The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has detailed final allocations of $550 million for seven Fiscal Year 2022 competitive preparedness grant programs.
“As the threats to the homeland evolve, so too must the grant programs intended to prepare communities for those threats,”
DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. “This year, DHS will prioritize six critical areas, including cybersecurity, soft targets and crowded places, intelligence and information sharing, domestic violent extremism, community preparedness and resilience, and election security.”
Mayorkas said the grants would aid in improving the nation’s readiness in preparing, responding to, and recovering from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.
Per DHS, the funding allotment includes providing $250 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack; earmarking $100 million to the Port Security Grant Program to help protect port infrastructure from terrorism while enhancing maritime domain awareness and improving port-wide maritime security risk management; and $93 million to the Transit Security Grant Program to help owners and operators of public transit systems protect surface transportation and the traveling public from acts of terrorism while increasing transit infrastructure resilience.
DHS has balanced the need to invest in high-priority areas giving jurisdictions flexibility to make prioritization decisions based on their needs assessment.