The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the FY20 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program. Congress provided $10 million in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93) for this grant program in December. DHS has designed the program to implement the objectives of Goal 3 of its Strategic Framework to Counter Terrorism and Targeted Violence:
Strengthen societal resistance against the drivers of violent extremism and ensure broad awareness of the threat of terrorism and targeted violence.
- Counter terrorists and violent extremists’ influence online.
- Develop prevention frameworks with SLTT partners to enhance their ability to identify and respond to individuals at risk of mobilizing to violence.
- Develop and implement recidivism reduction programming to address individuals convicted of crimes related to terrorism and targeted violence.
State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education are eligible to submit competitive proposals to assist in developing a nationwide prevention framework to combat targeted violence and terrorism. This goal requires a multi-year, whole-of-society effort, including financial assistance and other support by DHS. The TVTP Grant Program’s priorities for FY20 are:
- Establishing and Enhancing Local Prevention Frameworks with an Emphasis on Threat Assessment and Management Capabilities
- Preventing Domestic Terrorism
- Developing Innovative Solutions for Preventing Targeted Violence and Terrorism
This program builds of the promising practices and lessons learned documented in the FY16 Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program. There are several major changes from the earlier program including:
Enhanced project performance measures
Expansion to prevention of targeted violence
Dedicated innovation application track
Detailed description of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections
The application period opens on Monday, March 30, 2020 and closes on Friday, May 29, 2020. Awards will be made no later than September 30, 2020 when the funding expires. DHS anticipates this to be the first year of a multi-year program. The DHS Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request includes $20 million for the TVTP Grant Program and additional funding to support other TVTP efforts in various DHS offices and components.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325876
Interested applicants may find more information at https://www.dhs.gov/TVTPGrants or email TerrorisimPrevention@hq.dhs.gov DHS will hold three webinars to discuss the elements of the program with interested applicants. The webinars will be held using GoToMeeting, you may download the app in advance here: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/641185333
