2026-Cyber-01 Notice of Funding Opportunity for Cyber Resilient Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, through its Mass Cyber Center, is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO 2026-Cyber-01) for the Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program to provide grant funding for Security Operations Center (SOC) services, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and related cybersecurity capabilities. Eligible applicants include Massachusetts municipalities, small businesses meeting U.S. Small Business Administration size standards, non-profits, and regional entities with municipalities as end-beneficiaries, with joint applications between municipal entities and regional school districts encouraged. The grants fund comprehensive cybersecurity services including 24/7 endpoint monitoring, active threat hunting, network discovery, vulnerability management, Extended Detection and Response, and Application Control and Zero Trust capabilities utilizing specified technology stacks provided by CyberTrust Massachusetts. All applicants must obtain a scope of work from CyberTrust Massachusetts prior to submission and include it with their application; services are funded for up to three years with a maximum grant award of $25,000 per recipient. Selection will be evaluated based on alignment with SOC service objectives, leverage of non-MassTech funding sources, and lack of debarment status by state or federal government. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no specified deadline until program funds are expended, and grants may only fund expenses incurred after application submission. Municipalities will receive forward-funded grants, while small businesses and non-profits will be funded on a reimbursement basis with reimbursement restrictions on markups, word processing costs, and meals.

The program prioritizes applications from Massachusetts-based small businesses and non-profits operating in designated sectors including Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, BlueTech, ClimateTech, Defense & Aerospace, FinTech, Health Care, Manufacturing, Microelectronics, Quantum, and Robotics. CyberTrust Massachusetts serves as the incumbent vendor for delivering all SOC and MDR services funded through this program. For small business and non-profit applicants, reimbursement policies include allowances for up to 5 percent annual increases in direct labor rates, up to 20 percent variance for consultant services when estimates were used, and up to 10 percent variance between approved budget categories, with variances exceeding these thresholds requiring prior written approval and potential contract amendment. Travel costs are reimbursed at the Internal Revenue Service rate per mile, and all submitted materials become property of Mass Tech Collaborative and are subject to Massachusetts Public Records Law, with cybersecurity vulnerability assessments presumptively treated as confidential documents. Grant awards of up to $25,000 per recipient are available to support SOC service expenses, with total program funding distributed until all available funds are expended through the rolling application process.