Cybersecurity Education and Training

Section 2220 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (codified as amended at 6 U.S.C. § 665f0) establishes the CETAP within CISA. The statutory purpose of CETAP is to support CISA’s efforts in building and strengthening a national cybersecurity workforce pipeline capacity through enabling elementary and secondary cybersecurity education. This includes providing foundational cybersecurity awareness and literacy, encouraging cybersecurity career exploration, and supporting the teaching of cybersecurity skills at the elementary and secondary education levels. To fund such cybersecurity and infrastructure security education and training programs and initiatives, Section 2220 authorizes CISA to provide financial assistance to eligible federal entities to carry out the statutory CETAP purposes and enhance CETAP to address the national shortfall of cybersecurity professionals.

CISA awards financial assistance under the CETAP through cooperative agreements with non-profit organizations to develop cybersecurity curriculum and professional development opportunities for K-12 students, educators, administrators, and student caregivers and conduct outreach to increase cybersecurity awareness within that K-12 community. The objectives of CETAP financial assistance are to: (1) create cyber training pathways for K-12 students and educators by providing an adaptable cybersecurity curricular model; (2) promote awareness of national cybersecurity education opportunities; (3) develop partnerships and increase stakeholder engagement to maximize outreach efforts and the impact of cybersecurity education across the K-12 community; and (4) increase awareness of all CETAP tools and resources.

Nonprofit organizations, other than institutions of higher education

Nonprofit organizations are eligible applicants under the CETAP. A “nonprofit organization” means any organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; (3) uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the organization’s operations; and (4) is not an institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. § 1001. A nonprofit organization may or may not have an effective ruling letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service granting tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

K-12 students, their caregivers, K-12 educators, K-12 administrators, school districts, public and non-profit elementary and secondary schools, and non-profit organizations
The individuals and organizations that are intended to experience the benefits of the CETAP cooperative agreement awards include K-12 students, their caregivers, K-12 educators, K-12 administrators, school districts, and nonprofit organizations (such as an after-school program) that create, maintain, and/or support cybersecurity curriculum development and K-12 classroom implementation. There are some elements of the scope of work under a cooperative agreement award that will benefit these individuals and organizations in all states and territories (such as cybersecurity curriculum) and other elements that will benefit individuals and/or organizations in a specific geographical area (such as partnering with a specific school to assist with the inclusion of cybersecurity education in that school’s curriculum)

CISA/DHS communicates the Notices of Award to recipients for which CISA/DHS has made a cooperative agreement award. Payments to a recipient under the cooperative agreement award are made via an electronic system as detailed above in the Length and Time Phasing of Assistance section. A recipient may not contract out or subaward any work under the federal award unless described in the application and funded in the approved cooperative agreement award or approved by CISA after the cooperative agreement award. There is no negotiation of any terms and conditions or any other parts of the cooperative agreement award communicated to the recipient in the Notice of Award.

The range of time required for CISA to process applications for a federal award is approximately 30-60 days. CISA will communicate all Notices of Awards on or before September 30.