How NSGP Applications Are Scored

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program does not pick winners based on how moving your mission is or how well you write. It scores a specific document against a published rubric. This post explains what that rubric measures and how a score turns into a grant.

The short answer

NSGP scores one document, the Investment Justification, section by section against a rubric published before each application cycle. Two sets of reviewers look at it: your state agency first, then FEMA. Each section earns points, the total is adjusted by a multiplier and bonus points, and FEMA funds the highest scorers until the money runs out. Knowing which sections are scored, and what each one asks for, tells you what the work involves before you start.

The Investment Justification is a scored document

When people talk about applying for NSGP, the heart of the application is a form called the Investment Justification, usually shortened to IJ. It is the narrative where you describe your organization, the risks you face, what you want to buy or build, and why.

The IJ is not read like an essay. Reviewers score it against a rubric published in the program’s Notice of Funding Opportunity, the official document FEMA releases before each cycle. People call this the NOFO. The rubric lives in an appendix near the back, and it lists each part of the IJ and the points available for it.

This changes how to think about the document. You are not trying to move a reader. You are giving reviewers the specific information each scored section asks for.

The sections reviewers score

The current rubric scores the IJ across several parts. Each is a question the reviewer is answering about your application.

• Applicant Information. Did you provide the required basic information? This is a completeness check.
• Background Information. Did you describe your organization, its mission, and what could make it a target? This is where community or symbolic significance is explained.
• Risk. Did you describe the threats and vulnerabilities your organization faces, and the consequences if something happened? Risk is the largest narrative section.
• Facility Hardening. Do the things you want to buy or build actually address the vulnerabilities you described? Reviewers check that each item ties back to a specific risk.
• Milestones. Is your plan realistic and achievable within the grant’s timeframe?
• Project Management. Who will manage the project, and can they carry it out?
• Impact. How will you know the investment worked? This asks for the outcomes you expect.

You do not have to guess at these. The current NOFO spells out each one and what earns points. The structure can shift slightly between cycles, so the rule is simple: read this cycle’s NOFO, not last cycle’s.

Two layers of review: your state, then FEMA

NSGP applications pass through two separate reviews.

First, your State Administrative Agency, the state office that runs the program where you are, receives every application from that state, scores them, and ranks them. It forwards only a capped number of top scorers to FEMA. The cap depends on how much funding your state is allocated.

Second, FEMA reviews the applications that survived the state cut. It scores them and builds a national ranked list.

One consequence is worth understanding early. A solid application can still be cut at the state level if your state has a small allocation and many applicants. The first competition you face is inside your own state.

The multiplier and bonus points

After your state scores the application, the final number is built with a formula: the state score is multiplied by a factor, and then bonus points are added.

The multiplier depends on your organization type. Faith-based and similar organizations have received a higher multiplier than other nonprofits in recent cycles, reflecting an elevated risk of being targeted. The bonus has gone to first-time applicants who have never received NSGP funding.

The exact multiplier values and bonus amount are set in the current NOFO and can change from year to year. Confirm them in this cycle’s document before relying on a number.

How scores turn into funding

Once FEMA has a national ranked list, funding is straightforward. It starts at the top and works down, awarding grants until the available money runs out.

That creates a cutoff score, the score of the last application that got funded. The cutoff is not fixed. It moves every cycle depending on how much money Congress provided, how many strong applications came in, and how scores clustered at the top. A score that was funded one year might not be funded the next.

So the practical target is not a magic number. It is to earn the points each section makes available, because the cutoff is set by the whole field of applicants, not by a published line.

What this means for your organization

If you are deciding whether to pursue NSGP, three things are useful to hold onto.

The application is a structured, scored document, not a persuasive essay. The points are published, so there is no mystery about what reviewers are weighing. And the first competition happens inside your own state, before FEMA ever sees your application.

None of this requires you to become a grants expert. It does mean reading the current NOFO carefully, or working with someone who does this regularly, so the document answers each scored question clearly.

Talk it through

Not sure where your organization stands? We’re happy to walk through how the scoring applies to your situation. You can book a free consultation with SGA here: Book a free consultation

For re-applicants, identifying which criterion scored lowest from a single numeric total is inference work. The strongest signal is comparing the IJ section by section against current funded IJs in the same category. Re-applicants who rewrite from scratch typically perform better than those who edit the prior version, because structural weaknesses migrate forward into incremental rewrites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the rubric weighted equally across the four criteria?

No. The four criteria carry different point values, the Risk score is then adjusted by an organization-type multiplier (recent cycles have used 3x for ideology-based organizations, 2x for secular medical and educational organizations, and 1x for other nonprofits), and bonus points apply on top (recent cycles have added 15 points for first-time applicants). The exact allocation lives in Appendix D of the current NOFO at https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/nonprofit-security and can shift cycle to cycle.

Does prior denial affect future scoring?

No. Each cycle is scored independently against that cycle’s NOFO. Reviewers do not see prior application history, so a nonprofit denied three cycles in a row is scored purely on the current submission. The practical risk for repeat applicants is reusing prior IJ language without checking what changed in the current NOFO.

What We Do

Security Grant Advisors calibrates NSGP applications against the current FEMA NOFO scoring rubric. The work includes IJ drafting against the four scored criteria, vulnerability assessment review for assessment-to-IJ traceability, budget alignment to the Effect of Funding section, and rewrite engagements for prior-cycle denials looking to identify the lowest-scoring section before resubmitting.

For nonprofits planning a 2026 or 2027 cycle application, contact us or call (855) 674-7946 for a review of an existing IJ draft or a scoping conversation on a new submission.

Official Sources

Every claim in this guide traces back to a primary federal source. Confirm the current cycle requirements at the official URLs below before submission.

• FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP): https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/nonprofit-security
• Grants.gov opportunity portal: https://www.grants.gov/
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/
• 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance for federal awards): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

State Administrative Agencies publish state-specific NOFOs and scoring supplements. Confirm the current SAA contact for your state through the FEMA grants portal above.