing Federal, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Firms gathered from across North America, Europe, and the Middle East to be honored among their peers in their respective fields which included:

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• ICE Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI)
• Customs & Border Protection (CBP)
• The Federal Protective Service (FPS)
• Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• DHS Science & Technology (S&T)
• The National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health (NCDMPH)
• The American Red Cross
• The InfraGard National Alliance
• The Metropolitan Police (MPD)
• The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)
• Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS)
• The Federal Air Marshals Service
• The San Diego Harbor Police Foundation, and Many More!

Corporate firms, the majority of which return year to year to build upon their record of accomplishment include:

AlertMedia, Allied Universal, AMAROK, ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Axis Communications, Automatic Systems of America, BriefCam, Canon U.S.A., Fortior Solutions, guardDog.ai, Hanwha Techwin of America, HID Global, Mark43, IPVideo Corporation, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, Lumina Analytics, NEC National Security Systems, NICE Public Safety, OnSolve, PureTech Systems, Quantum Corporation, Rave Mobile Safety, Regroup Mass Notification, Robotic Assistance Devices, Rajant Corporation, SafeLogic, Senstar Corporation, ShotSpotter, Singlewire Software, SolarWinds Worldwide, Teledyne FLIR, Valor Systems, and Wiresecure, just to name a few!

Why American Security Today?

The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast-changing security landscape.

American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 75,000 readers at the Federal, State, and local levels of government as well as firms allied to the government.

American Security Today brings forward a fresh compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers’ eyes throughout the story with cutting-edge editorial that provides solutions to their challenges.

Harness the Power of the Web – with our 100% Mobile Friendly Publications

AST Digital Publications are distributed to over 75,000 qualified government and homeland security professionals, in federal, state, local, and private security sectors.

‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’

AST Reaches both Private & Public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.

Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture, and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.

These experts are from Government at the federal, state, and local level as well as from private firms allied to the government.

AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website, and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.

AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.

Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.

(See just a few highlights of American Security Today’s 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East. Courtesy of My Pristine Images and Vimeo.)

To learn more about ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, please see the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2021 ‘A Year in Review’.

The Annual CHAMPIONS edition includes a review of Annual ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firm’s products and services, including video interviews and more.

It serves as your Go-To Source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2021 Products and Services‘ endorsed by American Security Today, and can satisfy your agency’s and/or organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.

From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection, and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware and Networking Security – Just to name a few), the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION has what you need to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.

It also includes featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders, and recognized firms in the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.

• For a complete list of 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Award Winners, begin HERE.

For more information on All Things American Security Today, as well as the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.

AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating, based on the following criteria:

• Provides named sources
• Reported by more than one notable outlet
• Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos

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