For the first time, Colorado Springs has qualified for a federal grant designed to secure high-risk cities against acts of terrorism.

The city announced Monday that it had received $2.3 million from the Urban Area Security Initiative grant provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management will oversee the distribution of the funds across Colorado Springs and its metropolitan area, which covers El Paso County and Teller County.

A grant bulletin issued by FEMA in August describes the purpose of the grants as assisting high-risk urban areas in “building an enhanced and sustainable capacity to prevent, protect against, prepare for, and respond to acts of terrorism.” The Colorado Springs Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spoke about the importance of the funding for the region.

“It ensures that CSPD and our partner agencies can continue to build the capabilities necessary to protect a city that’s not only expanding in population but also in strategic importance,” Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said in a statement Monday.

Andrew Notbohm, emergency management and recovery director for the Pikes Peak Regional Office, said Colorado Springs had likely been on the verge of qualifying for the program for years. The formula used by FEMA to determine funding is opaque, but it includes factors such as the area’s population, security concerns and the risk for new incidents.

An Urban Area Working Group is being set up to determine how the $2.3 million will be divided. There are 30 listed partners in the working group, including multiple firefighter and law enforcement groups from the Colorado Springs area, as well as the Colorado Springs Airport, Colorado Springs School District 11, CommonSpirit Health and UC Health.

The grant funding is not exclusively for flashy anti-terrorism measures. Notbohm said that a portion must go to cybersecurity. The funds can also go to election security, hospital preparations and other investments that prepare Colorado Springs for a major incident.

“Part of this program is about building resiliency in the community. So it might go to things that people don’t see right away but they help us prepare the community for its worst day,” Notbohm said.

This fiscal year, the Urban Security Area Initiative had $553 million available to provide to 44 metro areas across the United States. A joint effort by Denver, Aurora and Lakewood received a $5.5 million grant.

Notbohm said it was likely that Colorado Springs would continue to receive annual funding from the program now that it’s eligible. The Pikes Peak Regional Office will build a grant evaluation team to help determine how the funding is split between eligible groups in the area.