The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on August 1 that it is offering $103.8 million of grant funding to state, local, and tribal governments to “strengthen community cybersecurity.”
The grant money is coming from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) through its Fiscal Year 2025 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through its Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program (TCGP).
Both CISA and FEMA are components of DHS.
The SLCGP funding accounts for the majority of the grants, offering $91.7 million to state, local, and territorial governments. The program supports a wide range of cybersecurity initiatives, including strategic planning, running cyber exercises, hiring local cybersecurity experts, and improving digital services for residents.
The TCGP will provide $12.1 million of grants to tribal governments. This funding will support similar cybersecurity efforts, helping tribal communities protect their information systems, secure critical infrastructure, and build long-term cyber resilience.
“This grant funding ensures communities and our partners across the nation have the crucial resources needed to strengthen their cyber defense capabilities and mitigate risk,” said CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala. “CISA is proud to empower state, local, and tribal governments to build more resilient cyber ecosystems.”
The SLCGP is designed to help state, local, and territorial (SLT) governments improve their readiness against cyber threats by enhancing their cybersecurity posture and reducing vulnerabilities in their digital infrastructure. This includes protecting sensitive public data, municipal systems, and essential digital services from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
The TCGP is tailored to the unique cybersecurity needs of tribal governments. The program focuses on improving network security, safeguarding critical infrastructure, and ensuring the continuity of services such as healthcare, emergency response, and utilities in tribal communities.
Gottumukkala emphasized that the unified approach taken by DHS on the grant funding is not only effective but also fiscally responsible. “This is another example of investing in our communities while being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Applicants can find more information, eligibility requirements, and application resources at www.cisa.gov/cybergrants.