The Department of Homeland Security released its Port Security Grant Funding (PSGP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on Grants.gov today, 21 May 2018, with an Application Submission Deadline of 20 June 2018 at 5:00 PM EDT. So not a lot of time to get everything put together to compete for the $100 million in funding available.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The PSGP provides funding to port authorities, facility operators, and State and local agencies for activities associated with implementing Area Maritime Security Plans (AMSPs), facility security plans and other port-wide risk management efforts.
The vast majority of U.S. maritime critical infrastructure is owned or operated by state, local, territorial and private sector maritime industry partners. PSGP funds available to these entities are intended to improve port-wide maritime security risk management; enhance maritime domain awareness; support maritime security training and exercises; and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities.
Considering the current maritime security climate, the program’s concerns focus heavily on incidents involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), cybersecurity, and attacks on soft targets.
Performance metrics for this program are as follows:
Percentage of funding building new capabilities
Percentage of funding sustaining existing capabilities
PROJECT PRIORITIES
Recipients of the FY 2018 PSGP are encouraged to accomplish the above referenced objectives through activities such as:
Strengthening governance integration;
Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA);
Enhancing Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) prevention, protection, response and recovery capabilities within the maritime domain;
Enhancing cybersecurity capabilities;
Completing maritime security risk mitigation projects that support port resilience and recovery capabilities;
Conducting training and exercises; and
Implementing physical security, to include Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) projects.
The funding priorities for the PSGP reflect the Department’s overall investment strategy, in which two priorities have been paramount: risk-informed funding allocations and regional security cooperation.
THINGS TO CONSIDER, TOOLS TO UTILIZE, and WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR APPLICATION SUCCESS
Given the short time to prepare your package, and the fact that you will be competing with people all around the country, consider these points to help in your process;
Utilize the tools and expertise of the Academy and our partners at Moran Office of Maritime and Port Security to help you prepare your package (see the webinar that featured guidance from MOMPS, and demonstrated their experience and resources).
Look at your Cybersecurity maturity, and consider implementing a Cybersecurity Risk Management protocol, using the tool recognized across the country as the most advanced and scalable platform for continuously correlating and analyzing evolving threat and vulnerability data.
Consider cybersecurity exercises as part of your application, where the Nation's leading Pen Testing threat team performs temporal analytics to predict which vulnerabilities will be weaponized in the future.
Consider Active Shooter training for your maritime assets, ferries, and critical infrastructure, and with it, specific maritime firearms training (we can help).
As stated in our White Paper "Navigating the Changing Seascape," people are our biggest challenge, especially as our institutional knowledge is retiring from our ranks at a rate of 10,000 per day. The people stepping up and into these positions or responsibility may not have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job effectively. Therefore, consider the training of your people in the equipment, technologies, techniques or processes that you may already have purchased, but is not being utilized to its fullest. The Academy can help tailor a training program to meet your needs using our Approach to Comprehensive Training Solutions (ACTS).
With regard to training, don't be afraid to tailor a solution that is unique to your agency or area of operations, in either Cybersecurity, boat operations, security tactics or other things related to the port security mission. You can even provide Tactical Behavior Science Training for your entire region, as a direct port security application. We can help.
If you are going to purchase a boat or technology, use the Academy's cadre of SME's to help you through the process to ensure that you get the right product for the right purpose, and considerate of long term sustainability. (Look at our FLEATS Program for an outline.)
REFERENCE MATERIAL AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
Some reference material you may find helpful: (Just click on each item and it will take you directly to the document for download.)
Application forms and instructions are available on Grants.gov (hard copies of the NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY and associated application materials are not available.) To access the application package, select “Applicants” then “Apply for Grants” followed by “Get Application Package.” Enter the Funding Opportunity Number located on the first page of the NOFO (DHS-18-GPD-056-00-01). Select “Apply” and then “Create Workspace.”
Follow the prompts to download the instructions and begin the application.
Applications will be processed through the Grants.gov portal and final applications will be processed through DHS/FEMA’s Non-Disaster Grants (ND Grants) System.
Applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process. To ensure that an application is submitted on time applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their submission. Failure to comply with any of the required steps before the deadline for submitting the application may disqualify the application from funding. The steps involved in applying for an award under this program are:
1. Applying for, updating, or verifying their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and Employer ID Number (EIN);
2. Updating or verifying their System for Award Management (SAM) Registration;
3. Establishing an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in Grants.gov;
4. Submitting an initial application in Grants.gov; and
5. Submitting the final application in the NDGrants system.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
We can help. Contact us today and let our cadre of specialists and subject matter experts prepare a grant application that has the highest chance of success.