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In an effort to keep DHS.gov current, the archive contains outdated information that may not reflect current policy or programs.

Preparedness Grants

This afternoon, Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate made an announcement on the nearly $1.8 billion in FEMA preparedness grants being issued to states, urban areas, tribes, and non-profits. The grants are designed to help our state and local partners prepare for natural disasters and guard against terrorism. We can't necessarily predict when one of these events will befall a city or a community, but as the Secretary noted today, fear is not an appropriate response to terrorism, and we cannot be complacent when thinking about natural disasters. We must encourage our nation's communities to put preparedness first when faced with these issues.

This year, the department conducted unprecedented outreach efforts to our state and local partners, ensuring that every grant dollar is invested in smart, sustainable programs. The department undertook this aggressive strategy because those state and local partners have the biggest stake in this process. Simply put, they have the ground level insight on where the threats are, and how best to prepare for and guard against them.

Now, nearly $1.8 billion is no small number, so how do we split the funding, and where does it go? Check out the breakdowns:

$1.7 billion to the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) will be split between:

  • The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)—$861.1 million will build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels through planning, equipment, and readiness activities.
  • The Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)—$798.6 million will enhance urban preparedness capabilities in 62 high-threat, high-density areas. The seven highest risk areas (Tier 1) were allocated approximately $439 million, or 55 percent of available funds, while the remaining areas (Tier 2) will receive the remaining approximately $359 million.
  • The Metropolitan Medical Response System Program (MMRS)—$39.8 million, divided evenly among 124 MMRS jurisdictions, will improve regional mass casualty incident preparedness and response capabilities.
  • The Citizen Corps Program (CCP)—$14.6 million will bring community and government leaders together to engage citizens in community preparedness, response and recovery activities.

The State Homeland Security Program Tribal (SHSP Tribal) will allocate $1.7 million for eligible tribal applicants to implement preparedness initiatives.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) will allocate $15 million to support target-hardening activities at non-profit organizations at high risk of a terrorist attack.

The Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) will allocate $34 million to enhance catastrophic incident preparedness in selected high-risk urban areas and support technical assistance funding in FY 2009. RCPGP supports coordination of regional planning for catastrophic events.

Every community is touched by these issues, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that the process is fair and inclusive. We’ve listened to our partners, we’re dedicated to supporting programs that show success, and we’ve streamlined the process to make it more efficient. As the Secretary said herself,

“These grants provide direct support for regional preparedness, urban security and medical response efforts in communities across the country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The new grants management initiative launched this year will generate better value for every grant dollar while strengthening our nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from all disasters.

Let us know if you have some real-world examples of how your community or organization is using a preparedness grant.

Last Updated: 09/20/2018
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