Summary:

The purpose of this program is to enable tribes to strengthen their capacities to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to potential terrorist attacks by providing funding directly to eligible tribes. Funding will support the funding agency goal of strengthening national preparedness and resilience.

For the current fiscal year, the funding agency is also focused on the criticality of information sharing and collaboration to building a national culture of preparedness and protecting against terrorism and other emerging threats to national security. In support of the goal, applicants that address at least one of the following national priority areas will receive additional points in the evaluation process:

• Enhancing cybersecurity: assistance for projects that support the security and functioning of critical infrastructure and core capabilities as they relate to achieving target capabilities focused on preventing, preparing for, protecting against, or responding to acts of terrorism, with eligible projects including:
  • Cybersecurity risk assessments
  • Projects that address vulnerabilities identified in cybersecurity risk assessments
• Enhancing the protection of soft targets/crowded places: such as transportation centers, parks, restaurants, shopping centers, special event venues, and similar facilities, with eligible projects including:
  • Physical security enhancements, such as security cameras, screening equipment for people and baggage, lighting, and access controls
  • Fencing, gates, and barriers
• Enhancing information and intelligence sharing and analysis: access to, analysis of, and the timely sharing of open source, unclassified and classified information, suspicious activity reports, tips/leads, and actionable intelligence on indicators and behaviors, with eligible projects including:
  • Information sharing with all of the funding agency's components; fusion centers; other operational, investigative, and analytic entities; and other federal law enforcement and intelligence entities
  • Cooperation with the funding agency's officials and other entities designated by the funding agency in intelligence, threat recognition, assessment, analysis, and mitigation
• Combating domestic violent extremism: including ideologically motivated lone offenders and small groups, with eligible projects including:
  • Open-source analysis of misinformation campaigns, targeted violence, and threats to life
  • Sharing and leveraging intelligence and information, including open-source analysis
• Enhancing community preparedness and resilience: for community organizations, such as homeless shelters, food banks, public libraries, faith-based institutions, and nonprofit medical providers, with eligible projects including:
  • Establishing, training, and maintaining tribal community emergency response teams (CERT) and teen CERT
  • Establishing an emergency communication capability that provides immediate emergency and life-saving information to members of the tribal community
• Enhancing election security: securing election infrastructure and ensuring an election free from foreign interference, with eligible projects including:
  • Physical security planning support
  • Physical site/security measures

Refer to pages 7-10 and pages 21-23 of the NOFA file for additional examples of allowable activities under each funding priority.

Applications that address the following second-tier needs will help recipients implement a comprehensive approach to securing communities:

• Effective planning
• Training and awareness campaigns
• Equipment and capital projects
• Exercises

Award recipients are required to prioritize program funding to address capability gaps or sustaining capabilities that address national priorities and/or support second-tier needs. Recipients will also be required to complete a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR).

Funds may generally be used for costs including planning, organization, equipment, training, exercise costs, personnel activities, domestic travel, limited construction and renovation, maintenance and sustainment, critical emergency supplies, and secure identification project costs.

Last Updated: April 17, 2024