8-19-26 federal grant opportunity for wisconsin communities facing cybersecurity risks – Radio Plus | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #ransomware

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), in partnership with the Department of Administration’s Division of Enterprise Technology (DET), is announcing the grant application period opened August 17 for government agencies at risk of a cybersecurity incident due to the age or condition of their IT cybersecurity infrastructure.  The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) is a federal grant administered by WEM and DET that provides support for units of government that meet certain criteria. This funding opportunity can be used on cybersecurity-related activities, including purchase and installation or activation of multifactor authentication (MFA), managed detection and response (MDR), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and extended detection and response (XDR). The full list of eligible activities can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): https://wem.wi.gov/wisconsin-emergency-management-wem-notice-of-funding-opportunity-nofo-state-local-cybersecurity-grant-program-slcgp-cycle-3-funding-fy2024/   Eligible government agencies include counties, municipalities, local public authorities, school districts, special districts, intrastate districts, councils of government, regional or interstate government entities, agencies or instrumentalities of a local government, authorized tribal governments and organizations, rural communities, unincorporated towns or villages, and other public entities.  This is the third of four cycles of funding made available and the last cycle that has no cost share requirement. Future cycles of funding for this grant will have a 40% cost share requirement. The deadline to apply for this cycle of funding under the SLCGP is October 30, 2026.  Applicants must be able to demonstrate their agency’s/organization’s need for cybersecurity improvements based on the results of a vulnerability scan, previous impactful cybersecurity incidents, and/or legal mandates or audit findings.  FEMA, WEM, and DET guidance for the grant opportunity, including application requirements, are available online at fema.gov/grants/preparedness/state-local-cybersecurity-grant-program, https://wem.wi.gov/state-and-local-cybersecurity-grant-program-fy-24-cycle-3-funding-opportunity/, and det.wi.gov/Pages/Cybersecurity_Grants.aspx .   Questions and feedback about the grant and application process should be submitted to [email protected].