The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will distribute $374.9 million in grants to help state, local and territorial government agencies develop capabilities to protect critical infrastructure and the public from cyberthreats, CISA Director Jen Easterly and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell shared in a blog post published Tuesday.
Established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program provides $1 billion in funding over four years to help SLT agencies build up their skills and platforms to manage cyber risks.
Criswell and Easterly, a two-time Wash100 awardee said FEMA and CISA awarded $185 million in grants through SLCGP in August 2022.
“Under the FY 2022 SLCGP, states and territories focused on developing and establishing appropriate governance structures, including developing, implementing, or revising cybersecurity plans, to improve capabilities to respond to cybersecurity incidents and ensure continuity of operations,” they noted.
For FY 2023, the grant program will focus on ensuring organization staff are appropriately trained in cybersecurity, enacting security protections and understanding current cybersecurity postures, as well as versed in identifying areas for improvement based on continuous evaluation, testing and structured assessments.
SLT agencies have until Oct. 6 to submit their applications for the grant program’s second year, the two agency officials noted.
