OHV program says cyberattack hampered grant launch; staff plans relaunch, outreach and new grant system

Program staff told the Nevada Commission on Off‑Highway Vehicles that a cyberattack significantly disrupted the launch of the newest grant round, hampering outreach and training attendance.

"The grant round opened on our on August 25, and, unfortunately, that was the same day that cyber attack hit," the program lead said, describing constrained access to email, listservs and their website. "We could barely get on the website ... We did a social media post ... but we were playing a little bit of catch up with that."

Staff reported 15 open grants with two of the oldest nearing closure and said seven grants remain on track to close by year‑end. Because the launch was degraded, staff ran a first training that drew four attendees and scheduled a second training with a later deadline to try and increase participation. The application deadline for this grant round is Oct. 26.

To prevent incomplete applications, staff described a three‑part approach: enhanced training, application review during the feedback period and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) completeness check. TAC is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 1, and staff said they will provide the TAC with metadata on each project’s funding category to aid review.

Staff also outlined outreach and communications work: redesigning outreach materials (rack cards, a trifold brochure and a DMV registration handout), pushing more consistent social media (about two posts a week), and drafting a formal communications plan with DCNR’s PIO team. The program will begin using an in‑house grant management system (NIPS) to centralize applications and reporting.

Commissioners offered practical help: Commissioner Boyer volunteered to staff a tabling presence at an Oct. 17–18 event in Laughlin and staff agreed to provide printed materials; other commissioners suggested joining larger industry events and using peers’ best practices to raise registration and grant awareness.

What’s next: staff will proceed with the TAC completeness process, implement NIPS for grants, provide additional outreach materials for scheduled events, and return to the commission with updated application statistics.