education · DHS-DHS

Alliance for System Safety of Unmanned Aircraft Systems through Research Excellence (ASSURE)

Department of Homeland Security - FEMA · DHS-26-NPD-146-00-99

Closed

Award Range

$1.9M – $1.9M

Total Program Funding

$1.9M

Expected Awards

Deadline

July 31, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

FEMA is giving $1.9M to Mississippi State University's ASSURE center (the FAA's UAS research center) to research how drones can support emergency management — damage assessment, search and rescue, flood mapping, and logistics delivery after disasters. This is a DIRECTED grant to a named institution.

Who Should Apply

Mississippi State University / ASSURE consortium only (named in the NOFO as the intended recipient).

Who Should NOT Apply

Everyone else — this is effectively a sole-source award to a named institution.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must be the FAA's ASSURE center (Mississippi State University)
•Must research UAS/drone applications for emergency management
•Single award, named recipient

💡 GrantQuick Tip

Don't apply unless you're Mississippi State / ASSURE. This is a directed cooperative agreement, not an open competition. It appears on Grants.gov because federal transparency requires posting, but the recipient is predetermined.

Competitiveness: N/A — directed award to a named institution.

What This Grant Funds

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) offer new technologies to support key mission requirements including preliminary damage assessments, debris measurements and calculations, visual evidence, confirmation analysis, establishing flood levels and damages to structures, search and rescue operations, and logistics and package delivery. As jurisdictions develop UAS programs and integrate this technology in emergency management operations, training is critical. FEMA supports the development and delivery of curriculum that leads to the competencies required for the emergency management and first responder communities to effectively use UAS before, during, and after disasters. Students, after completing UAS training, will be better prepared to effectively use UAS resources to achieve outcomes.