California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program: A Guide

California runs its own security grant program for nonprofits, separate from the federal one, and it is among the largest in the country. A nonprofit can receive up to $250,000 per location, or up to $500,000 if it applies for two locations. Many of the organizations the program was built for have never applied. This guide covers what the program is, who qualifies, what it pays for, and when the next round is expected to open.

How much a nonprofit can receive

In the last cycle, a nonprofit applying on its own could request up to $250,000 for a single location and up to $500,000 across two locations. California has made $76,000,000 available in each of the last two rounds, and starting this year the state has committed $80 million a year to the program on an ongoing basis.

What the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program is

The California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program, usually shortened to CSNSGP, pays for physical security improvements at nonprofits at high risk of violent attacks and hate crimes because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. It is run by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, known as Cal OES.

State legislation created the program in 2019. Later changes added security training and allowed organizations with security networks to use the funding across multiple affiliated institutions.

CSNSGP is separate from the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The two have different forms, deadlines, award limits, and reviewers. A California organization can apply to both, and many do, but one application cannot stand in for the other.

California also does not issue a NOFO. Each cycle, Cal OES publishes a Request for Proposal, or RFP. That is the document to look for on the Cal OES site.

Who can apply

Last cycle, eligibility was limited to California nonprofits described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from tax under Section 501(a).

For faith institutions, one point matters most. The IRS does not require churches, mosques, and synagogues to apply for recognition of exemption under 501(c)(3), and they are automatically exempt if they meet the requirements. A congregation without a determination letter is not disqualified for that reason.

Other rules that shaped who could apply:

• The organization had to occupy the location when it applied. Vacant lots and locations under construction were not considered.
• Each proposal covered one site with its own physical address. P.O. boxes were not accepted.
• An applicant could submit up to two proposals, one per location.
• Where two nonprofits share a building, Cal OES considered only one proposal for that address.

The money: what California has committed

California has made $76,000,000 available in each of the last two cycles, which puts CSNSGP among the largest state security grant programs in the country. Earlier cycles ranged from $19,000,000 to $47,500,000.

The funding is also no longer temporary. The budget agreement signed on June 29, 2026 committed California to $80 million a year for the program on an ongoing basis. Before that, funding was decided one budget at a time.

This changes how organizations can plan. If you are not ready for the coming round, another round will follow it, so a two- or three-year security plan makes more sense than rushing every fall.

The RFP will state the amount available in the next cycle. If you see a different figure elsewhere, the RFP is the one that counts.

When the next round is likely to open

Cal OES has not announced a date, but five cycles of release dates show a pattern:

Treat the table as a planning window, not a forecast. Across all five cycles, the RFP came out between late July and the end of October, and deadlines fell between late September and mid-December. The time between release and deadline, which is the whole time you have to apply, ran five to ten weeks.

Plan around that last number. If the next cycle follows the last five, you will have between about a month and two and a half months from the day the RFP appears to the day everything is due.

What we expect for the next cycle. Based on this pattern, we expect the RFP in fall 2026, with a deadline most likely in late 2026 and possibly early 2027. As of mid-October 2026, nothing has been published, and we are inside the window when it has appeared in past years. This is SGA’s reading of the pattern, not a Cal OES announcement. Use it for planning, not as a firm date.

Five to ten weeks is not a lot of time, especially since some of what you need has to come from other people: a letter from your landlord, written quotes from your vendors, and possibly an authorization from a parent organization.

What the grant can pay for

Last cycle, an individual applicant could request up to $250,000 per location, and up to $500,000 across two locations, spread across six categories:

• Planning. Security and emergency plans, continuity of operations plans, and evacuation and shelter-in-place plans.
• Equipment. Buying and installing security equipment on property you own or lease. Cal OES gave examples including reinforced doors and gates, high-intensity lighting and alarms, inspection and screening systems, and access control.
• Training. On-site security training for staff, members, or congregants, tied to a specific threat or vulnerability named in the proposal.
• Construction or renovation. Capped at $100,000. Installing equipment did not count as construction.
• Contracted security. Capped at 50 percent of the request. Grant funds could not cover that team’s training or equipment, and the organization had to be able to keep the coverage going afterward without CSNSGP funding.
• Management and administration. Capped at 5 percent.

The program did not pay for public safety personnel, travel, general operating expenses, overtime and backfill, or costs incurred outside the grant’s period of performance.

Two rules apply after the award, and both affect how you should build your budget. You cannot change the scope of work, because proposals are rated and ranked on what was submitted. Any unspent funds go back to Cal OES at the end of the performance period. Whatever you put in your budget is the project you are committing to deliver.

What you will be asked to submit

Last cycle’s application had three parts, emailed together by one deadline.

