Frequently Asked Questions about the DHS UASI Grant Program

Q.    I understand that DHS recently changed some of the criteria for their federal counter-terrorism grants.  How?

A.  According to the Washington Post [Jan 5, 2006], when the first DHS grants were first awarded, “Congress insisted that the funding be distributed according to formulas designed to ensure that each state and each congressional district received a slice, regardless of genuine threats. But it also happened because DHS failed to establish strict criteria for what constituted a real terrorist “risk” to a particular city or industry.
“Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's announcement of a change in the way his department distributes money to cities is a very big step in the right direction. Originally set up to help seven cities considered to be at especially high risk -- New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston -- the urban security program soon expanded, first to 30, then to 50. Mr. Chertoff has now cut back the number to 35 metropolitan areas and, more important, is requiring the authorities in each of them to apply for funding and prove they can make good use of the money. These grants, he stated, are "not party favors to be distributed as widely as possible.”

Q.   How does DHS determine which cities are at greatest risk?

A.  “Cities on the UASI list with shared boundaries were combined for fiscal year 2006 into a single entity and urbanized areas outside the official city limits were also included in order to establish a geographic area for enhanced risk analysis, reflecting a regional approach to shared risk and risk-mitigation. Other expansions to the program in fiscal year 2006 include the incorporation of threat analysis from intelligence community products that reflect risk as seen through various attack modes, such as the incorporation of transient populations and greater depth and breadth in infrastructure data.
“The fiscal year 2006 UASI list of eligible applicants and recipients is determined through a robust risk formula that considers three primary variables: consequence, vulnerability, and threat. Factors such as the presence of international borders, population and population density, the location of critical infrastructure, formal mutual aid cooperation, law enforcement investigations and enforcement activity are considered in correlation with the risk formula for UASI determinations.” [DHS Press Release 1/3/06]
“The risk analysis the department uses "involves literally millions and millions of calculations," Chertoff said. Among other factors, they take account of the history of threats against an area, its population and the presence of important commercial and transportation facilities.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/19/06]

Q.    How many city/regions are eligible for UASI funding?

A.  In fiscal year 2006, the department identified 35 areas eligible to apply for and receive funding. These 35 areas encompass 95 cities with populations of 100,000 or more.  This year’s formula promotes a “super” UASI concept that is designed to build greater regional capabilities across a geographic area.  In addition, 11 urban areas from the fiscal year 2005 UASI have been identified as eligible to apply for sustainment funding in fiscal year 2006, to ensure that strategic investments made thus far can be completed and to identify projects that, if funded, would significantly reduce risk. [DHS Press Release 1/3/06]

Q.   How do cities apply for funding?

A.  “All eligible applicants must submit an investment justification, which identifies needs and outlines the intended security enhancement plan to be addressed with funding, to meet the target capabilities outlined in the National Preparedness Goal.  Investment justifications will be reviewed, scored, and prioritized along with risk factors to determine which investments should be funded to best address need and minimize risk.” [DHS Press Release 1/3/06]
A list of FY 2006 UASI Eligible Applicants is available at: http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/
FY06_UASI_Eligibility_List.pdf

Q.    How much money is available this year?

A.  In total, $2.5 billion in federal homeland security grants will be awarded this year under a variety of grant programs. Of that, $765 million will be granted under the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) program.
“More than $2.1 billion has been allocated through UASI since the 2003 fiscal year.  Since 9/11, $8.6 billion has been provided in overall grant funding to states and territories to enhance first responder capabilities in preventing, protecting and responding to acts of terrorism.” [DHS Press Release 1/3/06]

Q.    How do I find out who to contact in my state for more information on DHS grant programs?

A.  Since the process varies from state to state, and region to region, we’d highly recommend you contact the Federal Grants Coordinator at MIJA for initial assistance This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Additional information on state contacts and grant award information is available at:
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/states.htm

Additional Resources

FY 2005 State-by-State Grant Breakdown (Excel Doc, 42KB)
FY 2004 State and Local Homeland Security Grant Awards
(PDF, 3 pages - 219 KB)
See also Department of Homeland Security Grants.