Fewer Grants, Higher Stakes: How to Secure Security Funding in 2025

Organizations often wonder if government funding is available to them for security improvements.

The answer? Possibly, although in 2025, fewer grants are available than in previous years. The current administration has made sweeping changes to grants and federal funding. Grants were frozen in the beginning of the year, many federally-funded grants were cut, and other funding changes continue to be announced.

Despite the confusing fiscal landscape, there are still some grants available for security improvements — although whether you qualify depends on your organization and your industry.

Both federal and local governments are often tasked with improving critical infrastructure or facilities that need to meet certain security benchmarks. That means that the federal government often provides grants that allow states, governmental agencies, and private businesses to make critical and very specific improvements.

These grants are often provided through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or other governmental agencies to the states. Organizations can then apply through the states themselves.

Which grants have been cut?

If you regularly skim Grants.gov (as we do for our monthly security grant round-ups), you’ve probably noticed that it’s slim pickings these days. Many grants that don’t correspond to the current administration’s priorities have been cut. This includes many of the security grants funded through DHS and FEMA.

This includes an anti-terrorism grant we’ve written about and included in grant announcements in the past: the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grant program. The program, started after the Sept. 11 attacks, was established to help local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations create or improve programs to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.

Many other funding initiatives, including Department of Education funding cuts are still being announced.

Which organizations are most likely to get funding?

When it comes to federal grants for security improvements, not all organizations are eligible, and the grants are often tightly focused on specific groups or types of improvements.

Federal money is often earmarked for the protection of specific organizations. Currently, organizations that are considered part of the country’s critical infrastructure, like hospitals, utilities, and essential services are eligible for some grants.

There are also grants available to shore up communities and organizations against natural disasters like fires and floods.

It’s important to note that the kinds of businesses that will be supported by grants are likely to change over time since the definition of “essential” often shifts to fit an area’s needs over time.

How can an organization find these resources?

If you’re seeking a grant that will help improve your organization’s security, or you’re wondering if an existing grant applies to you, you should start with your local government. Your city, town, or county emergency manager should know if there are grants you can apply for. If you’re located in an area without an emergency manager, you may want to contact your state emergency manager or your local representative’s office. You can also search for applicable grants at grants.gov.

A security consultant can help you find and locate grants; security subject experts are well-versed in the funds that are available, and may even be able to help you write the grant. While their fees aren’t typically covered by the government, the expense is often worth it — a knowledgeably-written grant can mean funding for your organization and better security for your employees, clients and assets.

Well-organized risk assessment data will also help if you decide to apply for a grant. Digital security risk assessment software, like Circadian Risk, tracks all your organization’s risk data in a single dashboard. You’re able to break down that data so that you can see risk data at each individual location. You’re also able to see your existing countermeasures, as well as your policies, systems, and protocols — which is important when you’re proving that you're compliant with a grant’s requirements.

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About the Author

Daniel Young

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Daniel has been a security and risk advisor for more than 10 years, and is passionate about helping companies to better understand their risks to undesirable events on a daily basis. Dan previously served as the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator for District 1 in Michigan, where he was instrumental in preparing communities for catastrophic incidents. He has also acted as the Private Security Liaison for the City of Lansing’s Critical Infrastructure Team, which identified and documented deficiencies in the city’s critical infrastructure.

He is a Co-Founder of the CSO Risk Council, a think tank of seasoned security professionals and thought leaders with extensive experience in managing the physical security and risks of large enterprises consisting of multiple sites and whose mission is to create a better process to develop and share innovative solutions and pertinent information with organizations to improve safety and security risk by providing a forum to discuss best practices and recommendations for specific risk scenarios and to network with other enterprise security professionals.