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FY 2011 Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)
 

Overview  
As appropriated by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Public Law 112-10), and authorized by 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. 606, (hereafter “9/11 Act”) the FY 2011 THSGP is the fourth 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. 
 
In Fiscal Year 2011, DHS allocated $10,000,000 to enhances the ability of tribal nations to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from potential terrorist attacks and other hazards 
 

 

Funding 
In FY 2011, the total amount of funds distributed under THSGP, as a carveout of the FY 2011 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), was $10,000,000.  FY 2011 THSGP funds were allocated based on tribal eligibility per the 9/11 Act (self-certified), and the effectiveness of the applicant’s THSGP Investment Justification as determined through a peer review process. 
 

Eligibility 
In order to be eligible to receive THSGP funding grantees must be considered a “directly eligible Tribe.”  Per the 9/11 Act, the term “directly eligible Tribe” means – 
 
(A)    any Indian Tribe –  
(i) that is located in the continental United States; 
(ii) that operates a law enforcement or emergency response agency with the capacity to respond to calls for law enforcement or emergency services; 
(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 
(iv) 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). 
 
In summary, eligible tribes must have met the requirements set forth in (A) (i), and (A) (ii), and (A) (iv).  Tribes must have also met 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) must also be satisfied, if each tribe satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (A). 
 
 

Allowable Costs 
FY 2011 THSGP funds may be used for a variety of planning activities, equipment purchases, and maintenance and sustainment (including maintenance contracts, repair and replacement costs, upgrades, user fees, and implementation).  Additionally, a maximum of five percent (5%) of funds awarded may be used for Management and Administration purposes associated with the grant award.   
 

 
Application Process and Evaluation Criteria 
FY 2011 THSGP funds were allocated based on tribal eligibility per the 9/11 Act, and the effectiveness of the applicant’s THSGP Investment Justification (IJ) as determined through a peer review process. 
 
Applicants must have submitted an Excel-based IJ that addressed each Investment being proposed for funding and must have demonstrated how proposed Investments addressed gaps and deficiencies in current capabilities. Applicants were also required to complete the on-line application including the IJ and all additional required forms as part of the application submission process. 
 
Eligible tribes with completed applications were reviewed and scored during a Peer Review Conference, to evaluate the anticipated effectiveness of proposed Investment(s).  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’s Grant Programs Directorate (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) contributed 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 score for each individual Investment.  Allocation determinations were considered based on these scores.