DHS opens public comment period as CISA begins review of state and local cybersecurity grant program
DHS opens public comment period as CISA begins review of state and local cybersecurity grant program
Publish Date: 2026-06-02 12:30:00
Source Domain: industrialcyber.co
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has launched a study to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). The study will collect quantitative and qualitative feedback to assess how state, local, and territorial (SLT) governments use the program and approach cybersecurity planning and implementation.
The effort was announced through a 60-day notice and request for comments published as part of a new Information Collection Request (ICR). The document, submitted by CISA’s Stakeholder Engagement Division (SED) Grant Analytics Branch to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, outlines plans to collect data supporting the evaluation.
The collection supports the SLCGP, a federal initiative jointly administered by CISA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that provides funding to SLTl governments to strengthen their cybersecurity posture and resilience. Public comments on the proposed information collection will be accepted through July 31, 2026.
Winfield P. Werntz, acting chief information officer at the agency, detailed in the Federal Register notice that this evaluation will additionally examine how effectively grant funds are being utilized, understand challenges and successes grant recipients have encountered implementing funds to date, and measure progress made towards the program’s short- and medium-term outcomes.
“The evaluation design is informed by an Evaluability Assessment, which determined that the SLCGP is ready for formal evaluation during or after its fourth funding year (FY 2025),” Werntz said. “With the program scheduled to conclude its active funding phase in FY 2026 and the final period of performance to conclude in FY 2029, this evaluation is well-timed to determine the program’s effectiveness and provide…
