HANOVER, Md. (August 24, 2026) — The Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), and the Maryland State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) Planning Committee are pleased to announce more than $4.9 million in funding is now available through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
Applications will be accepted through September 22, 2026. Projects awarded under Federal Fiscal Year 2023 must be completed by September 2027 and projects awarded under Federal Fiscal Year 2024 must be completed by September 2028.
The SLCGP is congressionally established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to “award grants to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments.” Maryland was awarded $4.9M for the FFY 2024 period, and has additional funds to disburse from the FFY 2023 award. At least 80% of the funding will support local jurisdictions, with 25% of the award reserved for rural jurisdictions.
For more information on the SLCGP Application process, please visit the Cyber Preparedness Unit’s funding page or email [email protected].
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Additional Information
What is the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP)?
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress established the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) to “award grants to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments.” The SLCGP provides funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments to address cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity threats to SLTT-owned or operated information systems.
How much funding is available?
SLCGP FFY 2023 Second Round Application (short-term projects only)
For FFY 2023, a second-round application for FFY 2023 SLCGP funds is now open! Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
SLCGP FFY 2024 Application
For FFY 2024, Maryland was awarded $4.9M. The majority of this funding will go towards local jurisdictions, and 25% must go towards rural jurisdictions. Additional funding is expected in future years. This funding will be made available to eligible jurisdictions as sub-grants per the Maryland SLCGP Committee’s determinations.
Who is eligible to apply for SLCGP funding?
All local governments in Maryland are eligible to apply. “Local governments” are defined as a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments, regional or interstate government entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government; and a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity. “Rural” area is defined as an area encompassing a population of less than 50,000 people that has not been designated in the most recent decennial census as an “urbanized area” by the Secretary of Commerce (i.e., counties and jurisdictions within counties with a population of 50,000 or less). “Maryland Rural” as defined by the Committee is any Maryland “Local Government” that can provide adequate evidence of their rural status such as a planning and zoning designation or mapping. Evidence should be submitted with the application package.
What can the SLCGP funding be used for?
Funds can be used towards cybersecurity projects and services that promote cyber resilience, in accordance with CISA’s and the SLCGP Committee’s priorities outlined in the Maryland SLCGP plan. Grant funding will be awarded based on statutory requirements, demonstrated need, quality of the application, and the ability to maintain federal and state grant compliance.
What are the next steps?
For more information on the SLCGP Application process, please visit the Cyber Preparedness Unit’s funding page or email [email protected].
