Federal grant programs / Department of Homeland Security

National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System (97.025)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$413 million
• Grant awards224
• Typical award$1.4 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$168 million
• Size rank414 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $48.6 million in fiscal 2021 to $168 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 414th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 81% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 20 states and territories.

What the program funds

The purpose of this Readiness Cooperative Agreement is to support the continued development and maintenance of a national urban search and rescue capability among the 28 task forces within the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. This program supports Mission Area: Response, Mass Search and Rescue Operations, with the target of conducting search and rescue operations to locate and rescue people in distress, based on the requirements of the state and local authorities. This program supports Presidential Policy Directive 8 – National Preparedness, designed to help guide the domestic efforts of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public to build and sustain the capabilities outlined in the national preparedness goal.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Applicants must be a FEMA-designated Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Sponsoring Agency.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters for application deadlines.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

F Y2023: $1,259,456 - $1,507,929

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System (the System) provides funding to ensure adequate management, training, exercise, procurement (vehicle and equipment) and storage and maintenance for the 28 national task forces staffed and equipped to assist state and local governments, tribes and territories to conduct around-the-clock search-and-rescue operations following a Presidentially declared major disaster or emergency under the Stafford Act (e.g., earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials spills and catastrophic structure collapses).Fiscal Year2026: The National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System (the System) provides funding to ensure adequate management, training, exercise, procurement (vehicle and equipment) and storage and maintenance for the 28 national task forces staffed and equipped to assist state and local governments, tribes and territories to conduct around-the-clock search-and-rescue operations following a Presidentially declared major disaster or emergency under the Stafford Act (e.g., earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials spills and catastrophic structure collapses).

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.