All submissions will be received by no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 20, 2011. Late applications will neither be considered nor reviewed. Only applications started through http://www.grants.gov and completed through the ND Grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov will be accepted.
The Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) is one of five grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 focus on transportation infrastructure security activities. The PSGP is one tool in the comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by the Administration to strengthen the Nation's critical infrastructure against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. The vast majority of U.S. critical infrastructure is owned and/or operated by State, local, and private sector partners. The PSGP funds available to these entities are intended to support increased port-wide risk management; enhanced domain awareness; training and exercises; expansion of port recovery and resiliency capabilities; and further capabilities to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other non-conventional weapons. The PSGP is an important part of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen homeland security preparedness, including the security of the country's critical infrastructure. The PSGP implements objectives addressed in a series of post-9/11 laws, strategy documents, plans, Executive Orders (EOs) and Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs). Of particular significance are the National Preparedness Guidelines and its associated work products, including the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) and its sector-specific plans. The National Preparedness Guidelines provide an all-hazards vision regarding the Nation's four core preparedness objectives: prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks and catastrophic natural disasters. In addition, Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8 is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters. At the regional port level, Area Maritime Security Plans (AMSPs), Port-Wide Risk Mitigation Plans (PRMPs), Facility Security Plans (FSPs), and analytical products such as the Maritime Security Risk Analysis Model (MSRAM) are used in support of the NIPP by identifying critical security needs specific to a port area. Area Maritime Security Committees, which are comprised of port stakeholders representing all levels of government and the port industry, use these various plans and tools to prioritize funding needs and rank port security project proposals. The funding priorities for the FY 2011 PSGP reflect the Department's overall investment strategy, in which two priorities have been paramount: risk-informed funding and regional security cooperation. First, DHS will focus the bulk of its available port security grant dollars on the highest-risk port systems. This determination is based on ongoing intelligence analysis, extensive security reviews, and consultations with port industry partners. At the recommendation of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), some ports are being considered as a single cluster due to geographic proximity, shared risk, and a common waterway. As with other DHS grant programs, applications from these port clusters must be locally coordinated and include integrated security proposals to use PSGP grant dollars to mitigate port security risks. Eligible port areas were identified using a comprehensive, empirically-grounded risk analysis model. Risk methodology for PSGP programs is consistent across transportation modes and is linked to the risk methodology used to determine eligibility for the core DHS State and local grant programs. Within the PSGP, eligibility for all grant awards is first predicated on a systematic risk analysis that reviews and rates eligible ports in a given area for comparative risk. All port areas will be comparably rated. Risk will be evaluated using an analytical model developed by DHS in conjunction with other Federal entities. Risk is defined as the product of three principal variables: (1) Threat - the likelihood of an attack occurring; (2) Vulnerability - the relative exposure to an attack; and, (3) Consequence - the expected impact of an attack. Risk data for eligible port areas is gathered individually and then aggregated by region. The DHS risk formula incorporates multiple normalized variables, meaning that for a given variable, all eligible port areas are empirically ranked on a relative scale from lowest to highest. DHS' risk assessment methodology for PSGP considers critical infrastructure system assets and characteristics from four areas that might contribute to their risk: intelligence community assessments of threat; economic consequences of attack; port assets; and area vulnerabilities and consequences (to people and physical infrastructure immediately surrounding the port). The relative weighting of variables reflects DHS' overall risk assessment, as well as the FY 2011 program priorities. Specific variables include multiple data sets regarding international and domestic measure of cargo throughput (container, break bulk, petro-chemical, etc); foreign vessel calls; the adjacent critical assets that may be associated with the port area; the adjacent military missions' variables; the population density; and MSRAM data. Second, DHS places a very high priority on ensuring that all PSGP applications reflect robust regional coordination and an investment strategy that institutionalizes and integrates a regional maritime security risk strategy. This priority is a core component in the Department's statewide grant programs and complements the goals of the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. In FY 2011, the PSGP will continue to fund those eligible projects identified in the PRMP that close or mitigate maritime security risk vulnerabilities gaps, and ensure a rapid transition to the optional Business Continuity/Resumption of Trade Plans (BCRTP). Adoption of a deliberate risk management planning process, consistent with that employed in the UASI and State programs, is also a key focus of the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act (Public Law 109-347) amendments to the PSGP. In addition to these two overarching priorities, the Department has identified the following five priorities as its selection criteria for all FY 2011 PSGP applicants: (1) Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA); (2) Enhancing Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) prevention, protection, response and supporting recovery capabilities; (4) Port Resilience and Recovery Capabilities; (4) Training and Exercises; (5) Efforts supporting implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
The FY10 allocation under the Port Security Grant Program was $300 million.
Varies
Guidance & Application Kit: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/2011/fy11_psgp_kit.pdf
Name: Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID)
Department: Preparedness Directorate
Street: Office of Grants & Training
245 Murray Lane, Building 410
City: Washington
Zip: 20528
Email: askcsid@dhs.gov
Fax: (202) 786-9920
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