The Healey-Driscoll Administration of Massachusetts has awarded nearly $7 million in federal grants to enhance cybersecurity across local governments and state agencies. This funding comes from two programs, the FY24 Municipal Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the FY24 State Share Cybersecurity Grant Program, aimed at supporting priority cybersecurity improvements. In total, $6,820,897.57 was allocated, with $359,063.07 going to seven state agencies and $6,461,834.50 distributed among 125 local agencies and municipalities.
Governor Maura Healey emphasized the importance of these grants in providing the necessary resources and tools to protect against sophisticated cybersecurity threats. Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll echoed this sentiment, highlighting the critical nature of these investments for public agencies. The funding is intended to help prepare, prevent, and recover from digital infrastructure attacks.
The grants were funded through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, supported by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research (OGR) manages these funds, with the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Planning Committee overseeing the allocation.
A key focus of the grant programs was to support projects in rural communities, defined by FEMA as having populations under 50,000. The funds will be used for various cybersecurity enhancements, including implementing multifactor authentication, migrating to .gov domains, developing incident response plans, and conducting awareness training. The initiative reflects Massachusetts’s commitment to strengthening cybersecurity and enhancing community resilience against evolving cyber threats.
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