The application form. A Cal OES form covering applicant information, background, risk, security enhancements, milestones, impact, and funding history. Cal OES issues a new version each cycle and rejects older versions.

The Vulnerability Assessment Worksheet. This lists and prioritizes the organization’s vulnerabilities. They had to be current and not already covered by other funding. The assessment behind it could be done by the organization itself or by someone with a security, emergency services, military, or law enforcement background. An existing report could not simply be attached; its contents had to be transferred onto that cycle’s version of the Worksheet.

Supporting documents. These are the items that depend on other people:

• Proof of ownership or lease: a current utility bill, deed, title, property tax bill, mortgage statement, or lease
• If you lease, a letter on your landlord’s letterhead giving permission to install security improvements
• A map or floor plan of the facility with square footage, and room dimensions for office space
• A written explanation if the facility is in a multi-level or shared-use building
• If applicable, a letter on a parent organization’s letterhead authorizing use of its tax identification number

The submission rules were strict: one Cal OES email address, one deadline, a separate email for each location, and no incomplete, scanned, altered, combined, zipped, or outdated files.

What this means for your organization

A landlord letter on official letterhead, a parent organization’s authorization, a current vulnerability assessment, written vendor pricing, and a project your board has agreed on can each take weeks. Each also depends on someone who doesn’t report to you. None of them require an open RFP, and all of them are hard to pull together in a window that may be only five weeks long.

With the release expected sometime this fall, now is the time to do that work without a deadline bearing down. To see how the state program compares with the federal one, visit our California program page.

Want help with your application?

In the FY 2025 cycle, 100% of SGA’s CSNSGP clients were awarded grants. If your organization is considering applying, we can review where you stand and tell you what’s missing, with no obligation. Book a free consultation with SGA here.

Sources

1. FY 2025-26 CSNSGP Request for Proposal, Cal OES, release date October 31, 2025 (knowledge base: FY2025CSNSGPRFP.pdf). Eligibility, cohabitation rule, two tracks and their exclusivity, allowable and unallowable costs with caps, award limits, scope-change and disencumbrance rules, proposal components, supporting documents, submission rules, and the $76,000,000 FY 2025-26 budget allocation.
2. FY 2025 CSNSGP Application Workshop presentation, Cal OES Infrastructure Protection Grants (knowledge base: FY2025CSNSGPAppWorkshopPresentation.pdf). Unallowable cost list, equipment examples, supporting document detail.
3. J. The Jewish News of Northern California, “Despite budget pressure, California commits to $80M a year for synagogue, nonprofit security,” July 6, 2026: https://jweekly.com/2026/07/06/despite-budget-pressure-california-commits-to-80m-a-year-for-synagogue-nonprofit-security/
4. FY 2021 CSNSGP RFP: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/FY-2021-CSNSGP-RFP.pdf
5. FY 2022 CSNSGP RFP: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/RFP/CSNSGP22_RFP.pdf
6. Grant Management Memorandum 2022-09A, Cal OES, August 31, 2022, for the extended FY 2022 deadline: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/GMM-2022-09-FY-2022-CSNSGP-RFP.pdf
7. FY 2023 CSNSGP RFP: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/RFP/FY-2023-CSNSGP-RFP.pdf
8. FY 2024 CSNSGP RFP: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/RFP/FY-2024-CSNSGP-RFP.pdf
9. 2024-25 CSNSGP RFP announcement, Cal OES, for the FY 2024 deadline and funding total: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/grant-announcement/2024-25-california-state-nonprofit-security-grant-program-csnsgp-rfp
10. FY 2025 CSNSGP RFP, Cal OES: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/RFP/FY-2025-CSNSGP-RFP.pdf
11. Grant Management Memorandum 2025-13, Cal OES, October 31, 2025: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/GMM-2025-13-FY-2025-CSNSGP-Request-for-Proposal-ht.pdf
12. FY 2024 CSNSGP Application Workshop presentation, Cal OES, for the FY 2024-25 allocation of $76,000,000: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/2024-CSNSGP-AppWorkshop-Presentation.pdf
13. JPAC, June 23, 2024, for legislative history (AB 1548 in 2019, AB 1664 in 2022, AB 1185 in 2023): https://jpac-cal.org/2024/06/23/jpac-and-jewish-caucus-secure-record-80-million-for-security-grants-protecting-at-risk-institutions/
14. Cal OES Infrastructure Protection Grants page, checked October 1, 2026, confirming FY 2025 is still the listed CSNSGP cycle: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office-of-the-director/policy-administration/finance-administration/grants-management/homeland-security-emergency-management-programs/infrastructure-protection-grants/
15. 2025-26 CSNSGP RFP announcement, Cal OES: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/grant-announcement/2025-26-california-state-nonprofit-security-grant-program-csnsgp-rfp/