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- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced $18.2 million in grants aimed at reducing cyber risks and digital threats to tribes.
The Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program awarded 30 tribes and tribal consortiums amounts ranging between $17,000 and $2 million. The program represents the largest DHS award to tribes to date, per a press release from the department.
“For far too long, Tribal Nations have faced digital and cybersecurity threats without the resources necessary to build resilience,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement. The DHS grants represent the first ever awards under the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program to help tribes and tribal communities ensure they have the tools to “assess risks, implement solutions, and increase cyber defenses.”
The grant program, jointly managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, opened in late September last year. DHS writes that “digital threats” facing Native tribes are becoming more complex — a problem made worse by funding and resource gaps.
Tribal casinos are especially attractive targets, per prior Tribal Business News reporting. That problem can get markedly worse as more tribal gaming operations begin building online platforms.
A lack of tribal resources and funding prompted DHS to take action. The department pooled FEMA and CISA funding from 2022 and 2023 to create the $18 million funding opportunity for 2024.
The grants aren’t just addressing immediate needs, but also reinforcing the infrastructure that supports the sovereignty and resilience of Tribal Nations, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.
The money will support tribal efforts to identify vulnerabilities, build capacity, and establish security measures. Awardees will also be required to perform annual self-assessments to measure security gaps and allow CISA to scan the public Internet for external vulnerabilities.
More funding for tribal cybersecurity will be announced later this year, though the timing and capacity was not disclosed by DHS.
“These grants will help Tribal Nations combat the growing cyber threats they face every day and build resilience for their critical infrastructure,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement. “We’re proud to work with our federal partners to help Tribal Nations strengthen their cybersecurity.”
The full list of awardees includes:
- Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma - $1,013,627
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma - $778,400
- Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma - $971,000
- San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, California -$605,588
- Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, Alaska - $3,009,214
- Blackfeet Nation, Montana - $38,850
- Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska - $108,135
- The Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma - $365,516
- Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York - $861,935
- San Carlos Apache Tribe, Arizona - $67,250
- Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Colorado - $2,022,036
- Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Connecticut - $494,605
- Ponca Tribe of Nebraska - $768,798
- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Massachusetts - $673,699
- Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico - $468,825
- Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho - $866,250
- Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico - $480,344
- Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana - $492,490
- Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico - $106,500
- Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin - $900,000
- Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Washington - $546,000
- Taos Pueblo, New Mexico - $71,463
- Metlakatla Indian Community, Alaska - $24,072
- The Suquamish Tribe, Washington - $467,355
- Aroostook Micmac Council, Maine - $17,850
- Chippewa Cree Tribe, Montana - $21,975
- Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Califo - $152,305
- Pinoleville Pomo Nation, California - $152,576
- Colusa Indian Community, California - $214,607
- Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, California - $317,400
- Redding Rancheria, California - $477,645
- Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, California - $690,532
