State and Local Cyber Security Grant Program (SLCGP)
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, Congress established the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which established the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), appropriating $1 billion nationwide to be awarded over four years. In FY 2022, $183.5 million is available nationwide under the SLCGP, with varying funding amounts allocated over four years from the IIJA.
Montana will receive a funding allocation as determined by the statutory formula. Eighty percent of total state allocations must support local governments, while 25% of the total state allocations must support rural areas/jurisdictions; these amounts may overlap.
Montana was awarded $2,427,866 for first year funding (FY22) with Montana Disaster and Emergency Services (MT DES) being the State Administrative Agency (SAA).
Program Objectives
The FY2022 SLCGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides the following objectives that the state is required to address with FY22 SLCGP funding:
- Objective 1: Develop and establish appropriate governance structures, including developing, implementing, or revising cybersecurity plans, to improve capabilities to respond to cybersecurity incidents and ensure continuity of operations.
- Objective 2: Understand their current cybersecurity posture and areas for improvement based on continuous testing, evaluation, and structured assessments.
- Objective 3: Implement security protections to reduce risk.
- Objective 4: Ensure organization personnel are appropriately trained in cybersecurity, commensurate with responsibility.
Priorities
The following activities are statutorily required as part of the FY2022 SLCGP:
- Establish a Cybersecurity Planning Committee;
- Develop a state-wide Cybersecurity Plan, unless the recipient already has a state-wide Cybersecurity Plan and uses the funds to implement or revise a state-wide Cybersecurity Plan;
- Conduct assessment and evaluations as the basis for individual projects throughout the life of the program; and
- Adopt key cybersecurity best practices.
Cybersecurity Planning Committee
Montana established the Montana Cybersecurity Planning Committee and adopted the committee charter on November 14, 2022. The committee is responsible for the following:
- Developing, implementing, and revising the State Cybersecurity Plan (including projects)
- Formally approving the Cybersecurity Plan
- Assisting with determination of effective funding priorities
The Committee Charter can be found in the resources page.
Cybersecurity Plan
On November 28, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the 2022-2024 State of Montana Cybersecurity Plan.
The plan can be found in the SLCGP resources page.
Grant Guidance
Additional information can be found in the Federal Notice of Funding Opportunity in the resources page.
MT DES will publish State Guidance upon review and approval by the Cybersecurity Planning Committee. Date to be determined.
Application Process
Eligible applicants (County, Cities, Towns, school districts, or special districts) will be able to apply to participate in cybersecurity projects identified by the Cybersecurity Planning Committee. Additional information on how to apply will be available here upon approval of the State Cybersecurity Plan and project areas. Application period is anticipated to be from the middle of April 2024 to the beginning of June 2024.
