Funding: Winning Homeland Security Dollars from Your State

In December 2007, Congress passed the federal government's omnibus appropriation bill allotting $3.96 billion in homeland security grants for state and local governments for fiscal 2008.

Included in the grants was a $35 million increase in Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding of from 2007, and $205 million more than President George W. Bush requested. The Port Security Grant Program was fully funded for the first time at $400 million, and a new Interoperability Grant Program promises $50 million in grants to develop interoperable radio communications.

If state and local governments have not decided on the priorities and spending plans for grant funds they may receive, they're behind the eight ball - planning should begin about a year in advance of grants announced for the upcoming fiscal year.

Here are some strategies that may help you obtain the most funding possible for your government entity.

Be Precise
Whether it's fiscal '08 or '09, potential grant recipients should develop precise investment justifications (IJ) that outline plans and timetables for their priorities under their Homeland Security Strategy (which needs to be in line with the state's strategy). Projects started in past grant cycles should be evaluated: Where is it as far as project completion? An IJ should be prepared that allows for either its successful completion or the continuation of work to adhere to the schedule originally developed.

All local governments, whether in a UASI or not, should also follow the same process, spelling out their funding needs to accomplish projects that have been approved by the state.

It's very important that local governments know and understand exactly how the state will evaluate and determine its grant funding allocation process. With 56 states and territories, this gives rise to 56 methodologies on "who gets what" in the local government funding process.

Some states are clear about how they'd like the money spent, and the locals then need to be clear in planning how they will follow suit. Other states often leave it up to the local officials as to how they would like to spend the money. In that case, locals must articulate through a complete project description/plan exactly "the what, why and how" of their grant fund needs.

The best-case scenario includes a formal process at the state level where local representation has input into the process, where possible, so that all concerns are heard and taken into account for the total homeland security process, including grant funding allocation. It's critical for everyone at the table to put politics aside and understand that personalities take a back seat to the important projects that benefit all citizens at the state and local levels.

The Right People
If a local jurisdiction is unsure of the state's strategy, timetables, priorities and motivations, opening a line of communication with the "right people" within the state homeland security infrastructure is a definite priority.

The State Administrative Authority (SAA) is the office that administers the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant funds to the local government entities. If you're a department within the local government, or a member of an organization and feel left out of the overall homeland security process, the first step is to call your local government and ask to talk with the department or person who handles the homeland security program. If that doesn't work, call your state's department of public safety, department of emergency management or other department that would handle these types of issues and ask, "Who is my SAA for homeland security matters?" Then call the SAA directly and ask about how to be included in the process.