Fiscal Year 2025 Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), administers the Fiscal Year 2025 Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP). This program provides direct funding to eligible Tribal Nations to enhance their capacity to prevent, prepare for, protect against, and respond to potential terrorist attacks and other hazards. It is one of three grant programs under DHS/FEMA’s preparedness portfolio aimed at strengthening security and resilience. The FY 2025 funding opportunity totals $13.5 million, with awards ranging from $40,000 to $2,000,000 and an anticipated 19 recipients. The program recognizes the unique risks and needs of Tribal Nations, including remote locations, limited resources, infrastructure challenges, and historical vulnerabilities, by allowing tribes to apply as direct recipients. THSGP is open only to “directly eligible tribes” as defined in Section 2001 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Applicants must be federally recognized tribes that meet specific statutory criteria, including having law enforcement or emergency response capacity, and meeting at least one geographical or critical infrastructure proximity requirement. Tribes must self-certify eligibility using the THSGP Eligibility Certification Form as part of the required Investment Justification. Subapplicants are not permitted, and each eligible tribe may submit only one application containing up to three Investment Justifications. Program priorities for FY 2025 include five national priority areas: enhancing the protection of soft targets and crowded places, supporting Homeland Security Task Forces and fusion centers, enhancing and integrating cybersecurity resilience, enhancing election security, and supporting border crisis response and enforcement. Additional enduring needs cover planning, training and awareness campaigns, equipment and capital projects, and exercises. Allowable costs fall within the categories of planning, equipment, training, and exercises, as detailed in Appendix A. Certain costs are unallowable, such as firearms, ammunition, and weaponized vehicles. Management and Administration costs are allowed up to 5% of the award, and a one-time pre-award cost of up to $1,500 is allowable for contractual grant writing services. Applications must be submitted through FEMA’s FEMA GO system. The application period opens on August 1, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and closes on August 15, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The funding selection date will be no later than August 23, 2025, and award announcements are expected by September 30, 2025. The projected period of performance begins September 1, 2025, and ends August 31, 2028. Applicants must have a valid Unique Entity Identifier, be registered in SAM.gov, and have an Authorized Organization Representative who is a current employee of the applying entity. Applications require submission of several standard federal forms, including SF-424 and SF-424A, as well as the THSGP Investment Justification and the self-certification form. FEMA will conduct a three-part review: eligibility screening, programmatic scoring, and financial review. Investments aligned with one or more national priorities will receive a 20% scoring bonus, and applicants new to THSGP funding will receive five additional points. Funding recommendations are made in rank order until funds are exhausted, with tie-breaking preference given to national priority-aligned proposals and then to applicants without previous awards. For questions, program office contacts are available via email at fema-thsgp@fema.dhs.gov. The FEMA Grants News team can be reached at fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov or (800) 368-6498. Additional support is available through the FEMA GO Helpdesk at femago@fema.dhs.gov or (877) 585-3242, as well as FEMA regional offices and subject-matter-specific points of contact for civil rights, environmental planning, and historic preservation. Compliance with applicable federal civil rights laws, procurement integrity rules, and environmental review processes is required for all funded activities.