FEMA Announces Billions in Federal Funds to Empower States to Prepare for Disasters

FEMA Issues Seven Notices of Funding Opportunity—With More on the Way 

WASHINGTON -- Over the coming weeks, FEMA is marking billions of dollars in federal funding available for state, local, tribal and territorial partners. This includes seven Notices of Funding Opportunity that FEMA published yesterday. These funds help states manage their response to disasters like fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and even terrorist attacks. 

This announcement comes after a critical evaluation of all grant programs and recipients to root out waste, fraud and abuse and deliver accountability for the American taxpayer. Unlike the previous administration, recipients of grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to house illegal immigrants at luxury hotels, fund climate change pet projects or empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don’t serve the interest of the American people. 

“President Trump has been clear: States will be empowered and responsible for managing disaster response and protecting their communities,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator David Richardson. “That’s why FEMA is focused on equipping states with the resources they need to take charge of their own emergency preparedness, including through federal grant programs. We are making money available to state and local governments, helping them get the equipment, training and personnel they need to face destructive storms and other disasters.” 

Funding opportunities published include: 

• The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program, which makes money available to state, local, tribal and territorial governments. In years past, recipients have used the funds to hire and train more staff, buy critical equipment like generators and mobile command vehicles and establish interoperable communications systems to help first responders connect during disasters.
• The Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) Response System, which provides funding to ensure the 28 national task forces can conduct around-the-clock search-and-rescue operations following a major disaster like a hurricane, wildfire or terrorist attack. These task forces support state, local, tribal and territorial emergency responders on the ground.
• The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides money to help faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations to strengthen their defenses against the many threats they face, including targeted attacks and acts of terrorism. This money can be used to purchase security cameras, additional warning and alert systems, gates and lighting, access control systems and training programs for staff.
• The Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), which makes funding available to help state, local and tribal partners to prevent, prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism. This money must be used for projects that align with specific homeland security goals like improving coordination among law enforcement agencies, enhancing cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, strengthening security of crowded spaces like concerts or parades and securing the border.
• FEMA’s Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP) National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which funds specialized training for state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement and first responders to prepare for high-consequence threats like a coordinated cyber-attack, biological weapon or a nuclear explosive. 

FEMA also released Notices of Funding Opportunity for the National Dam Safety Program and the National Incident Management System. States and other eligible applicants should carefully review each Notice of Funding Opportunity on https://grants.gov to learn eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria and applications periods. 

FEMA is committed to using these federal funds to empower states to take charge of their own disaster preparedness, response and recovery. This will strengthen the security and resilience of the entire nation.