June 11, 2025

The Breach Before the Budget

It’s no longer “if.” It’s “how bad” and “how fast.” Ransomware and other cybersecurity threats don’t wait for legislative sessions or RFP cycles, and neither should your funding strategy. Fortunately, federal and private cybersecurity grants can cover real security needs if you align to the right frameworks.

Federal and Private Cyber Grants: The Basics

Let’s unravel the grant alphabet soup. If you’re part of a local government, K–12 district, or Tribal nation, odds are there’s free money on the table, you just have to match the right program to your situation.

Start with SLCGP, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. Your state holds the purse strings, but K-12, counties, and cities are all eligible. Tribal governments? You’ve got your own stream of money to tap in to, TCGP (Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program) and hardship waivers can often cover your match entirely.

K-12 schools and libraries can also access the FCC Cybersecurity Pilot, a $200M fund running through 2026, no match required. Just mind the deadlines: the application window is tight (March to September).

Finally, major players like AWS and Microsoft offer their own credits and training funds. Competitive? Yes. Worth the effort? Also yes—especially when you’re trying to fund cloud-based tools without blowing your budget.

What They Actually Pay For (and What They Don’t)

Let’s be real: what can you actually buy with these grants?

If it plugs directly into the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, or whatever version exists in your state, you’re probably good to go. That means it covers people (like vCISO hours, SOC analysts, or overtime for incident response), technology (firewalls, SIEM, MFA, endpoint protection), and governance (risk assessments, tabletop drills, policy updates). Even training programs and outreach efforts for students or Tribal communities are included in this program.

“Add just one of those controls—picture rolling out MFA across every privileged account—and you’ve instantly lopped off a huge slice of your attack surface.” Says ACP’s Rod Kahl. “Phishing kits that rely on stolen passwords, credential stuffing bots, and brute force sprays now slam into an extra wall of verification. In most security posture assessments, that single change can boost your score by double digits because identity assurance is weighted so heavily.”

Indeed, Rod is a proponent of starting small but doing something when it comes to cybersecurity. He goes on to say, “One focused investment, one clear policy shift, and attackers suddenly have far fewer doors to jiggle.”

But don’t wander too far down the realm of gear or other initiatives. Tools with unclear use cases, ill-conceived or vague “awareness campaigns,” or poorly scoped AI projects tend to get flagged and can lead to a funding denial. Reviewers want to see clearly mapped outcomes with real-world ROI not “cool tech” for its own sake.

The 7-Step Funding Fast-Track 

1. Assess Your Posture: Use breach stats and risk gaps to open your case.
2. Choose the Grant Fit: Align timelines and eligibility (e.g., SLCGP NOFO = ~Sept).
3. Form a Coalition: Multi-entity consortiums = lower match, higher scores.
4. Write the Narrative: Problem → Plan → Budget → Metrics. Quote your state plan.
5. Calculate the Match: Blend cash, staff time, existing licenses. Hardship waivers exist.
6. Submit & Defend: Track clarifications, check-in with signers, defend scope if budget adjusts.
7. Report Quarterly: Expect to feed metrics to CISA, DOJ, or FCC depending on the bucket.

Note: SLCGP’s match increases yearly—plan for 40% by FY26 unless Congress steps in.

Why You Don’t Want to DIY the Grant Process

Writing a cybersecurity grant isn’t just filling in an online form, it’s a strategic balancing act between risk posture, procurement language, and program-specific scoring rubrics. Miss the narrative structure, and you risk rejection. Ask for too much, and reviewers will toss it in the “nice try” pile. Even if your team has the technical chops, stitching together a compliant and compelling application eats weeks of bandwidth most public-sector IT departments don’t have.

That’s where outside guidance becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Our experts bring proven methods and processes that cut months off the timeline, fluency in “government-ese” that helps avoid back-and-forth clarifications, and a bench of accredited experts who can plug in on day one. Whether it’s locking down your scope or producing audit-ready NIST artifacts in under a week, we’ve been through this cycle—and can steer you past the usual pain points.

“ACP has a proven track record of simplifying the grant application process.” Says Rod, “our team leverages framework-based assessments to uncover deficiencies or weaknesses. Once these problems are identified we help organizations articulate the solutions and cost justify the investment.” These two pieces are key for success grant applications.  Once the problems are clearly identified, the specific solutions are easy to add to the application narrative sections.  “We then provide the expertise to most effectively deploy the solutions to ensure the investment achieves maximum results.”

How Can ACP Help?

You don’t have to go this alone. Seriously.

Looking for more info? Join one of our 30-minute webinars for either Securing K-12 & Higher Ed Funding OR securing funding for the a Tribal Nation or the public sector. We walk through successful applications, show how the sausage gets made, and leave plenty of time for Q&A. Upcoming sessions are on June 12 and June 26—grab a slot before they fill up.

If you’re looking for quick, no-pressure answers, you can book a consult with our team. We’ll help map your projects to the right funding sources, decode the fine print, and even flag potential match waivers.

Final Frame: Resilience, Not Just Reimbursement

These grants aren’t the silver bullet to cybersecurity, but they’re a great start. Used wisely, they’ll cover the foundational defenses your org needs to stop chasing ransomware after the fact.

And here’s the thing: the next breach won’t wait. But neither should you. This isn’t about making just about making a board happy or ticking boxes for compliance. It’s about resilience—building a security posture that’s proactive, measurable, and appropriately funded. Whether you need a full SOC, a vCISO, or just a better process for staff training, there’s money to get you there.

