FY 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program Key Changes

Release Date:
February 27, 2023

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The Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) consists of three individual grant programs: State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), and Operation Stonegarden (OPSG). This document outlines key changes for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 HSGP.

SHSP and UASI National Priority Areas

There are six National Priority Areas (NPA) for FY 2023, consistent with the six NPAs in FY 2022. SHSP and UASI applicants must include one Investment Justification (IJ) for each NPA that has a minimum spend requirement, where applicable. For the “enhancing cybersecurity” NPA with no minimum spend requirement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security strongly encourages recipients to make investments in this area as it is of critical national concern. The primary change for FY 2023 is that the Enhancing Election Security NPA now has a 3% minimum spend. For those NPAs that have an associated minimum spend, all projects related to meeting the minimum spend for those NPAs must be included in the same IJ.

The six NPAs, along with the relevant minimum spend requirement, are:

  1. Enhancing the protection of soft targets/crowded places – 3% minimum spend;
  2. Enhancing information and intelligence sharing and analysis – 3% minimum spend;
  3. Combating domestic violent extremism – 3% minimum spend;
  4. Enhancing cybersecurity – no minimum spend requirement;
  5. Enhancing community preparedness and resilience – 3% minimum spend;
  6. Enhancing election security – NEW 3% minimum spend.

Applicants 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. Five of the six NPAs have minimum spend requirements of 3% each (for a total of 15%), except for cybersecurity which has no minimum spend requirement. Although 15% is required in minimum spending across five NPAs, the remaining 15% can be allocated across any of the six NPAs. Additionally, with this flexibility, activities that support more than one NPA may be included under only one NPA IJ but still count toward the 30% minimum spend without having to be broken out into separate projects or activities in more than one IJ.

Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities Minimum Allocation 

The minimum percent that SHSP and UASI recipients must allocate toward Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA) has been increased from 30% in FY 2022 to 35% in FY 2023. Please refer to Section C.3.c of the FY 2023 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Appendix A of the FY 2023 Preparedness Grants Manual for additional guidance and information on allowable LETPAs. 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). The 35% LETPA allocation can be from SHSP, UASI, or both, and may be met by funding projects in any combination of the six NPAs identified above and any other investments.

In FY 2023, to ensure that DHS/FEMA’s policy guidance on the use of LETPA funds reflects the evolving threat environment; is responsive to stakeholder feedback; is clear and easy to understand; and is applied consistently across grant recipients, DHS/FEMA will issue additional guidance through an Information Bulletin for the FY 2023 HSGP. This guidance will provide applicants and recipients further clarification on how to account for LETPA activities. It will also provide clarification on what should be included in the investment justifications, best practices for submitting investment justifications for LETPA claimed activities, as well as information on how to distinguish LETPA activities from others. The Information Bulletin will be issued concurrently or soon after the release of the FY 2023 HSGP NOFO.

 

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