WASHINGTON, D.C. — FEMA has opened more than $420 million in federal grant funding to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments strengthen emergency response operations, upgrade disaster coordination centers, and improve preparedness ahead of future emergencies.
The agency is making $337 million available through its Fiscal Year 2026 Emergency Management Performance Grant program and nearly $83 million through its Emergency Operations Center Grant program, according to funding notices released this week.
The grants are intended to bolster local emergency management capabilities as communities face increasing demands for disaster response, recovery, and preparedness planning.
The larger Emergency Management Performance Grant program supports investments in emergency management personnel, training, communications systems, and response equipment. Previous recipients have used the funding to hire and train staff, purchase generators and mobile command vehicles, and improve interoperability among first responders during emergencies.
The Emergency Operations Center Grant program focuses on the facilities that coordinate disaster response. Funding can be used to construct, modernize, or equip emergency operations centers that serve as command hubs during crises.
Emergency operations centers bring together representatives from multiple agencies and jurisdictions to coordinate resources, information sharing, and decision-making during disasters.
“Emergency management works best when it is locally executed, state-led and federally supported,” Robert J. Fenton Jr., FEMA’s senior official performing the duties of administrator, stated.
Fenton added that the funding is intended to help communities strengthen disaster response and recovery capabilities while ensuring emergency personnel have access to necessary training and equipment.
The grant opportunities reflect FEMA’s continued emphasis on building preparedness capacity at the state and local levels, where most emergency response operations are managed.
Applications for both programs will remain available through July 15. Eligible governments can review funding requirements and application materials through the federal grants portal.
Additional information is available at Grants.gov.
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