If you lead a synagogue, church, mosque, religious school, or community-serving nonprofit, someone has probably mentioned the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to you. What you may not have is a clear sense of what it actually is, who runs it, what it pays for, and whether your organization should pursue one. This guide answers those questions in plain English.
What the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Is, in One Paragraph
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program, usually shortened to NSGP, is a federal grant that helps nonprofit organizations at risk of a terrorist or extremist attack pay for physical security upgrades and related activities. It is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and funded by Congress each year. Nonprofits do not apply to FEMA directly. Each state runs its own application process and forwards the strongest applications up to FEMA for final selection. In recent program cycles, eligible nonprofits have been able to request up to $200,000 per site.
Who Runs NSGP: FEMA, the States, and How the Money Flows
NSGP is a two-tier program. At the federal level, FEMA sets the rules, publishes the annual notice of funding opportunity, and makes the final award decisions. At the state level, each state has a designated State Administrative Agency, often called the SAA, that runs the local application process.
The SAA is different in every state. In California it is the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. In New York, the federal pass-through is handled by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and there is a separate state program, SCAHC, run by the Division of Criminal Justice Services. In Illinois it is the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. The takeaway: nonprofits apply to their state, the state reviews and scores the applications, and the state then submits the strongest applications to FEMA.
Who Is Eligible to Apply
To apply for NSGP, an organization generally needs to:
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- Be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit
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- Be able to demonstrate that it is at high risk of a terrorist or extremist attack
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- Have a physical location that the funding will protect
Eligible organizations include houses of worship, religious and secular schools, museums, community centers, senior centers, day camps, medical facilities, and many others. Vacant lots and buildings still under construction are not eligible. Each physical address is treated as its own application, so a multi-campus organization applies separately for each site.
What NSGP Funds: The Allowable Cost Categories
NSGP is structured around a defined set of cost categories. The bulk of awards historically go toward physical security equipment, but the program is broader than that. Allowable categories include:
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- Equipment. This is the core of most awards. Examples include reinforced doors and gates, access control systems, alarm and intrusion detection systems, video assessment systems, barriers and bollards, fixed lighting, and personnel and package screening systems. Eligible items are drawn from FEMA’s Authorized Equipment List, or AEL.
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- Planning. Security plans, emergency contingency plans, evacuation and shelter-in-place plans, and risk assessments.
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- Training. Security-related training for employees, volunteers, or congregants. Allowable costs are limited to attendance fees and materials. Travel, lodging, and overtime are not eligible.
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- Exercises. Drills and tabletop exercises that test plans and procedures.
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- Contracted security personnel. Private security contractors, subject to limits set by the state.
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- Construction or renovation. Capped per the program rules and treated separately from equipment installation.
A small percentage of the award (typically up to five percent) can be used for management and administration costs.
How Much Funding Your Organization Can Request
In recent program cycles, the federal NSGP has allowed each nonprofit subapplicant to request up to $200,000 per site, with a limit of three sites per funding stream and a total cap of $600,000 per state. An organization with sites in more than one state can apply in each state separately, within those limits. State-funded programs (such as California’s CSNSGP, New York’s SCAHC, and Illinois’s state NSGP) have their own caps that may differ.
Each site needs its own vulnerability assessment, its own mission statement, and its own Investment Justification. The funding cap is per site, not per organization.
NSGP-S vs. NSGP-UA: The Two Funding Streams
The federal program is split into two streams based on geography.
NSGP-UA (Urban Areas) is for nonprofits located inside one of the FEMA-designated high-risk urban areas. These are major metropolitan regions identified each year, and they generally include the New York City area, Los Angeles, Chicago, the Bay Area, Houston, and a few dozen others.
NSGP-S (State) is for nonprofits located outside those urban areas. Every state receives an NSGP-S allocation.
You do not choose your stream. It is determined by where your facility sits on the map. The application process is similar in both, but the available funding pool and competition vary.
How Specific the Application Has to Be
The heart of an NSGP application is the Investment Justification, or IJ. It is a structured form that lists every project the nonprofit is requesting funds for, what vulnerability that project addresses, and how much money it costs.
This is not a general request for money. Each line item must include:
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- The Authorized Equipment List code (or the project category, for non-equipment items)
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- The specific vulnerability the project addresses, drawn from the organization’s vulnerability assessment
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- A specific dollar amount, rounded to the nearest dollar
NSGP is not a blank check, but it does have flexibility. After award, line items can sometimes be adjusted or projects modified with state and FEMA approval. The application itself, however, has to be specific and tightly justified to be competitive.
How Applications Are Scored
This is where many first-time applicants are surprised. NSGP scoring has two layers, and the second layer significantly favors faith-based, educational, and medical institutions.
Step 1: The state scores the application against a federal scoring rubric covering the organization’s background, the risks it faces, the proposed projects, the milestones, and the expected impact.
Step 2: FEMA applies a multiplier and bonus points to that raw score. The formula is:
Final Score = (State Score × Multiplier) + Bonus Points
The multipliers are:
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- 3x for ideology-based, spiritual, or religious organizations (this includes houses of worship, religious schools, and faith-affiliated educational and medical facilities)
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- 2x for secular medical and educational institutions
- 1x for all other nonprofits
On top of that, organizations that have never received an NSGP award receive 15 bonus points added to their final score. This is a deliberate design choice meant to spread awards across new applicants rather than concentrating them on repeat recipients.
The practical effect: a well-prepared first-time application from a synagogue, church, mosque, or religious school competes very differently from a third-time application from a general-purpose nonprofit. Both can win. They are not on equal footing in the math.
The Application Arc: From Submission to Award
The path from intent to award generally looks like this:
- The state opens its NSGP application window. Each state sets its own deadline, which is usually weeks before the federal deadline.
- The nonprofit assembles and submits the application package: the Investment Justification, a vulnerability or risk assessment for the site, and the organization’s mission statement.
- The state conducts an eligibility review, scores each application against the federal rubric, and ranks them.
- The state forwards the top-ranked applications to FEMA. States are instructed to forward applications totaling 150 percent of their allocation, so some applications the state forwards still will not be funded.
- FEMA conducts a federal review, applies the multiplier and bonus points, runs a security review, and selects awards in descending score order until the funding pool is exhausted.
- Award notifications go out, typically several months after the federal deadline.
After the Award: What First-Time Recipients Don’t Expect
Receiving an award letter is not the same as receiving cash. Several operational realities catch first-time recipients off guard.
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- NSGP is a reimbursement grant. The organization pays the vendor first, submits documentation, and then receives federal funds back. Most states follow that default. A few allow advance payment or working-capital methods at the state’s discretion, but applicants should plan as if they will need to front the cost.
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- Pre-award costs are not allowable. Anything purchased or contracted before the official award start date cannot be reimbursed. Organizations that move too early on a vendor lose that money.
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- Procurement rules apply. Federal and state procurement standards generally require quotes for mid-sized purchases and competitive bidding above certain thresholds. The vendor selection process, and the documentation supporting it, matters as much as the purchase itself.
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- Reporting continues throughout the grant. Progress reports, financial reports, and a final closeout package are required. Missed reports can affect future eligibility.
- The grant is meant to supplement, not sustain. Ongoing maintenance, staffing, and replacement after the grant period ends are the organization’s responsibility.
What This Means for Your Organization
If your organization is a 501(c)(3) with a physical site that could plausibly be a target of a terrorist or extremist attack, NSGP is worth taking seriously. The program is designed to spread awards across new applicants and to prioritize faith-based, educational, and medical institutions. The application is detailed but learnable. The award amounts are meaningful: enough to fund a serious set of security improvements at most sites.
What it requires is preparation: a documented vulnerability assessment, a clear set of projects tied to specific risks, and the operational capacity to manage a federal grant once it is awarded. None of those are barriers. They are just steps.
Not sure where your organization stands? We are happy to talk through whether NSGP makes sense for your situation, what your application would need to look like, and how the timing fits your year. You can book a free consultation with SGA here.
Sources used in this draft:
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- FY 2025 NSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (FEMA)
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- FY 2025 NSGP Investment Justification template
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- FEMA Preparedness Grants Manual (December 2025)
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- FY 2025 California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program RFP and Application Workshop
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- 2026 New York Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) RFA
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- FY 2025 Illinois Nonprofit Security Grant Program NOFO
