WASHINGTON — As part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) ongoing efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, Secretary Jeh Johnson today announced final allocations for eight Fiscal Year 2015 DHS preparedness grant programs, including the Homeland Security Grant Program. These allocations total more than $1.6 billion to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector with their preparedness efforts.

Together with previous grant funding awarded since 2002, DHS has awarded over $40 billion to these partners. 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.

The FY 2015 grants focus on the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas that continue to face the most significant threats. Consistent with previous grant guidance, dedicated funding is provided for law enforcement and terrorism prevention activities throughout the country to prepare for, prevent, and respond to crimes and other precursors or indicators of terrorist activity.

Preparedness Grant Program Allocations for Fiscal Year 2015:

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 Program (SHSP)—provides $402 million to support the implementation of the National Preparedness System to build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels.
• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)—provides $587 million to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in 28 high-threat, high-density areas.
• Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)—provides $55 million to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies to jointly enhance security along the United States land and water borders where there are ongoing Customs and Border Protection missions.

Awards made to the states and urban areas for HSGP carry pass-through requirements.  Pass through is defined as an obligation on the part of the State Administrative Agency (SAA) to make funds available to local units of government, combinations of local units, tribal governments, or other specific groups or organizations.  The SAA must obligate at least 80 percent of the funds awarded under SHSP and UASI to local or Tribal units of government.  

Per the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended, DHS/FEMA is required to ensure that at least 25 percent of grant funding appropriated for HSGP and the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program are used for law enforcement terrorism prevention activities (LETPA).  DHS/FEMA ensures that this requirement is met in part, by requiring all SHSP and UASI recipients to ensure that at least 25 percent of the combined HSGP funds allocated under SHSP and UASI are dedicated towards LETPA. This 25 percent can be from SHSP, UASI, or both.  The 25 percent LETPA allocation is in addition to the 80 percent pass-through requirement to local units of government and Tribes.

Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program—provides over $350 million to assist local, tribal, territorial, and state governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities. 

Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)—provides $10 million to eligible tribal nations to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation against risk associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)—provides $13 million to support target hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack and located within one of the 28 FY 2015 UASI-eligible urban areas.

Intercity Passenger Rail – Amtrak (IPR) Program—provides $10 million to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system.

Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)—provides $100 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities.

Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)—provides $87 million to owners and operators of transit systems to protect critical surface transportation and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.

Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP)—provides $3 million to assist operators of fixed-route intercity and charter bus services within high-threat urban areas to protect bus systems and the traveling public from acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies.

Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and http://www.fema.gov/grants.

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