DHS and CISA Programs Worth Knowing About

The federal resources that are free, useful, and chronically underused.

Most nonprofit leaders in Southwest Florida have heard of FEMA and may have heard of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Few are familiar with the broader ecosystem of federal resources available to organizations looking to strengthen their security posture. This gap in awareness represents meaningful missed opportunity.

Many of these programs are free. Most are accessible. All of them can contribute to a stronger security posture when combined with organizational investment. The challenge is awareness, not eligibility.

CISA: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, sits within the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission includes helping private-sector organizations, including nonprofits, reduce risk and improve resilience.

What CISA offers

• Free physical security assessments through the CISA Protective Security Advisor (PSA) program. PSAs are field-based professionals who conduct vulnerability assessments for critical infrastructure and community organizations.
• Threat briefings, both in-person and online, covering active threat patterns and protective guidance
• Training resources on active threat response, workplace violence prevention, cybersecurity, and other security topics
• Toolkits and publications covering specific sectors (houses of worship, schools, healthcare, others)
• Coordination with FBI and other federal law enforcement on specific threat information

Most CISA services are free. Eligibility is broad for nonprofits and community organizations.

Protective Security Advisors

The CISA PSA network is one of the more valuable underutilized resources. Every state has assigned PSAs, and Florida has several. A PSA assigned to Southwest Florida can conduct a free vulnerability assessment for a qualifying organization. The assessment is a substantive document, often comparable to a paid professional assessment, and carries federal credibility that can support subsequent grant applications.

Requesting a PSA assessment requires only contacting CISA through their regional office or through the PSA for your geographic area. Wait times vary, but for nonprofits without prior engagement, the process is accessible.

The Shields Ready program

CISA’s Shields Ready is a nationwide effort to help community organizations prepare for and respond to active threats. The program includes:

• Free training resources, including scenario-based materials
• Guidance on emergency planning
• Template documents for threat assessment, reporting, and response
• Coordination pathways with local, state, and federal responders

Shields Ready is accessible through the CISA website and through direct outreach to regional CISA staff.

Beyond CISA: other federal programs.

Department of Justice community-oriented policing programs

DOJ, through its Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office, funds specific programs that can benefit nonprofits, including:

• School safety initiatives
• Community violence intervention programs
• Training partnerships between law enforcement and community organizations

Active Shooter Emergency Action Plan Guide

Published by DHS, this guide provides structured template content for organizations developing emergency action plans. It is free, comprehensive, and widely used by community organizations across the country.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children resources

For organizations serving children, NCMEC provides training, safety resources, and background screening guidance. Many of these resources are free.

FEMA preparedness resources

FEMA maintains a substantial library of preparedness resources, including Ready.gov, which provides templates, planning documents, and guidance for organizations and families developing emergency plans.

FBI community outreach

FBI field offices have community outreach programs that include threat briefings, training opportunities, and direct relationships with nonprofit leadership. The Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville FBI field offices all serve parts of Florida with specific community outreach missions.

State-level resources for Florida.

Florida provides complementary state-level programs that Southwest Florida organizations should know about.

Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM)

The state’s primary emergency management agency. Administers federal grant programs like NSGP and provides Florida-specific training, planning resources, and coordination.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Provides state-level law enforcement resources, including threat assessment support, intelligence coordination, and training for community organizations.

Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Forces

Regional task forces composed of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. They provide intelligence sharing, threat briefings, and coordination for critical infrastructure and community organizations.

Local sheriff’s offices and police departments

Every Florida county sheriff’s office and city police department has some capacity for community outreach. Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties all have community-oriented policing units that will engage with nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and community groups.

How to access these resources.

For most organizations, access to these federal and state resources begins with a single outreach. The resource ecosystem is navigable, but it is not self-organizing.

Step 1: Local law enforcement outreach

Call the non-emergency line for your local sheriff’s office or police department. Ask for the community relations or crime prevention officer. Request a meeting. Use the meeting to establish the relationship and learn what federal and state connections they can facilitate.

Step 2: CISA regional outreach

Visit the CISA website and identify the Protective Security Advisor assigned to Southwest Florida. Request a vulnerability assessment or an introductory meeting. Start the engagement.

Step 3: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Register with FDEM for notifications about state and federal grant opportunities, training events, and resource updates. The FDEM website maintains current information on available programs.

Step 4: Sector-specific organizations

If your organization belongs to a specific sector (faith-based, children’s services, senior care), identify the sector-specific federal and state resources relevant to your work. Many sector organizations have their own coordination with federal resources.

Step 5: Ongoing awareness

Build the habit of checking these resources quarterly. New opportunities arise. Existing programs change. An organization that stays current captures opportunities that less aware organizations miss.

The verse celebrates the discipline of seeking counsel. For nonprofit leaders, the federal and state resource ecosystem is one of the most valuable sources of counsel available. Taking advantage of the counsel, by building the relationships that enable it, is practical wisdom.

The advisory role.

For organizations that want help navigating the resource landscape, advisory support from organizations familiar with the terrain is often worthwhile. This support can include:

• Identifying the specific programs most relevant to your organization
• Facilitating introductions to CISA, FDEM, and local law enforcement
• Assisting with application development for grant programs like NSGP
• Integrating federal and state resources into the organization's broader security planning
• Ongoing monitoring for new opportunities as the landscape evolves

P23 provides this kind of support for clients as part of our grants and compliance services. For most clients, the return on the advisory time is substantial in terms of accessed resources and avoided missed opportunities.

The Southwest Florida context.

Our region has strong access to federal and state security resources:

• CISA presence. Florida has strong CISA coverage, and the state’s specific hurricane exposure has built particular federal engagement with Florida emergency preparedness.
• Strong state emergency management. FDEM is among the more capable state emergency management organizations, partly due to the state’s active hurricane management experience.
• Active faith-based networks. Southwest Florida has established networks of faith-based organizations that coordinate on security matters, providing peer learning and shared resource access.
• Responsive local law enforcement. Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties have sheriff’s offices that actively engage with community organizations. The posture is generally welcoming.

Starting the outreach.

For nonprofit and community organization leaders in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, and Port Charlotte who have not engaged with the federal and state resource ecosystem, a simple starting sequence:

• This month: call your local sheriff's office or police department and request a meeting with their community relations officer
• This quarter: contact CISA to request engagement with the Protective Security Advisor assigned to your region
• This year: evaluate eligibility for NSGP and develop a vulnerability assessment as the foundation
• Ongoing: build the relationships that will compound into resource access over time

The organizations that do this work consistently develop security postures that substantially exceed what their individual budgets would support. The investment is primarily in relationships, not money. The compounding benefit is meaningful.

If you are ready to start building the resource map for your organization, we would be glad to be part of that conversation. Our role is to help you see the full landscape, not to monopolize access to it.