Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) is a state government entity responsible for coordinating emergency management, homeland security, and disaster preparedness efforts across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Registered in SAM.gov since August 2006, PEMA serves as the primary administrative agency for managing federal grant awards and distributing sub-awards to local governments, counties, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations throughout the state. The agency receives federal funding to enhance statewide capabilities in emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation across multiple disaster and security-related domains. Through its role as a state government entity, PEMA provides critical infrastructure, technical assistance, training, and financial support to strengthen Pennsylvania's overall emergency management posture and community resilience.

PEMA's federal grant portfolio demonstrates extensive engagement across multiple Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Transportation programs. The agency has received substantial funding through the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), with recent awards exceeding $23 million to enhance homeland security and emergency preparedness capabilities including prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery activities. PEMA manages significant grants under the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program, with awards totaling over $19 million to support emergency planning, training, equipment procurement, and administrative costs. The agency administers multiple specialized security and resilience programs, including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (totaling approximately $19.3 million across multiple awards) to fund physical security enhancements for at-risk religious institutions, schools, community centers, and healthcare facilities; the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (approximately $27 million in cumulative awards) to enhance cybersecurity governance and infrastructure protection; and the National Dam Safety Program (approximately $28 million in recent awards) to support rehabilitation of high-hazard potential dams. PEMA also manages flood-related grants including the Flood Mitigation Assistance program and Community Assistance Program-State Support Services Element to reduce flood risks and support floodplain management expertise. Additional federal programs administered by PEMA include the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to support fire department equipment and training, the Emergency Operations Center Grant Program to construct and renovate emergency response facilities, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program for hazard mitigation projects, and the Cooperating Technical Partners program to enhance National Flood Insurance Program effectiveness. The agency received funding from the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) under the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grant program (approximately $1.3 million) to support hazmat training and emergency response planning. PEMA distributes sub-awards to county governments including Schuylkill County, Northampton County, and Dauphin County; municipalities such as the City of Pittsburgh; borough governments including Palmer Township and Upland Borough; and nonprofit organizations including faith-based institutions and community partners to implement localized emergency management initiatives, security improvements, and disaster recovery projects.