The Department of Energy will establish the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program to provide grants and technical assistance to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats.
The objectives of the program are:
- to deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies for electric utility systems
- to increase the participation of eligible entities in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs
ACT 1 Prize 2023
The Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity (RMUC) Program invites electric cooperative, municipal, and small investor-owned utilities to apply for competitive funding and technical assistance through the ACT 1 Prize Competition. The ACT 1 Prize, announced August 30, 2023, is the first in a series of Prizes that will be offered under the RMUC Program.
The ACT 1 Prize offers a total prize pool of up to $8.96 million in cash and technical assistance across three increasingly competitive phases—Commitment, Planning, and Implementation—where each phase concludes with a prize award. This three-phase competition will challenge eligible utilities to identify risks and implement solutions to harden their systems against threats and improve heir overall cybersecurity posture.
ACT 1 Prize – Phase 1 - Commitment Phase Competitors will have an opportunity to prepare submission packages that describe their resources, need for improving their utility's cybersecurity posture, and their commitment to participating in the ACT 1 Prize. Winning utilities in the Commitment Phase will receive cash prizes and technical assistance based on their commitment to improving their utility's cybersecurity posture through investments in cybersecurity technologies, staff training, and improvements to governance processes.
Phase 2 – Planning Phase
Utilities will work with technical assistance providers to complete system assessments, identify areas for training, understand potential risks and solutions, and draft a roadmap for implementation. Winning utilities will receive cash prizes and technical assistance based on the work completed during the Planning Phase.
Phase 3 – Implementation Phase
Utilities will work with technical assistance providers to make progress implementing their cybersecurity roadmap. Winning utilities will receive cash prizes based on the work completed during the Implementation Phase.
None is available.