State Homeland Security Program 2023 – Competitive National Priority Area Projects (SHSP-NPA)
Program owner: Texas Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office
Summary: Competitive Texas-administered State Homeland Security Program funding for eligible state, tribal, local, nonprofit, and higher-education applicants undertaking FEMA National Priority Area projects with a required terrorism-preparedness nexus. Priorities included combating domestic violent extremism, election security, and cybersecurity.
The Texas Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office offered competitive, federally funded SHSP awards for projects addressing FEMA-designated National Priority Areas and terrorism-related preparedness gaps. Supported work included threat assessment, suspicious-activity reporting, intelligence sharing, protective measures, election security, and cybersecurity.
Eligible government applicants included entities operating law-enforcement agencies, subject to applicable reporting and compliance requirements. All projects had to support terrorism preparedness, and routine patrol equipment or other general-use costs without a clear terrorism nexus were prohibited.
Who is eligible?
Applicant types: State agencies; regional councils of governments; units of local government; nonprofit organizations; universities or colleges; federally recognized Native American tribes.
Eligible applicants were Texas state agencies, regional councils of governments, units of local government, nonprofit organizations, universities or colleges, and federally recognized Native American tribes. Applicants operating law-enforcement agencies were expressly contemplated and had to meet applicable UCR and Texas reporting requirements. Other requirements applied according to entity type and activity, including cybersecurity training, criminal-history disposition reporting, sexual-assault evidence tracking, SAM registration, and possession of a Unique Entity ID.
What can the funding be used for?
Projects had to support an approved FEMA National Priority Area and have a terrorism-preparedness nexus. Supported areas included combating domestic violent extremism, enhancing election security, and enhancing cybersecurity. Examples included open-source threat analysis, threat-assessment programs, suspicious-activity reporting, public awareness, intelligence and information sharing, physical protective measures, election-system risk assessments, cybersecurity planning and training, security software and hardware, monitoring, and cyber-response activities.
Restrictions
Unallowable uses included inherently religious activities; lobbying; compensation for elected or appointed government officials; general-use government vehicles or equipment without a clear terrorism nexus, including routine-patrol mobile data terminals, body cameras, in-car video systems, or radar units; general firefighting equipment or uniforms; weapons, ammunition, tasers, weaponized vehicles, explosives except potentially approved bomb-squad training uses, and firearm accessories; entertainment or recreation admission; promotional items or gifts; generally food and refreshments; individual membership dues; services readily available at no cost; supplanting; fundraising; legal services for adult offenders; non-P25-compliant radio equipment; riot equipment; and other uses prohibited by law or the applicable grant guide.
How to apply
Applicants had to register and apply through the Texas Public Safety Office eGrants system. PSO screened applications for compliance, after which staff and a review group conducted peer or merit prioritization. The executive director made final funding decisions and could consider merit results, cost effectiveness, available funding, priorities, need, geographic distribution, and other relevant factors. Only National Priority Area projects were considered under this solicitation.
Required materials
Government entities subject to the cybersecurity-training requirement had to upload a copy of the Cybersecurity Training Certification with the eGrants application. The source also required eligible applicants to be registered in SAM and have a Unique Entity ID, but it did not characterize those registrations as uploaded documents.
Program contact
eGrants help desk
[email protected]
512-463-1919
Official sources
- Texas Office of the Governor eGrants checked September 16, 2026
Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.