Notice of Funding Opportunity for Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program

NOFO No. 2025-Cyber-01

This solicitation is an update to NOFO No. 2024-Cyber-01

The Mass Cyber Center, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program (NOFO No.2025-Cyber-01) to solicit responses from municipalities, small businesses, and non-profits interested in receiving grants to fund Managed Detection and Response (”MDR”) services and/or narrowly focused cybersecurity technology upgrades identified through a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment. Grants will position municipalities, small businesses, and non-profits to remediate cybersecurity vulnerabilities and defend against cybersecurity threats. 

The MassCyberCenter has modified the Cyber Resilient Massachusetts Grant Program released on May 7, 2024 to enable municipalities, small businesses, and non-profits to receive funding for MDR.  Municipalities, small businesses, and non-profits in Massachusetts are now eligible to receive a grant of up to $25,000 to fund MDR services from CyberTrust Massachusetts for up to three years.  

The CyberTrust Massachusetts Security Operations Center provides MDR with the support of SentinelOne. This service positions organizations to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats and includes the following:

• Managed 24x7 endpoint detection and response
• Network Discovery
• Vulnerability Assessment
• Active Directory and Entra Hygiene
• Active Directory Identity Protection
• Software and Asset Inventory

CyberTrust Massachusetts is a non-profit organization working closely with the MassCyberCenter and receiving grant funding to manage the operation of its SOC and support Cyber Ranges located at colleges and universities across the Commonwealth.  Municipalities may contract directly with CyberTrust Massachusetts for MDR and related cybersecurity services without a public procurement process (See 2023 Mass. Chapter 77, Section 195).

Application Requirements

Applicants must first receive a scope of work from CyberTrust Massachusetts for MDR services before applying to this solicitation. Respondents must include this scope of work as part of their application per section 3.1 of the NOFO.

To develop a scope of work for MDR services, interested municipal respondents should contact muni@cybertrustmass.org; interested small business and non-profit respondents should contact smb@cybertrustmass.org.

Applicant Eligibility

Municipalities entities in Massachusetts may request funding for MDR and/or narrowly focused technology upgrades. Joint applications between municipal entities (i.e. local governments and school districts) are encouraged. Regional school districts may apply separately from local governments. Additionally, regional entities, including those that are non-profits, are eligible to apply if municipalities are the end-beneficiary of funds. 

Small businesses and non-profits may only request funding for MDR. Eligible small businesses are those that meet the U.S. Small Business Administration definition of a small business (see Table of Small Business Size Standards). 

MassCyberCenter will prioritize applications from Massachusetts-based small businesses and non-profits that represent the following sectors: 

• Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
• BlueTech
• ClimateTech
• Defense & Aerospace
• FinTech
• Entrepreneurial-support Organizations
• Health Care and Digital Health
• Manufacturing
• Microelectronics
• Robotics
• Quantum

Grants to municipalities will be forward funded. Grants to small businesses and non-profits will be funded on a reimbursement basis. 

Full details included in the NOFO linked below.

Download Application Documents:

• Download NOFO No. 2025-Cyber-01 (PDF)
• Download Attachment A (PDF)
• Download Attachment B - Budget Template Municipalities (EXCEL)
• Download Attachment B - Budget Template Small Businesses and Non-Profits (EXCEL)
• Download Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Apply Here