The Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced final allocations of $345 million for its fiscal year 2018 competitive preparedness grant programs, raising total grant funding for the year to more than $1.6 billion for states, localities, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies and the private sector.
The biggest bucket of grant funding is the Homeland Security Grant Program, which has more than $1 billion to divvy up to the highest risk areas of the country. For this program, DHS will dole out $580 million under the Urban Area Security Initiative to 29 high-threat, high-density areas, and $402 million under the State Homeland Security Program for the National Preparedness System, which helps all levels of government with their preparedness capabilities.
“DHS is committed to building a culture of preparedness with our government, private sector, and non-profit partners nationwide so we are ready when disaster strikes,” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement. “The DHS grant programs are flexible by design and purposed to help address our evolving risk environment. Response and recovery to catastrophic events strain our communities’ logistics, supply chains, communications, and staffing capacities.”
Other key grant programs and their funding levels include the Emergency Management Performance Grant, which will provide more than $350 million for all-hazards emergency management capabilities, $100 million for the Port Security Grant, and $88 million for the Transit Security Grant.
DHS also has $85 million for Operation Stonegarden, which falls under the Homeland Security Grant Program, and helps law enforcement agencies with joint security efforts along the U.S. land and water borders.
The various grant programs provide the users with funding for training, equipment purchases, and other needs in carrying out anti-terrorism and preparedness missions.