The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), through its Homeland Security and Emergency Management Branch, is offering the FY 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) exclusively to federally-recognized tribes within California. The program is part of a broader federal initiative led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance the nation’s security and preparedness. It seeks to support state, local, and tribal entities in preventing and responding to acts of terrorism and related catastrophic events. The specific aim of this grant is to fund projects that align with Cal OES's HSGP Investment Justifications (IJs), which promote a whole community approach to national preparedness.
The funding is allocated to build or sustain security enhancement initiatives directly tied to one or more of the 32 core capabilities identified in FEMA’s National Preparedness Goal. These capabilities span across five mission areas: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. The grant specifically encourages projects that align with FEMA's National Priority Areas such as cybersecurity, election security, and community preparedness, among others. Each project must be demonstrably connected to counter-terrorism efforts and should ideally be shovel-ready for prompt implementation.
Eligible applicants are limited to federally-recognized tribes in California. A total of $650,000 is available under this solicitation, with each tribe allowed to submit multiple proposals but only eligible to receive funding for the highest scoring one. The maximum award per tribe is $130,000, and the grant period extends from July 1, 2025, to May 31, 2027. There is no cost-share or matching requirement. All proposals must be submitted electronically by 11:59 PM PST on June 20, 2025.
To be considered, proposals must include a Notice of Interest (NOI), a Standard 204 form, and a detailed project description. The NOI must describe the project, identify the capability gaps it addresses, link to relevant IJs, explain the nexus to terrorism, outline a completion timeline, and provide an itemized budget with equipment details if applicable. Proposals that successfully address National Priority Areas and come from tribes that have not received Cal OES HSGP funding in the past five years may receive bonus evaluation points.
Applications are scored based on criteria totaling 35 points, with up to 10 additional bonus points available. Projects must comply with all federal and state regulations, including Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) requirements for certain types of infrastructure work. Post-award responsibilities include biannual reporting and completion of a Nationwide Cybersecurity Review. All correspondence and submissions must be directed to the State and Local Projects Unit at StateLocalProjects@caloes.ca.gov.
