As the federal government's state and local cybersecurity grant program passes the halfway point of its four-year cycle, officials reflected Tuesday on the ability of states to meet the program's funding matching requirements. Lisa Nine, a senior program analyst with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said this is a “steep mountain to climb” for state governments.
The $1 billion grant program created by the Infrastructure Act of 2021 and jointly administered by FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will see states pay a higher percentage of the program costs over time as federal funding declines. It was designed to do so, said Beth Mitchell of the grant. Director of operations at CISA.
“There is a cost share in the program to encourage state investment in what is being built,” Mitchell said Tuesday at the Billington State and Local Cybersecurity Summit in Washington. “We really hope that this program will be maintained and maintained after the end of the grant given that we will be working within the four-year period that has been set.”
In the program's first year, 90% of the funding came from the federal government, with states only having to pay 10%, but the allocation changed to 80-20, then 70-30, and ended at 60-40. I plan to. .
However, state matches do not have to be directly funded. For example, states can host cybersecurity training events at venues whose hosting costs are donated, and the value of the donated space will count towards the match, Nine said.
Mitchell said about half of the grant program's funding has been distributed so far, and all but one state has submitted plans to receive funding. After Florida State joined the program in its second year, South Dakota State became the lone holdout.
Three percent of the $1 billion is set aside for tribal nations, and CISA is currently creating these awards, she added.
“The bones of the program remain the same,” Mitchell said. “I think we've gotten past some of the initial hurdles. I think the biggest challenge for this program over the next two years is the increased cost burden. If you are experiencing difficulties, please let us know and we will work with you on ways to alleviate them.”
One challenge, Mitchell said, is that state budgets are sometimes determined far in advance and cannot adjust to the rising costs of participating in the program.
Elizabeth Koren, FEMA's director of cybersecurity grants, said notices of funding opportunities are expected to be announced later this summer.
