Jerrod KingeryThe Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) have partnered to publish a new guide to assist grant-making agencies in incorporating cybersecurity into their grant programs and assist grant recipients in building cyber resilience into their grant-funded infrastructure projects.
The document, titled “Playbook for Strengthening Cybersecurity in Federal Grant Programs for Critical Infrastructure,” is intended for federal grant program managers, critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as organizations such as state, local, tribal and territorial governments that sub-award grant program funds and grant program recipients.
The guide helps all grant-making agencies to incorporate cybersecurity requirements into their grant programs, providing tools and resources the grant program can direct applicants towards to support their ability to meet the requirements.
The guidance offers recommended actions for integrating cybersecurity into grant programs, model language for NOFOs and terms & conditions, templates for cyber risk assessments and project plans and a comprehensive list of cybersecurity resources for grant recipients.
“We are excited to provide this guidance to grant-making organizations, along with our teammates at the Office of the National Cyber Director,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly in a press release. “As organizations seek to take advantage of historic infrastructure grants, it’s critical to ensure the security and resilience of this next generation of American infrastructure in every community across our nation.”
CISA and ONCD say this playbook is intended to be a minimal burden on the federal grant awarding process, offering flexible guidance to help recipients adopt baseline cybersecurity best practices.
The playbook can be found on CISA.gov.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
