FY 2010 Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP) Fact Sheet Overview As appropriated by the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-83) and authorized by Sections 2004 and 2005 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by Section 101 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, 6 U.S.C. 605-606, the FY 2010 THSGP was the third round of funding available to all Federally recognized, directly eligible Tribes. The THSGP enhances the ability of Tribal nations to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from potential terrorist attacks and other hazards. Pursuant to the 9/11 Act, a directly eligible Tribe applying for a grant shall designate an individual to serve as a tribal liaison with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other Federal, State, local, and regional government officials. The THSGP is an important part of the Administration’s larger, coordinated effort to strengthen homeland security preparedness by including Tribal nations. The THSGP implements objectives addressed in a series of post-9/11 laws, strategy plans, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs). Funding In FY 2010, the total amount of funds distributed under this program, as a carveout of the FY 2010 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), was $10 million. FY 2010 THSGP funds were allocated based on tribal eligibility per the 9/11 Act (pre-determined), and the effectiveness of the applicant’s THSGP Investment Justification (IJ). Eligibility In order to be eligible to receive THSGP funding, grantees were to be considered a “directly eligible Tribe.” Per the 9/11 Act, the term “directly eligible Tribe” means – (A) any Indian Tribe – A.i. that is located in the continental United States; A.ii. that operates a law enforcement or emergency response agency with the capacity to respond to calls for law enforcement or emergency services; A.iii. (I) that is located on or near an international border or a coastline bordering an ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico) or international waters; (II) that is located within 10 miles of a system or asset included on the prioritized critical infrastructure list established under section 210E(a)(2) [please refer to section 1001 of the 9/11 Act] or has such a system or asset within its territory; (III) that is located within or contiguous to 1 of the 50 most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the United States; or (IV) the jurisdiction of which includes not less than 1,000 square miles of Indian country, as that term is defined in section 1151 of title 18, United States Code; and (V) that certifies to the Secretary that a State has not provided funds under section 2003 [UASI] or 2004 [SHSP] to the Indian Tribe or consortium of Indian Tribes for the purpose for which direct funding is sought; and (B) a consortium of Indian Tribes, if each Tribe satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (A). (C) In summary, eligible Tribes were to meet requirements set forth in (A) (i), and (A) (ii), and (A) (iv). Tribes were also to meet one of the requirements set forth in (A) (iii); either (A) (iii) (I), or (A) (iii) (II), or (A) (iii) (III), or (A) (iii) (IV). Finally, (B) could also be satisfied, if each Tribe satisfied the requirements of subparagraph (A). Allowable Costs A maximum of five percent (5%) of funds awarded were to be used for Management and Administration purposes associated with the grant award. Additionally, funds allowed for a variety of planning activities, equipment purchases, and maintenance and sustainment (including maintenance contracts, repair and replacement costs, upgrades, user fees, and implementation). Application Process and Evaluation Criteria FY 2010 THSGP funds were allocated based on tribal eligibility per the 9/11 Act, and the effectiveness of the applicant’s THSGP IJ, as determined through a peer review process. Applicants were required to submit an Excel-based IJ Template found at http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/thsgp/index.shtm. The IJ addressed each Investment being proposed for funding and demonstrated how proposed Investments addressed gaps and deficiencies in current capabilities. Applicants completed and submitted the on-line application; including the IJ and all additional required forms using the Grants.gov system at http://www.grants.gov after Central Contractor Registry registration was confirmed. Eligible Tribes with complete applications were reviewed and scored during an in-person Peer Review Conference, to evaluate the anticipated effectiveness of proposed Investment(s) and to make awards. This peer review process is described below: * The IJs were reviewed by voluntary peer reviewers solicited from groups including DHS HQ, FEMA HQ and FEMA Regional Tribal Liaisons, Native American Associations, and past reviewers. Peer reviewer nominations were reviewed and vetted by FEMA GPD. Peer reviewers were then assigned to review IJs in panels designed to ensure equitable distribution of IJs and to mitigate the potential for scoring bias. * Reviewers convened in panels to independently score and discuss IJs as a group to provide feedback to grantees. During the Conference, reviewers entered final scores and feedback using a THSGP Scoring Worksheet * Reviewers evaluated the proposed Investments based on the criteria to evaluate how well the proposed Investment(s) contribute to building and/or sustaining capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to or recover from acts of terrorism or other significant events * Scores from individual reviewers on a panel were combined to create a Final Effectiveness Score for each Investment and IJ. Allocation determinations were considered based on these scores. “FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.” “FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”