Federal grant programs / Department of Homeland Security

Next Generation Warning System Grant Program (97.138)

Also known as Fiscal Year 2025 Next Generation Warning System Grant Program

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$176 million
• Grant awards16
• Typical award$2.9 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$39.9 million
• Size rank640 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceGrant, cooperative agreement

Key findings

• It is the 640th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 14 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 11 states and territories.

What the program funds

Goal: The goal of this grant is to enhance alert and warning capabilities and improve resiliency of emergency alert and warning systems through effective services, solutions, and technology to improve the timely delivery of public safety information. The grant will explore and embrace currently available and emerging technology with audio and visual capabilities across all platforms to enable interactive and actionable emergency communications to the public. Objectives: In coordination with the FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Division, the grant recipients will pursue the following objectives: 1) integrate effective, reliable, available, and timely alert and warning capabilities to enhance public emergency communications; 2) test and deploy proven common-sense tools, pathways, and technologies that support advanced visual and audio alerts; and 3) coordinate and execute whole-community public warning field training, testing, exercise, and evaluation in collaboration with IPAWS, federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector partners, including broadcasters and wireless carriers, to support the development of alert and warning governance, policies, plans, and procedures while improving cross jurisdictional coordination before, during, and after incidents.

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

The public may be third-party beneficiaries of the program if subapplicants purchase and distribute consumer devices that can receive emergency alerts (e.g., radios and other devices). The subrecipient assesses the needs of their communities and submits an application stating how the devices would benefit their communities. This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any beneficiary.

What the money can and cannot pay for

The public may be third-party beneficiaries of the program if sub applicants purchase and distribute consumer devices that can receive emergency alerts (e.g., radios and other devices). The subrecipient assesses the needs of their communities and submits an application stating how the devices would benefit their communities. This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any beneficiary.

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

The closing date for applications was August 15, 2025

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Smallest $40m Largest $56m Average $48m Note: These values reflect the grant awards to the single recipient, CPB, which received the entire award in FY22 and is expected to receive the entire award in FY23.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Previous funding supported investments that improved resiliency and continuity of broadcast operations, and security of public broadcasting networks and systems. Projects included replacing aging infrastructure, purchasing advanced technology and resilience equipment, providing training, and acquiring consumer receivers using NGWS integrated with IPAWS, while also upgrading to the Advanced Television Systems Committee broadcast standard (ATSC 3.0) or digital radio to reach more device types, incorporate multimedia in alert and warning messaging, and make alerts more accessible.Fiscal Year2026: Funding may support installation of IPAWS?compatible sirens and giant?voice systems; coordination to enhance signals and availability for weather radios; integration and deployment of emergency alert datacasting technology; deployment of systems that deliver advanced visual and audio alerts to digital billboards, signage, and kiosks; integration of alerts into internet?connected devices; integration of satellite?based alert and warning technologies and automated message origination and distribution; development of alert and warning field testing, training, and exercise programs; and deployment of capabilities to extend alert and warning coverage to rural and other areas with limited communications access.

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

Businesses received 77% of the money, state and local governments 17% and tribes 5.6%.

By state

8 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

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