On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced final allocations of $385 million for seven Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 DHS competitive grant programs geared toward preparedness.
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.
Last week’s allocations, combined with over 1.3 billion in non-competitive grant funding from February and April 2020, come to nearly $1.8 billion. Ideally, the money, which is now available to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as non-profit and private sector organizations, will support preparedness efforts pertaining to four critical priority areas: cybersecurity, soft targets and crowded places, intelligence and information sharing, and emerging threats. Additionally, and according to DHS, the money’s use “must have a clear linkage to the core capabilities articulated in the National Preparedness Goal (NPG).”
The following list outlines the Preparedness Grant Allocations for FY 2020:
- Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) – Provides $355.1 million to assist state, local, tribal, and 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 Grant Program (SHSP) – Provides $415 million to support