Let’s help you claim it before the window closes.

About the Expert

Rod Kahl leads ACP CreativIT’s Cyber Security practice, defining strategy and delivering innovative security solutions for clients. With decades of experience spanning IT, network security, and penetration testing—including work with the Department of Defense—Rod takes a proactive approach to securing environments beyond just “checking the box.” Rod is CISSP certified and specializes in identifying vulnerabilities, leveraging AI-driven security tools, and forming strategic partnerships to enhance ACP’s security offerings. His focus remains on protecting businesses with forward-thinking, efficient security strategies.

About Mindsight

Mindsight delivers enterprise managed services and technology solutions to the mid-market across a variety of industries including manufacturing, financial services, government, education – just to name a few. Our solution architects and engineers are 100% expert-level and work as an extension of your IT team. Mindsight is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago.

Mindsight is part of the ACP CreativIT Family of Technology Solution Providers

 

 

April 8, 2025

A Cyberattack During Critical School Moments

In a small rural district last winter, a ransomware attack struck during midterm exams. As systems went dark, the impact cascaded far beyond the school’s digital infrastructure. The cafeteria staff, unable to access their electronic systems, scrambled to feed hundreds of students who depended on school meals. Parents, many working hourly jobs, suddenly needed to find childcare when classes were canceled. The graduating senior class worried about college application deadlines as their transcripts suddenly became inaccessible.

Got your attention? Good. That’s exactly what a new report on K-12 cybersecurity from the Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) was trying to do in including that eye-catching story at the start of a comprehensive report it published last month. Titled Where Education Meets Community Resistance: An 18-Month, Retrospective Study of Cyber Threat Trends and Defensive Impact in K-12 Education, it draws on data from more than 5,000 K-12 organizations showing that “cyber threat actors appear to be increasingly targeting schools during critical periods like exams, times when the pressure to maintain operations makes schools far more vulnerable to ransom demands.”

Key Findings: Threats Are Increasing

Among its many findings, the report concludes that 82% of reporting K-12 schools experienced cyber threat impacts. Among those impacts, human-targeted threats exceeded other techniques by 45%, with so-called “malvertisement” (malware-infected ads) leading all other attack methods. An analysis of more than 1 trillion logs over 18 months determined there were nearly 14,000 security events observed and over 9,300 confirmed incidents. However, the report makes clear, “Not all cyber incidents are created the same, and incidents that lead to schools needing to temporarily shut down impact more than simply the ability to access files. When cyber incidents force schools to close or limit operations, vital services disappear. The impact extends far beyond missed classes, threatening the basic support systems many families rely on.”

Two of the most vital ones are school meals and special education programs. “When payment and verification systems go down,” the report notes, “schools must choose between turning away hungry students or finding alternative ways to provide meals, all while having the same requirements of tracking the number of students who came through the line. Similarly, when special education programs and counseling services lose access to digital records and communication systems, our most vulnerable students face immediate challenges.”

People: The Weakest Link and the Strongest Defense

But just as humans are the weakest link when it comes to being victimized by cyber attacks, they’re also the most effective shields in preventing attacks. It’s all about knowledge and, especially, empowerment. In light of that, “K-12 organizations should develop environments where everyone who accesses the network — from administrators to substitute teachers — feels they are a crucial part of the security team.” They should also emphasize the outsize role that a single person can play, publicly recognize those who flag potential security issues, and “create open dialogue between IT security teams and educational staff” so they’re working together instead of siloed.

All of that echoes what Mindsight experts have said for years, including in seminars that educate school superintendents on cyber attack recovery measures. “Everyone knows why we should be secure,” says Mindsight CISO Matt Cox. Mindsight cybersecurity lead Mishaal Khan said in 2024, “But when it really happens to them, when they’re victim to a cyber attack, they quickly realize it’s not just an IT problem. It’s an everyone problem — from the Superintendent to the communications team, from finance to IT.” Put on the spot, there are so many things they don’t realize.”

But as Khan knows, and as Mindsight CISO Matt Cox has advised, it’s crucial to treat staff employees like they’re the solution rather than the problem. “They’re your first line of defense. When they’re confident and informed, they make smarter choices. Whether it’s recognizing a phishing email, avoiding sketchy Wi-Fi, or using strong passwords, trained employees are security assets.”

Building a Human-Centric Defense Strategy

In addition to “traditional awareness” where cybersecurity is concerned, the CIS/MS-ISAC report offers a variety of other helpful (and also human-centric) actions that include developing “collaborative relationships between IT security teams and educational staff,” creating “clear, accessible channels for staff to report concerns without fear of judgment or reprisal,” providing “regular feedback to staff about how their vigilance and actions have helped protect the school community,” and ensuring that “leadership actively demonstrates that security is a shared responsibility, not just an IT concern.”

Conclusion: Empowering Staff as Cyber Defenders

“This seismic shift from viewing people as liabilities to seeing them as essential defenders transforms how organizations approach security,” the report concludes. “When staff members feel valued and understand their crucial role in protecting their school community, they are more likely to become active participants in security rather than passive recipients of compliance-focused training. They develop the confidence to identify threats, the knowledge to respond effectively, and the understanding that their actions directly protect students, families, and essential services that extend far beyond the classroom.”

Download the full report here.

About Mindsight

Mindsight delivers enterprise managed services and technology solutions to the mid-market across a variety of industries including education, manufacturing, financial services, government  – just to name a few. Our solution architects and engineers are 100% expert-level and work as an extension of your IT team. Mindsight is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago.