Territory Public Safety Grant Guide
U.S. Virgin Islands Public Safety Grants
Territory and federal funding pathways, drone procurement rules, cybersecurity considerations, and verified grant contacts for public safety agencies across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
U.S. Virgin Islands agencies have territory-administered, direct federal, and federal pass-through funding routes for criminal justice, emergency preparedness, cameras, school security, cyber resilience, and traffic safety. Each route has its own applicant, equipment, and procurement rules.
The territory's island geography makes port, maritime, disaster, and interagency response missions especially relevant. A plausible mission is not itself a grant approval. Read the particular notice and award terms before specifying a drone or connected surveillance system. For the national framework, see MAXSUR's NDAA, TAA, FCC & Blue UAS guide.
Reviewed September 28, 2026: The older page mixed projected dates with allocations labeled as awards. The examples below identify allocations as such, and closed application windows are marked closed. Confirm new solicitations, current FCC exemptions, and the actual award terms before purchase.
Territory Procurement & Federal Rules
What USVI Public Safety Buyers Should Know About Drones and Connected Cameras
The territory's procurement system, federal grant conditions, FCC equipment authorization, and federal partner requirements answer different questions. Evaluate each one for the particular product and funding source.
DPP and GVIBUY
Executive branch purchases follow the Virgin Islands DPP procurement manual and GVIBUY process. Confirm approved funding and the purchasing method.
ASDA / Award Terms
Since December 22, 2025, federal award funds cannot procure or support operation of a FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to statutory exceptions and waivers.
FCC Covered List
New equipment authorization for covered foreign-produced UAS and critical components is restricted, subject to current exemptions. Previously authorized models are not automatically grounded.
Systems and Data
Review cloud services, control links, video storage, credentials, updates, data export, and access when systems touch government or federal partner networks.
Territory Funds Still Follow Territory Procurement Rules
The DPP procurement manual, revision 3 effective June 2, 2026, governs executive branch acquisition planning, solicitations, approvals, and funding documentation. GVIBUY is the official procurement and contract system. An agency should obtain its procurement and IT security review before treating a locally funded drone or camera as available for purchase.
The attached notes described an absence of a territorial manufacturer ban as a “loophole.” A narrower, more useful statement is that no general territory-wide country-of-origin UAS purchasing prohibition was identified in the sources reviewed. A specific agency policy or federally supported project may still impose tighter terms.
Federal Funding: ASDA and BJA UAS Approval
OMB M-26-02, Appendix D, implements the American Security Drone Act restriction on using federal award funds to procure or in connection with operating a FASC-prohibited UAS. It is not correctly summarized as a blanket rule against every foreign-made drone. The actual status and any exception or waiver matter.
For a BJA-funded project, BJA requires express prior approval for a UAS purchase and a written certification concerning the Blue UAS Cleared List, plus privacy, civil liberties, and cybersecurity assurances. A program's equipment category does not replace that approval. NDAA §889 covered telecommunications and video-surveillance terms must be checked separately where they attach to the federal award or contract.
FCC Authorization Is a Different Test
The FCC Covered List added foreign-produced UAS and critical components on December 22, 2025. The change limits new FCC equipment authorizations for covered devices; it does not itself revoke prior authorizations, make all existing drones unlawful to fly, or amount to a categorical import ban. The FCC has since listed temporary or conditional exemptions, including specified Blue UAS and domestic-end-product categories. Check the live list and the particular model's authorization and exemption status.
For telecom and video systems, FCC Covered List status and §889 covered equipment/service clauses are related but distinct checks. Trade Agreements Act origin rules apply to covered federal procurements when invoked; they are not a universal local USVI purchase rule.
Maritime and Federal Partner Operations
USVI agencies may coordinate with the Coast Guard, CBP, FEMA, and other federal partners in port security, border, disaster, or search missions. Such coordination warrants early agreement on radio spectrum, airspace, cyber controls, data handling, and evidence sharing. It does not automatically make every locally owned aircraft federally purchased or categorically ban federal partners from receiving all data generated by a foreign-made drone.
Document the project funding source and applicable operating, network, and information-sharing rules before deployment. FAA pilot and airspace rules and any site-specific restrictions apply independently of grant eligibility.
Verified Funding Pathways
U.S. Virgin Islands Grant Opportunities
Use the official notice to confirm applicant eligibility, available costs, current status, required match, and territory subapplication process. Programs listed for monitoring are planning references, not open application promises.
| Program / official source | Applicant and administrator | Relevant fit / limitation | Status as of Sep. 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USVI LEPC Byrne JAG, FY2026 | LEPC territorial formula application; local projects via LEPC process | Criminal justice and technology improvements. LEPC posted its FY2026 application for public review; that notice is not a new subgrant solicitation. UAS costs require applicable BJA review and approval. | Public review posted Sep. 15, 2026; contact LEPC for subgrant rounds |
| BJA JAG State/Territory Formula, FY2026 | Territory administering agency · DOJ/BJA | Underlying federal formula award; the Virgin Islands allocation is $724,135, not an award record or a direct local application amount. | Federal application closed Sep. 25, 2026 |
| BJA Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation, FY2026 | Eligible publicly funded law enforcement and correctional agencies · DOJ/BJA | Body cameras and comprehensive policies, implementation and storage; check the NOFO's applicant and match rules. | Grants.gov stage closed Sep. 25; JustGrants due Oct. 2 only for applicants that completed stage one |
| VITEMA Nonprofit Security Grant, FY2026 | Eligible nonprofits at elevated terrorism risk · VITEMA / FEMA | Facility target hardening and physical/cyber security; nonprofit applicants, not general police equipment. | Territory deadline closed Sep. 18, 2026 |
| State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) | VITEMA as territorial administering agency · FEMA | Risk-based terrorism prevention and preparedness, communications and approved equipment. A drone requires grant-specific UAS and federal supply-chain review. | Coordinate territory project intake with VITEMA; no open local deadline verified |
| State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) | Territorial government and eligible subrecipients through VITEMA · FEMA/CISA | Governance, assessment, cyber mitigation and workforce capabilities for government information systems; not a general camera or drone fund. | Monitor VITEMA; FEMA's published program page lists FY2025 as latest NOFO |
| Counter-UAS Grant Program, FY2027 planning | Territory administering agency / eligible partners · FEMA | Detection, identification, tracking and monitoring of unlawful UAS, subject to authorization and NOFO terms; not a general drone fleet or jamming authority. | Monitor FY2027 territory eligibility and application notice |
| COPS School Violence Prevention, FY2026 | Eligible public agencies and schools · DOJ COPS Office | Evidence-based school security, coordination, and approved technology; check the NOFO cost list. | Closed Aug. 11, 2026; monitor next cycle |
| LEPC VOCA, VAWA, RSAT and other territorial rounds | Program-specific eligible applicants · LEPC / DOJ | Victim services, coordinated response or treatment initiatives. Equipment must directly serve the specific program and notice; not general surveillance acquisition. | Check LEPC current notices; prior FY2024 VOCA/VAWA and FY2021 RSAT rounds are historical |
| Virgin Islands Highway Safety Program | Approved traffic safety projects · VIOHS / NHTSA | Traffic enforcement, records, crash data and specific highway safety priorities; verify application route and equipment allowability with VIOHS. | Monitor VIOHS; no current open subgrant date verified |
Applicant route: The open FY2026 BJA direct-local JAG notice should not be treated as a general USVI opportunity without a jurisdiction-specific direct allocation. LEPC's territory formula award and any later subgrant process are separate.
Published Funding Context
Verified Virgin Islands Formula Allocations
These figures are agency allocations, not confirmed project awards or drone purchase approvals.
| Program | Allocation | Source and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 Byrne JAG territory formula | $724,135 | BJA state/territory allocation schedule; variable pass-through rules in that schedule are not applicable to territories. |
| FY2024 State Homeland Security Program | $997,200 | FEMA FY2024 allocation bulletin; historical territory allocation, not a current application amount. |
| FY2024 SLCGP, updated | $781,511 | FEMA updated FY2024 schedule; replaces the earlier $780,956 figure in the old page. |
Common Questions
USVI Drone and Grant Compliance Questions
Is every foreign-made drone prohibited for a locally funded USVI agency?
No general territory-wide manufacturer blacklist was identified in the sources reviewed. The agency must still check DPP procurement, its own cybersecurity rules, FCC authorization, and any federal award or operational conditions.
Does ASDA prohibit every DJI or Autel flight in the territory?
No. The federal award restriction applies to federal funds used to procure or in connection with operating a FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to exceptions and waivers. Determine the aircraft's status and funding source.
Did the FCC ground already authorized drones?
No. The December 2025 Covered List change concerns new equipment authorizations for covered products, with subsequent exemptions. Check a model's existing FCC authorization and current list status.
Can a BJA grant buy a Blue UAS drone automatically?
No. BJA requires express prior approval, certification, and privacy and cybersecurity assurances when UAS costs are otherwise allowable. Blue UAS status alone is insufficient.
Is LEPC's September 2026 JAG notice an open equipment application?
No. It announces public review of LEPC's FY2026 territorial application. Ask LEPC about any separate subgrant opportunity and its allowed expenses.
Can counter-UAS funding authorize jamming or disabling drones?
Funding alone does not confer operational authority. FEMA's program focuses on detection, identification, tracking and monitoring; proposed capabilities must comply with federal law and the specific award.
MAXSUR Solution Pathways
Connect USVI Funding to Field Capability
Match the equipment to an eligible mission, approved budget, cyber architecture, and procurement route before purchase.
Procurement Pathway
Plan Procurement Before the Award Deadline
MAXSUR can help align product specifications and documentation with the mission and funding source. Confirm whether a cooperative purchasing route is permitted for the USVI purchaser and the particular award; executive branch GVI purchases follow applicable DPP and GVIBUY procedures.
A cooperative contract does not establish grant allowability or override territory procurement, FCC authorization, ASDA, or agency security requirements.