Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)

The objective of the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) is to fund state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) efforts to prevent terrorism and prepare the Nation for threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to the security of the United States.

HSGP is a federal grant program from DHS/FEMA administered through the North Carolina Dept. of Public Safety (NCDPS) / North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) in the state of NC.

FY25 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)

FY25 HSGP grantee application in SF video recording 20241025 112442 Meeting Recording

Only eligible local government entities (and tribal governments) with projects approved through their corresponding Domestic Preparedness Region (DPR) in North Carolina may apply for FY25 HSGP funding. Applications will not be accepted from any local government entities (or tribal governments) for any projects that are not approved through their corresponding DPR. Contact your local DPR for information on how to apply for HSGP funding.

Eligible state government agencies in North Carolina may also apply for FY25 HSGP funding; however, funding for state projects is very limited.

Funding

There are two funding sources appropriated for HSGP in NC:

State Homeland Security Program (SHSP): SHSP assists (SLTT) efforts to build, sustain, and deliver the capabilities necessary to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism.
Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI): UASI assists high-threat, high-density urban area efforts to build, sustain, and deliver the capabilities necessary to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism.

SHSP supports building and sustaining capabilities at the state and local levels through planning, organizational activities, equipment, training, and exercises (POETE) and helps states implement the strategic goals and objectives included in state homeland security strategies. SHSP provides funding to all 56 states & territories, including NC, based on a combination of formula, risk, and effectiveness.

FY24 HSGP-SHSP total federal funding target allocation for NC: $4,576,849.

UASI funds projects supporting certain designated high-risk urban areas based on an analysis of the relative risk of terrorism faced by the 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the United States. The Charlotte Area is the only designated UASI in the state of NC. It is comprised of Mecklenburg County and all counties bordering Mecklenburg County, including two SC counties.

The following counties are considered part of the Charlotte Area UASI in NC for HSGP (see map of Charlotte Area UASI for HSGP):

Cabarrus	Lincoln
Catawba	Mecklenburg
Gaston	Stanly
Iredell	Union
York (SC)	Lancaster (SC)

FY24 HSGP-UASI total federal funding target allocation for Charlotte Area NC: $3,410,728.

Eligibility

The State Administrative Agency (SAA) in each state & territory is the only entity eligible to submit HSGP applications to DHS/FEMA, including those applications submitted on behalf of UASI. Tribal governments may not apply directly for HSGP funding; however, funding may be available to tribes through the SAA. North Carolina Dept. of Public Safety (NCDPS) / North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) is the designated SAA for the state of NC.

Key Changes for Fiscal Year 2024

National Priorities

For FY 2024, the HSGP includes the following six national priority areas (NPAs):

Enhancing protection of soft targets/crowded places – no minimum spend requirement
Enhancing information and intelligence sharing and analysis – no minimum spend requirement
Combating Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE) – no minimum spend requirement
Enhancing cybersecurity – no minimum spend requirement
Enhancing community preparedness & resilience – no minimum spend requirement
Enhancing election security – 3% minimum spend.

States, including NC, must spend a minimum of 30% of their SHSP and UASI awards across the six NPAs but have flexibility on how that funding is allocated. Enhancing election security has a minimum 3% spend requirement, but the other 27% can spent across any of the six NPAs as noted above. Additionally, with this increased flexibility, activities that support more than one NPA may be included under only one NPA Investment Justification (IJ) but still count towards the 30% minimum spend without having to be broken out into separate projects or activities in more than one IJ. Additional information about these priority areas and how they relate to achieving anti-terrorism capabilities is included in the FY24 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) Minimum Allocation

The minimum percent that SHSP and UASI recipients must allocate toward Law
Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) is 35% in FY 2024. Investments that support LETPAs can also support an NPA (e.g., an investment can be counted as supporting both the Soft Targets/Crowded Places and LETPA minimum allocation requirements, if applicable).

Allocations and Required Spending on Priorities (IJs)

States & territories are required to submit IJs addressing the NPA requirements listed above for HSGP-SHSP, and separate IJs for HSGP-UASI addressing the same for each designated UASI area within that state or territory. These IJs may be contained in a single combined document, one for SHSP and another one for UASI.

States & territories must allocate a total of at least 30% of their SHSP and UASI award funds across the six NPAs listed above (Soft Targets/Crowded Places, Intelligence and Information Sharing, Countering Domestic Violent Extremism, Election Security, Community Preparedness & Resilience and Cybersecurity). Enhancing election security has a minimum 3% spend requirement, but the other 27% can spent across any of the six NPAs as noted above. All projects related to the minimum spends for the NPAs must be included in the IJs for SHSP and UASI.

States & territories and UASI areas must allocate the remaining 70% of their funding to addressing capability gaps (e.g., building/sustaining capability and/or closing capability gaps) identified through their Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) process. See North Carolina State Homeland Security Strategy.

