BRAINTREE– The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the award of nearly $7 Million in federal grant funds to local governments and state agencies to enhance cybersecurity initiatives and reduce cyber risk for public agencies statewide.
In February 2024, the administration announced that grant funds were available through two programs, the FY24 Municipal Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and FY24 State Share Cybersecurity Grant Program, to help local governments and state agencies undertake priority cybersecurity enhancements. Today, the programs awarded $6,820,897.57 in federal funding to support cybersecurity initiatives across the state. Seven state agencies received a combined $359,063.07 and 125 local agencies and municipalities received grants totaling $6,461,834.50.
“It’s vital that our communities have access to the resources, tools, and guidance necessary to protect against increasingly frequent and sophisticated cybersecurity threats. Through these programs, our administration has undertaken a collaborative approach to equip state agencies and local communities with funding to help prevent, prepare for and recover from attacks on our digital infrastructure,” said Governor Maura Healey.
“These grants allow us to invest in critical cybersecurity initiatives for public agencies. As we work to protect Massachusetts communities from security threats, we’re grateful to each of the award recipients for their ongoing efforts to ensure that their communities are prepared against threats today and in the future,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll.
Funding for both programs was secured through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, offered to states by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As the State Administrative Agency for grant funds received by Massachusetts from these federal agencies, the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) is responsible for managing and administering the grant funds. Awards were approved by the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Planning Committee, which was formed as a condition of the federal program to guide allowable use of the funds.
The program prioritized funding for projects in rural communities, which FEMA defines as any community with a population less than 50,000. At least 84 of the grants were awarded to municipalities meeting FEMA’s definition of rural. Additional grants were awarded to regional divisions of government, such as county government and regional school districts, that benefit multiple communities, including rural towns.
Allowable projects under the grant programs include implementing multifactor authentication, migration to a .gov domain, development of a written cybersecurity incident response plan, tabletop exercises, and cybersecurity awareness training.
“This grant program underscores the importance of bolstering our Commonwealth’s cybersecurity maturity,” said Secretary of Technology Services and Security Jason Snyder. “By working with and across state and municipal government, we strengthen our defenses and improve the selection of services we offer to all our constituents. In this first year of the grant program, it was important for us to listen to our partners and provide support on critical cybersecurity priorities such as supporting the implementation of incident response plans (IRPs), migrating to the dot.gov domain, and implementing multifactor authentication. We are excited to continue with our shared goal of offering more secure government services.”
“Cyber threats are evolving, and Massachusetts is advancing our strategies and defenses to meet these threats head on. These grant programs allow us the opportunity to invest in the tools necessary to safeguard our digital infrastructure and enhance the resiliency of our communities,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy.
“The security of our communities relies heavily on our cybersecurity infrastructure and practices. I’m grateful to Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll for their support in our efforts to equip Massachusetts communities with resources to enhance their security, preparedness and resilience,” said OGR Executive Director Kevin Stanton.
“We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for its commitment to strengthening cybersecurity at the local level. These investments will provide vital resources to help communities across the state ward off cyber threats,” said John Petrozzelli, director of the MassCyberCenter.
FY24 State Share Cybersecurity Grant Program Award Recipients
| Award Recipient | Award Amount |
| Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office | $26,543.50 |
| Berkshire Regional Transit Authority | $5,025.00 |
| Essex County Sheriff’s Office | $99,124.57 |
| Massachusetts College of Art and Design | $90,000.00 |
| Massachusetts Department of Correction | $100,000.00 |
| Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office | $38,370.00 |
| Office of Campaign and Political Finance | $50,000.00 |
FY24 Municipal Local Cybersecurity Grant Program Award Recipients
| Award Recipient | Communities Benefiting | Award Amount |
| Acton-Boxborough Regional School District | Acton and Boxborough | $99,716.00 |
| Blue Hills Regional Technical School District | Avon, Braintree, Canton, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton, Norwood, Randolph, and Westwood | $18,772.50 |
| Boston Public Schools | Boston | $91,000.00 |
| Boston Retirement System | Boston | $67,500.00 |
| Braintree Public Schools | Braintree | $25,000.00 |
| Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District | Bridgewater and Raynham | $11,400.00 |
| Bristol County Agricultural High School | Acushnet, Attleboro, Berkley, Taunton, Dighton, Easton, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Westport, Mansfield, New Bedford, Seekonk, Norton, Oxford, Plainville, Raynham, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea, and other communities from which students attend | $13,000.00 |
| Bristol-Plymouth Reg Tech School District | Berkley, Bridgewater, Dighton, Middleboro, Raynham, Rehoboth, and Taunton | $34,000.00 |
| Cambridge Public Schools | Cambridge | $84,700.00 |
| Cape Cod Light Compact JPE | Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich, Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster, Harwich, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, Provincetown, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah | $59,110.00 |
| City of Agawam | Agawam | $62,850.10 |
| City of Beverly | Beverly | $54,100.00 |
| City of Brockton | Brockton | $49,500.00 |
| City of Easthampton | Easthampton | $84,357.88 |
| City of Fall River | Fall River | $100,000.00 |
| City of Framingham | Framingham | $20,525.00 |
| City of Gloucester | Gloucester | $54,931.65 |
| City of Haverhill | Haverhill | $43,640.00 |
| City of Leominster | Leominster | $30,000.00 |
| City of Lowell | Lowell | $79,100.00 |
| City of Marlborough | Marlborough | $30,000.00 |
| City of Methuen | Methuen | $100,000.00 |
| City of Newburyport | Newburyport | $51,910.00 |
| City of Quincy | Quincy | $100,000.00 |
| City of Taunton | Taunton | $50,000.00 |
| City of Waltham | Waltham | $32,000.00 |
| City of Watertown | Watertown | $99,000.00 |
| City of Westfield | Westfield | $34,500.00 |
| City of Worcester | Worcester | $100,000.00 |
| County of Norfolk | Dover, Wellesley, Brookline, Needham, Cohasset, Westwood, Medfield, Sharon, Wrentham, Canton, Milton, Medway, Walpole, Norfolk, Foxborough, Dedham, Millis, Franklin, Braintree, Plainville, Norwood, Weymouth, Bellingham, Quincy, Stoughton, Avon, Holbrook, and Randolph | $60,778.00 |
| Dennis Water District | Dennis | $13,075.00 |
| East Brookfield Police Department | East Brookfield | $100,000.00 |
| Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School | Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, and other communities through certain school programs | $100,000.00 |
| Frontier Regional School District | Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, and Conway | $20,000.00 |
| Gateway Regional School District | Huntington, Russell, Blandford, Chester, Montgomery, Middlefield, and Worthington | $9,860.00 |
| Hingham Public Schools | Hingham | $28,500.00 |
| Ipswich Public Schools | Ipswich | $77,278.00 |
| Mansfield Public Schools | Mansfield | $25,500.00 |
| Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools | Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah | $99,995.00 |
| Maynard Public Schools | Maynard | $2,000.00 |
| Medford Public Schools | Medford | $50,231.00 |
| Mendon-Upton Regional School District | Mendon and Upton | $56,500.00 |
| Milton Public Schools | Milton | $54,500.00 |
| Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School | Acton, Arlington, Bolton, Concord, Dover, Lancaster, Lexington, Needham, and Stow | $94,840.00 |
| Monty Tech Regional Vocational Technical School District | Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Fitchburg, Gardner, Harvard, Holden, Hubbardston, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeston, Royalston, Sterling, Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon | $20,000.00 |
| Nashoba Regional School District | Lancaster and Stow | $24,300.00 |
| Nashoba Valley Technical School District | Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend, and Westford | $99,880.22 |
| Newton Public Schools | Newton | $12,500.00 |
| Northeast Metro Regional Vocational High School | Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop, Malden, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester, Woburn, and Saugus | $78,700.00 |
| Norwood Public Schools | Norwood | $11,250.00 |
| Oxford Public Schools | Oxford | $46,270.00 |
| Reading Municipal Light Department | Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield | $35,000.00 |
| Southbridge Police Department | Southbridge | $89,162.40 |
| Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District | Southwick, Tolland, and Granville | $95,175.00 |
| Town of Andover | Andover | $92,000.00 |
| Town of Arlington | Arlington | $98,729.76 |
| Town of Barnstable | Barnstable | $70,975.00 |
| Town of Belmont | Belmont | $77,625.00 |
| Town of Berkley | Berkley | $22,905.00 |
| Town of Blandford | Blandford | $49,600.00 |
| Town of Boxford | Boxford | $11,725.00 |
| Town of Boylston | Boylston | $13,075.00 |
| Town of Brookline | Brookline | $75,498.00 |
| Town of Burlington | Burlington | $17,000.00 |
| Town of Canton | Canton | $61,600.00 |
| Town of Charlemont | Charlemont | $45,000.00 |
| Town of Chatham | Chatham | $67,453.00 |
| Town of Cheshire | Cheshire | $13,224.00 |
| Town of Cohasset | Cohasset | $67,500.00 |
| Town of Concord | Concord | $9,500.00 |
| Town of Dartmouth | Dartmouth | $20,900.00 |
| Town of Dedham | Dedham | $90,000.00 |
| Town of Dighton | Dighton | $35,945.00 |
| Town of Douglas | Douglas | $11,250.00 |
| Town of Dracut | Dracut | $10,000.00 |
| Town of Dudley | Dudley | $23,300.00 |
| Town of East Bridgewater | East Bridgewater | $32,500.00 |
| Town of Easton | Easton | $50,000.00 |
| Town of Foxborough | Foxborough | $31,125.00 |
| Town of Hardwick | Hardwick | $17,000.00 |
| Town of Holliston | Holliston | $42,145.00 |
| Town of Lincoln | Lincoln | $85,931.00 |
| Town of Longmeadow | Longmeadow | $100,000.00 |
| Towns of Marblehead, Middleton and Manchester-by-the-Sea (joint application) | Marblehead, Middleton, and Manchester-by-the-Sea | $133,800.00 |
| Town of Marshfield | Marshfield | $98,164.00 |
| Town of Mattapoisett | Mattapoisett | $29,741.00 |
| Town of Medway | Medway | $63,200.00 |
| Town of Merrimac | Merrimac | $24,933.46 |
| Town of Middleborough | Middleborough | $80,050.00 |
| Town of Monterey | Monterey | $45,425.00 |
| Town of New Braintree | New Braintree | $10,592.00 |
| Town of Norfolk | Norfolk | $94,650.00 |
| Town of North Andover | North Andover | $43,600.00 |
| Town of North Attleborough | North Attleborough | $31,194.94 |
| Town of North Reading | North Reading | $54,680.00 |
| Town of Northborough | Northborough | $23,500.00 |
| Town of Oak Bluffs | Oak Bluffs | $49,706.91 |
| Town of Orleans | Orleans | $68,700.00 |
| Town of Plymouth | Plymouth | $37,444.00 |
| Town of Provincetown | Provincetown | $40,000.00 |
| Town of Reading | Reading | $38,370.00 |
| Town of Rockland | Rockland | $21,620.00 |
| Town of Rockport | Rockport | $9,543.40 |
| Town of Rowley | Rowley | $20,933.46 |
| Town of Salisbury | Salisbury | $4,113.98 |
| Town of Stoughton | Stoughton | $100,000.00 |
| Town of Sturbridge | Sturbridge | $55,000.00 |
| Town of Tewksbury | Tewksbury | $83,760.00 |
| Town of Tyngsborough | Tyngsborough | $99,000.00 |
| Town of Wakefield | Wakefield | $84,066.90 |
| Town of Ware | Ware | $6,545.00 |
| Town of Wareham | Wareham | $63,723.74 |
| Town of Webster | Webster | $71,530.00 |
| Town of Wellesley | Wellesley | $23,373.00 |
| Town of Westborough | Westborough | $40,500.00 |
| Town of Westford | Westford | $75,000.00 |
| Town of Westport | Westport | $35,760.00 |
| Town of Westwood | Westwood | $80,050.00 |
| Town of Weymouth | Weymouth | $100,000.00 |
| Town of Whitman | Whitman | $80,050.00 |
| Town of Yarmouth | Yarmouth | $32,500.00 |
| Tri-Town School Union | Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield | $47,000.00 |
| Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School | Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich, Wareham, and Marion | $30,600.00 |
