State & Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

August 2025 Update

As we continue to process and consider applications for the third round of the SLCGP, the federal government has issued guidelines for the fourth round of the grant program. Those guidelines can be found in the FY25 SLCGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) here: https://www.cisa.gov/cybergrants/slcgp

There are other grant programs also available to other entities. For your reference, Tribal governments may apply for the SLCGP, and the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program (TCGP). The Notice of Funding Opportunity for that program was also recently released. It can be found here: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/360212

Non-profits are not eligible for the SLCGP or the TCGP, but there are some resources available to them through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. 

Also of interest to non-profits is the survey of Washington State non-profits that is being conducted by the UC Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity. That survey can be found here: Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management. The survey will help with resource discussions and planning for non-profits in our state with regard to cybersecurity threats. Participation would be appreciated.

• Additional cybersecurity resources 
  • In addition to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), here are some additional funding and cybersecurity resources.

About the program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has providing funding, through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to address cybersecurity risks and threats to information systems owned or operated by state, local and territorial governments.

EMD and WaTech leaders, in coordination with a planning committee that has broad-based membership, drafted a statewide strategic cybersecurity plan which was approved by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in July 2023.

Following approval of the plan, the state solicited projects from local jurisdictions, Tribes, and state agencies.  After a rigorous review, more than $6.2 million in grant funding was allocated from the FY22 and FY23 awards. To allocate the remaining FY23 funding, a new project solicitation round will be announced in early 2024.  

While the program continues to be established, this is a great time to assess baseline security measures currently in place. CISA has resources that can help including:

• Web Application Scanning is an "internet scanning-as-a-service." This service assesses the "health" of your publicly accessible web applications by checking for known vulnerabilities and weak configurations. Additionally, CISA can recommend ways to enhance security in accordance with industry and government best practices and standards.
• Vulnerability Scanning evaluates external network presence by executing continuous scans of public, static IPs for accessible services and vulnerabilities. This service provides weekly vulnerability reports and ad-hoc alerts. (Email CISA at vulnerability@cisa.dhs.gov with the subject line "Requesting Cyber Hygiene Services" to get started.)

Questions?

State, local and Tribal governments interested in applying for grants are encouraged to send their contact information to preparedness.grants@mil.wa.gov.