Fusion Centers

While there is no minimum spend requirement for the Information and Intelligence Sharing NPA, states & territories are still required to include at least one dedicated fusion center project under this NPA.

Cost Share or Match

There is no cost share or match requirement for FY 2024 HSGP, neither SHSP nor UASI, for states & territories or subrecipients.

Pass-Through Requirements

Each state (and territory) must pass-through at least 80% of the funds awarded under SHSP and UASI to local or tribal units of government within 45 calendar days of receipt of the funds. A maximum of 20% of the funds awarded under SHSP and UASI can be retained by the state for state projects, including up to 5% for Management and Administration Costs.

Management and Administration Costs (M&A)

M&A costs are allowed. States & territories may use a maximum of up to 5% of HSGP funds awarded for their M&A, and any funds retained are to be used solely for M&A purposes associated with the HSGP award. Subrecipients may also use a maximum of up to 5% of the funding passed through by the state solely for M&A purposes associated with the HSGP award. M&A activities are those directly relating to the management and administration of HSGP funds, such as financial management and monitoring. M&A expenses must be based on actual expenses or known contractual costs. M&A requests that are simple percentages of the award, without supporting justification, will not be allowed or considered for reimbursement.

States & territories or subrecipients may apply or credit M&A funding toward the recipient’s requirement to allocate funding toward the NPAs. For example, if a state spends $5,000 to manage or administer its funding dedicated toward its soft targets/crowded places investment, the state may credit that funding toward its requirement to allocate at least 30% of its award to the six NPAs.

Allowable Costs

The FY24 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity contains an Allowable Cost Matrix for SHSP, UASI, and OPSG (non-exhaustive) listing examples of allowable cost activities that fall under each of the authorized cost categories for HSGP: planning, organization, equipment, training & exercises (POETE). Refer to this matrix when developing projects for HSGP funding to determine allowability of costs.

Controlled Equipment

The federal government provides equipment to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies (LEAs) through federal grants. The equipment acquired by LEAs through these programs includes administrative equipment, such as office furniture and computers. Some federal grant programs also may include military and military-styled equipment, firearms, and tactical vehicles provided by the federal government, including property covered under 22 C.F.R. Part 121 and 15 C.F.R. Part 774 (collectively, "controlled equipment").

However, not all equipment that is considered controlled equipment is allowable under HSGP. As noted in Section B of FEMA Policy 207-22-0002, Prohibited or Controlled Equipment Under FEMA Awards, certain equipment is prohibited and is not allowable under HSGP. Grant funds under this program may not be used for the purchase of equipment not approved by DHS/FEMA. For example, the purchase of tracked armored vehicles, camouflage uniforms, weapons, and weapons accessories, including ammunition, is generally not allowed with HSGP funds.

For some controlled equipment that is allowable under HSGP, additional documentation, justifications, reviews, and approvals are required, including but not limited to proof of policies and procedures to safeguard individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties (see also Executive Order (EO) 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, which President Joseph R. Biden issued on May 25, 2022).

Application Procedures

Local Government Entities & Tribal Governments

Eligible local government entities and tribal governments submit projects for consideration for HSGP pass-through funding from NCEM through their corresponding Domestic Preparedness Region (DPR) in North Carolina, typically the year before the funding is awarded to NCEM by DHS/FEMA.

Applications for FY24 HSGP funding for eligible local government entities and tribal governments are no longer available. Contact your local DPR for information on how to apply for FY25 HSGP funding.

Eligible local government entities located in the Charlotte Area UASI should also contact their respective County Emergency Management agency for information on how to apply for UASI specific funding through the Charlotte Area UASI. Eligible local government entities can apply for HSGP-SHSP funding through their corresponding DPR, and they can also apply for HSGP-UASI funding through their respective County Emergency Management Agency within the Charlotte Area UASI.

State Government Agencies

Eligible state government agencies submit projects for consideration for HSGP funding through the Homeland Security Branch at NCEM. Applications for FY24 HSGP funding from eligible state government agencies were due Dec. 31, 2023. Contact the Homeland Security Branch at NCEM for information on how to apply for FY25 HSGP funding.

FY24 HSGP State Priorities & Capabilities

The State Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor’s priorities and guidance for the development of regional and statewide FY24 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) projects are:

Proposed scopes of work should build or sustain identified projects.
Proposed projects should reduce gaps for specific capabilities identified through the current update to the State Threat Hazard Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Report (SPR) process or as identified through local/regional THIRAs.
Proposed projects, when feasible, should align with the National Priorities introduced in the FY2024 HSGP guidance:
- Enhancing cybersecurity.
- Enhancing the protection of soft targets/crowded places.
- Enhancing information and intelligence sharing and cooperation with state and federal agencies, including DHS.
- Combating Domestic Violent Extremism.
- Enhancing election security.
- Enhancing community preparedness and resilience.

For more information: FY 2024 HSGP Extended Capability Priorities Guidance