Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) | DHS 16 GPD 057 00 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 16 GPD 057 00 01

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) was a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through FEMA, focused specifically on improving security for the intercity bus sector as part of broader national transportation infrastructure protection efforts. The program was designed as one of DHS's FY 2016 grant programs aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of critical infrastructure, particularly in the context of deterring, preventing, and mitigating risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. In practical terms, IBSGP functioned as a targeted funding tool to help bus operators make tangible, on-the-ground security improvements in areas considered to be at highest risk.

The core purpose of the program was to provide funding support for "critical infrastructure hardening" and other physical security enhancements. Infrastructure hardening generally refers to measures that make assets more resistant to attack or disruption, such as improved access control, surveillance, protective barriers, lighting upgrades, communications improvements, and other security-related modifications. The opportunity emphasized support for operators serving the Nation's highest-risk metropolitan areas, reflecting a risk-based approach in which limited resources are prioritized where threat, vulnerability, and potential consequences are greatest. By focusing on physical security enhancements and protective measures, the program sought to reduce vulnerabilities at facilities and operations that could be attractive targets due to high passenger volumes, open access environments, and the essential role that intercity transportation plays in regional and national mobility.

IBSGP also explicitly aligned with the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) mission area of strengthening national preparedness and resilience. That alignment signaled that the program was not only about preventing incidents, but also about ensuring that transportation operators can withstand disruptions, respond effectively, and recover more quickly if an incident occurs. In the grant context, this framing typically supports investments that improve situational awareness, protective posture, and continuity of operations, especially for systems that serve large metropolitan populations and connect communities across regions.

Eligibility was directed to owners and operators of fixed route intercity and charter buses, meaning the program was aimed at the private or non-federal entities responsible for operating these services rather than general-purpose government applicants. The listing categorized eligible applicants as "Others," and interested applicants were instructed to rely on the official Notice of Funding Opportunity for the precise eligibility rules, required documentation, and any specific risk-area or operational criteria that governed participation.

Administratively, the opportunity was issued under Funding Opportunity Number DHS 16 GPD 057 00 01 and carried CFDA number 97.057. It was offered as a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) within a discretionary opportunity category. The opportunity was created on February 16, 2016, and the original application closing date was April 25, 2016. The source information indicates an expectation of around 100 awards, while the listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which commonly suggests that the ceiling was either not specified in the summary record or was intended to be defined within the full Notice of Funding Opportunity rather than in the top-line metadata.

Overall, the FY 2016 IBSGP can be understood as a DHS/FEMA funding mechanism aimed at helping intercity and charter bus operators reduce security vulnerabilities through physical and operational enhancements, with particular attention to high-risk metropolitan environments. Its role within DHS's broader portfolio was to bolster transportation infrastructure security and contribute to national preparedness and resilience objectives by enabling bus-sector entities to implement practical security upgrades that would be difficult to fund through routine operating budgets alone.

• The Department of Homeland Security - FEMA in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.057.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-02-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-04-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 100 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DHS 16 GPD 057 00 01

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: