This is the second blog in a new series exploring transportation-related grant opportunities. This post highlights the federally funded Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP). Below, we discuss key elements of the program while highlighting the services Hagerty provides to help ports advance their TSGP objectives. Although the 2025 applications are closed, the TSGP is a recurring grant and will open again in the future.
Why Transit Security Matters
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently published a report indicating that public transit usage in the United States (US) is on the rise. From 2023 to 2024, public transit agencies saw an increase in trips of 17.3 percent, providing over 6.9 billion trips during 2024. One of the key reasons for this increase is federal investments in transit infrastructure, which has helped replace aging equipment and systems.
Over the next decade, public transit usage is expected to grow exponentially as a result of domestically hosted sporting events (e.g., the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the 2031 Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups, and the 2034 Winter Olympics). Because of this high-profile demand, it is critical to ensure that the transit industry is resilient and capable of supporting both national and international customers while maintaining high standards of safety.
Transit Security Grant Program Overview
Federally funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the TSGP targets strengthening the nation’s transportation infrastructure through fortifying its security posture. In doing so, the grant encourages enhanced measures to protect the traveling public from terrorist threats in addition to increasing the resilience of transportation infrastructure itself.
The grant program funds and encourages awarded transportation industries to enhance their resilient capabilities through the following objectives:
- Build and sustain capabilities consistent with the National Preparedness Goal and DHS’s annual National Priority Areas.
- Address and close gaps identified in transit agency vulnerability assessments.
- Continuously engage in a cycle of planning, exercising, and training on industry plans to validate capabilities, identify gaps, and inform investments.
Program Eligibility
Eligible applicants for future TSGP cycles consist of transit authorities (i.e., passenger rail, intra-city bus, and ferry systems) that are owned by county, city, or township governments. Those seeking to apply for TSGP must be able to demonstrate that they adopt and maintain adopt and maintain the National Incident Management System (NIMS) structure in their operations. Additionally the TSGP may be limited in receiving funds from other grants, such as the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP), in order to avoid overlap in funding for the same targeted projects.
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Eligible agencies are also determined based on:
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Funding History
TSGP funding allocations from FEMA and DHS have been relatively stable over the past few years, ranging from $88 million to $93 million. In the past two Fiscal Years (FYs), TSGP funding decreased slightly, totaling $83.7 million for each year. Interested applicants can apply to the program in future years through FEMA’s Grant Outcomes (GO) Portal.
How Hagerty Supports Transit Services
Hagerty’s transit support services naturally align with the TSGP funding priorities, inclusive of planning, operational activities, equipment and capital projects, training and awareness campaigns, and exercises. This alignment underscores Hagerty’s deep understanding of the transit industry’s needs and operational challenges.
Hagerty also possesses strong capabilities associated with homeland security through our Security and Threat Management Sector in which Hagerty experts support our clients in assessing, planning, training, and exercising their plans and skills as they relate to mitigating acts of terrorism.
Below are the types of transit clients Hagerty has assisted, as well as the associated services that were provided to them. In particular, Hagerty has assisted our transit clients through initiatives such as:
Mass Transit/Railway
Hagerty has provided support to large rail systems and mass transportation authorities. Through our work with these partners, Hagerty:
- Designs training and exercise opportunities, including security threats, terrorism, firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical-focused scenarios.
- Develops Continuity of Operations (COOP) programs to support continued transit operations.
- Aids railway industries in obtaining Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) accreditation and reaccreditation.
Maritime Ports
Hagerty has partnered with port authorities to enhance preparedness and response capabilities through comprehensive planning, training, and exercise programs. Examples of our support to maritime ports include:
- Designing and conducting discussion-based and operations-based exercises, addressing topics such as alert and warning, emergency coordination, recovery, and resilience.
- Developing and executing multi-year training and exercise plans and programs, inclusive of active threat and Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) scenarios.
- Developing hazard-specific annexes, as a part of emergency operations, response, and restoration planning activities.
Roadway
Hagerty has delivered a range of impactful projects supporting transit and roadway agencies across the country. Our experience spans planning, research, and operational analysis to enhance emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Key efforts include:
- Facilitating COOP planning for state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMVs).
- Evaluating capabilities and gaps in response to hazardous material incidents.
- Post-disaster resource planning, including research initiatives focused on the use of buses as mobile generators during extended power outages.
Hagerty Can Help
Whether administering newly awarded funds or preparing for future grant opportunities, Hagerty helps clients position themselves for success. Over the past 23 years, our team has supported communities and organizations in securing, managing, and administering roughly $95 billion in federal funds, including $69 billion in FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funds. We work closely with clients to align priorities with the right grant opportunities and leverage funding for measurable, lasting results.
With Hagerty’s strategic guidance and hands-on support, our clients can translate funding into stronger security, improved operational resilience, and long-term readiness for future threats.