DHS Releases FY17 Preparedness Grants Allocations

Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke
Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke

As part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ongoing efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, Acting Secretary Elaine Duke has announced final allocations of $288 million for six Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 DHS competitive preparedness grant programs.

These allocations, in addition to the more than $1.3 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced by DHS in June, total more than $1.6 billion in FY 2017to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, nonprofit agencies, and the private sector with their preparedness efforts.

“The Department of Homeland Security remains committed to supporting our partners in government and the private sector nationwide as we strengthen our ability to prepare for and respond to a variety of threats together,” said Acting Secretary Elaine Duke.

“The threat environment today is continuing to evolve quickly, and these grants help our partners plan for and ready themselves against everything from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.”

“Protecting the American people is a shared responsibility, and we must remain vigilant and ready to respond.”

Together with previous grant funding awarded since 2002, DHS has awarded more than $49 billion to these partners.

Preparedness grants strengthen our nation’s ability to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies in support of the National Preparedness Goal and the National Preparedness System.

Additionally, $8 million of funding is being announced for Homeland Security National Training Program/Continuing Training Grants, to be used in accordance with congressional guidance to develop and deliver training that addresses priority gaps in core capabilities and responds to specific threats and hazards.

The FY 2017 preparedness grants focus on the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas that continue to face the most significant threats.

Consistent with previous grant guidance, dedicated funding is provided for law enforcement and terrorism prevention activities throughout the country to prepare for, prevent, and respond to pre-operational activity and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of terrorist activity.

Preparedness Grant Program Allocations for Fiscal Year 2017:

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 $402 million to support the implementation of the National Preparedness System to build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels.
  • Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)—

    • Provides $580 million to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in 33 high-threat, high-density areas.
  • Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)—

    • Provides $55 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 where there are ongoing U.S. Customs and Border Protection missions.

Awards made to the states and urban areas for HSGP carry pass-through requirements.

Pass through is defined as an obligation on the part of the State Administrative Agency (SAA) to make funds available to local units of government, combinations of local units, tribal governments, or other specific groups or organizations.

The SAA must obligate at least 80 percent of the funds awarded under SHSP and UASI to local or tribal units of government.

Per section 2006 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 607), DHS/FEMA is required to ensure that at least 25 percent of grant funding must be used for law enforcement terrorism prevention activities.

Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program—

  • Provides more than $350 million to assist local, tribal, territorial, and state governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities.

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 $25 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack and located within one of the 33 FY 2017 UASI-eligible urban areas.

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 assist operators of fixed-route intercity and charter bus services within high-threat urban areas to protect bus systems and the traveling public from acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies

In addition to the competitive grants announced today, in June 2017, DHS announced more than $1.3 billion in preparedness grant program funding.

DHSFurther information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.DHS.gov and https://www.fema.gov/grants.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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