Securing the Cities Program, 2020 STC Sustainment | DHS ST 20 106 STC 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS ST 20 106 STC 0001

The Securing the Cities (STC) Program, 2020 STC Sustainment grant opportunity is a Department of Homeland Security cooperative agreement designed to keep strong radiological and nuclear detection capabilities in place within high-risk urban areas (HRUAs). The larger STC program is built around preventing terrorist attacks and other high-consequence incidents involving nuclear or radiological materials by improving a region's ability to detect those materials early, coordinate a response, and integrate local efforts into a broader national detection architecture. In practical terms, the program is about making sure the right people across a metro region have the right equipment, the right training, and clear operational procedures so detection activities can happen routinely and effectively, not just during special events.

This specific Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is focused on sustainment for jurisdictions that have already participated in STC. Instead of launching brand-new STC sites, it targets prior STC recipients so they can maintain and, where appropriate, expand the capabilities they have already built. The key sustainment need highlighted here is recapitalization, meaning replacement or refresh of radiological/nuclear (R/N) detection equipment that has reached the end of its expected usable life cycle. Alongside equipment replacement, the funding can support continued operation of a Regional Program Office, which is essentially the management and coordination backbone that keeps a multi-agency detection program functioning across a region. The intent is to prevent gaps in coverage or capability as equipment ages out and to avoid losing hard-won regional coordination structures once initial build-out funding ends.

STC support typically includes technical and programmatic assistance to help recipients integrate local or regional detection programs into the national detection structure, along with guidance for developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPs) and standard operating procedures. It also includes providing R/N detection equipment and delivering training and exercise products so personnel stay proficient and detection responsibilities are embedded into day-to-day operational activities. The NOFO emphasizes that "capability" is not just owning equipment; it is trained and equipped personnel who can competently use that equipment and who operate under clear detection and response protocols. That framing matters because it ties funding to an operational end state: a region that can consistently detect, assess, and appropriately respond to potential R/N threats.

Eligibility is narrow and specific: only previously awarded lead agencies under Securing the Cities cooperative agreements may apply. In other words, this is not an open competition for new cities or new lead organizations. The applicant is referred to as the lead agency, reflecting the governance model where one primary entity coordinates partners across the region. The NOFO also notes that capability expansion may be supported by incorporating additional partners into an existing STC regional program, which can broaden coverage and interoperability if the region is bringing in more agencies or jurisdictions.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument, indicating DHS expects substantial involvement in project execution compared to a more hands-off grant. It is associated with CFDA number 97.106 and categorized under disaster prevention and relief. The opportunity number is DHS ST 20 106 STC 0001, and it was issued by the Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division. The posting was created on May 29, 2020, with an original closing date of July 20, 2020. The award ceiling shown is $16,071,018. The legal authority referenced is the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296), as amended by the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-387), codified at 6 U.S.C. 596b, grounding the program in DHS's statutory role in countering weapons of mass destruction threats, including nuclear and radiological risks.

Overall, the 2020 STC Sustainment opportunity is best understood as continuity funding for established STC regions: replacing aging detection equipment, keeping regional program management functioning, maintaining trained and practiced personnel, and ensuring the detection mission stays integrated across day-to-day operations. The outcome DHS is aiming for is uninterrupted, region-wide R/N detection capability that reduces the risk of dangerous radiological or nuclear materials being used to threaten a high-risk urban area.

• The Office of Procurement Operations - Grants Division in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Securing the Cities Program, 2020 STC Sustainment" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.106.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-05-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-07-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $16,071,018.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DHS ST 20 106 STC 0001

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