Emergency Preparedness and Interoperability Grants for Emergency Management, Public Safety and Law Enforcement Agencies

Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Program

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $798,631,250

Purpose: The UASI program focuses on enhancing regional preparedness in major metropolitan areas. The UASI program directly supports the National Priority on expanding regional collaboration in the National Preparedness Guidelines and is intended to assist participating jurisdictions in developing integrated regional systems for prevention, protection, response and recovery.

Eligible Applicants: The 62 highest risk Urban Areas are eligible for funding under the FY 2009 UASI program. See, 2009 UASI List.

Dates: Completed applications must be submitted as early as Wednesday, April 15, 2009, but no later than 5:00 p.m., eastern standard time on Wednesday, May 20, 2009.

Click here for DHS 2009 Urban Area Security Initiative List

State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $861,265,000

Purpose: This core assistance program provides funds to build capabilities at the state and local levels and to implement the goals and objectives included in state homeland security strategies and initiatives in the State Preparedness Report.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible entities for SHSP are all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Awards: Funds will be allocated based on risk analysis and the anticipated effectiveness of proposed investments by the applicants.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Grant Program

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $ $34,002,500

Purpose: The EOC Grant Program is intended to improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities by supporting flexible, sustainable, secure, and interoperable Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) with a focus on addressing identified deficiencies and needs. .

Eligible Applicants: The Governor of each State and territory is required to designate a State Administrative Agency (SAA) to apply for and administer the funds awarded under EOC.  The SAA is the only eligible entity able to apply for the available funding on behalf of eligible State, local, and tribal EOCs.

Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP)

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $48,575,000

Purpose: The BZPP provides funding to increase the preparedness capabilities of jurisdictions responsible for the safety and security of communities surrounding high-priority pre-designated Tier 1 and Tier 2 critical infrastructure and key resource (CIKR) assets, including chemical facilities, financial institutions, nuclear and electric power plants, dams, stadiums and other high-risk/high-consequence facilities, through allowable planning and equipment acquisition.

Eligible Applicants: Specific BZPP sites within 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been selected based on their level of risk and criticality. Each state or territory with a BZPP site is eligible to submit applications for its local communities to participate in and receive funding under the FY 2009 BZPP. BZPP funding allocated to any given state or territory is a function of the number, type, and character of the pre-identified sites within that state or territory.

Program Awards: All BZPP sites have been selected prior to the grant announcement based on the risk of the individual sites themselves. Therefore, FY 2009 BZPP funding allocated to any given state or territory is entirely a function of the number, type and character of pre-identified higher-risk sites within their respective jurisdictions; there are no discretionary sites.

Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG)

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $306,022,500

Purpose: The purpose of the FY 2009 EMPG is to assist state and local governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities.

Applicants: The governor of each state and territory is required to designate a State Administrative Agency (SAA) to apply for and administer the funds awarded under EMPG. The SAA is the only entity eligible to apply for EMPG funds.

Program Awards: The allocation methodology for FY 2009 EMPG dictates that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive a base amount of 0.75 percent of the total available grant funding. Four territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will receive a base amount of 0.25 percent of the total available grant funding. The balance of EMPG funds will be distributed on a population-share basis. Pursuant to the Compact of Free Association, funds are available for the Federated States of Micronesia and for the Republic of the Marshall Islands. EMPG has a 50 percent federal and 50 percent state cost share, cash or in-kind match requirement.

Interoperable Emergency Communications
Grant Program (IECGP)

Total Funding Available in FY 2008: $48,575,000

Purpose: IECGP provides governance, planning, training and exercise and equipment funding to states, territories, and local and tribal governments to carry out initiatives to improve interoperable emergency communications, including communications in collective response to natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters. According to the legislation that created IECGP, all proposed activities must be integral to interoperable emergency communications and must be aligned with the goals, objectives and initiatives identified in the grantee’s approved statewide Communication Interoperability Plans (SCIP). IECGP will also advance DHS near-term priorities that are deemed critical to improving interoperable emergency communications and are consistent with goals and objectives of the National Emergency Communications Plan. For FY 2009, two priority groups have been identified that are deemed critical for advancing interoperable emergency communications in alignment with the criteria established for the SCIP process: 1) Gaps in Leadership and Governance and Common Operational Planning and Protocols; and 2) Emergency Responder Skills and Capabilities Development Through Training and Exercises. IECGP has a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state cost share, cash or in-kind, requirement for equipment purchases only. Match requirements are waived for the territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Eligible Applicants: The governor of each state and territory has designated a State Administrative Agency (SAA), which can apply for and administer the funds under IECGP. The SAA is the only agency eligible to apply for IECGP funds.

Program Awards: FY 2009 IECGP funds will be allocated based on risk and statutory minimums, per the 9/11 Act. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive a minimum of 0.50 percent of the total funds allocated. Four territories (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will receive a minimum allocation of 0.08 percent of the total funds allocated.

Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP)

Total Funding Available in FY 2009: $34,002,500

Purpose: RCPGP will provide $31,002,500 in FY 2009 to enhance catastrophic incident preparedness in selected high-risk, high-consequence urban areas. A total of $3,000,000 will be used to support technical assistance funding in FY 2009. RCPGP is intended to support coordination of regional all-hazard planning for catastrophic events, including the development of integrated planning communities, plans, protocols and procedures to manage a catastrophic event.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants under FY 2009 RCPGP include the eleven (11) pre-designated high-risk, high-consequence urban areas within the ten (10) RCPGP sites.

Program Awards: One non-competitive award will be made to each of the pre-designated eleven (11) high-risk, high consequence urban areas within the ten (10) RCPGP sites, provided their application meets the minimum standards specified for FY 2009. Funds will be allocated based on the risk of a catastrophic incident occurring in the region and the anticipated effectiveness of the proposed projects upon completion of the application review process.