Applying for the 2024 NSGP or Looking Ahead to 2025

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security administer the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). It offers financial assistance for physical security improvements at nonprofit entities identified as at-risk targets for attacks (whether from organized terror groups or lone perpetrator extremists). The purpose of this program is to provide funding to non-public and nonprofit facilities so that they can improve their physical security needs since most of these programs are not eligible for direct government funding (putting them in the non-public part of the equation) and are running on shoe-string budgets (part of the problem with being a nonprofit). So, the funding is meant to help put resources in the hands of institutions that could not afford the improvements otherwise.  

Since the program started in 2004, it has steadily gained popularity. For many years, it ran in obscurity, but word of its existence has spread, such that obtaining funding now is increasingly challenging with more applicants than the funds can serve. This is particularly true this year since a slightly reduced budget of $237 million is being allocated. Last year, the demand exceeded $600 million, but only $305 million was budgeted and awarded. With demand doubling supply, please don't lose faith that it is even worth your time to try and apply, as the NSGP emphasizes each year that a sizable number of applicants blow their chance with a poor-quality submission.

The key to success is to give the application its appropriate due diligence, and any institution can get through the process successfully with just a little bit of light to help guide the way. So, we will show you here a collection of the steps, tips, and key points of understanding that will help you achieve success.

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Applying for NSGP funds is not actually a difficult process, but it does have a lot of steps, and it's not exactly intuitive, causing some confusion since you apply at the state level through the State Administrative Agency (SAA), which then applies to FEMA for the NSGP funds on your behalf. Adding to the confusion is the NSGP web page, notorious for its lack of clarity.

But to be fair, the NSGP web page is held hostage by the limitation of being a small cog in the Homeland Security web family, so it's forced to fit a template that is built for the bureaucratic presentation of facts, not to be a simplistic "Beginners Guide to NSGP Applications" that would be much more helpful for those of us that have never applied for a grant. However, where the NSGP might lose points for clarity on the web page, they more than gain them all back with the helpfulness of the staff. Email them and attend their webinars; they are phenomenally helpful, and everyone that I have encountered has a tremendous customer service attitude and shows genuine passion for the cause (helping you stay safe).  

And even if it's too late to get your application ready for this year, the program is successful enough that funding is likely to be approved again in 2025, so this information can be used to ensure you are completely ready by then.

Here is an overview of the process to give you the big picture then continue to read below for the details.

Key Details and Timeline:

• NSGP is a competitive grant, meaning that funding is not guaranteed. Factors such as the total amount of funding requested, available funding, and the competitive review and scoring process dictate final awarding.
• Each candidate accumulates a score based on the strength of the application; then, the applicants are ranked. Awards are made based on moving down the rankings until funding is depleted.
• The program funding is renewed annually, there is no limit to the number of years an organization can apply and be granted funds.
• The application process is already ongoing for 2024 and is likely to finish by the end of May.
• Award decisions will be made in August.
• Actual spending can commence in September/October (depending on the state).

As noted above, the application is not made to FEMA but rather to the SAA, which also handles the distribution of the awards. Each state can have some variation in their requirements, but the following steps should be inclusive of most state's application processes.

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Process Steps

1. Determine Your Eligibility as an Organization

Candidates must be non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or 501(a) organizations.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Places of worship (churches, synagogues, mosques...)
• Private schools, both secular and non-secular
• Community/social/shelter/crisis centers
• Medical and science facilities
• Museums, camps, and event venues

Excluded organizations include:

• For-profit businesses and hospitals
• Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions Clubs, etc.
• Utility companies
• Labor unions, HOAs, and other such "group" organizations
• Public schools; however, the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) program for your state may provide similar assistance for public schools.  Search for the term GEER plus the name of your state to find out more information.
• Government or municipal entities; however, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program offered by the Department of Justice can help pay for a portion of certain local-government security related improvements.

2. Determine Your SAA and Its Application Deadline

1. Go to State Administrative Agency (SAA)
2. Find your state on the list.
3. Select the website link for your state (second column), then search for "NSGP" on the state site.
4. If that does not produce results, contact the agent listed on the FEMA NSGP SAA page (third column) and ask for directions on the application process.
5. Throughout the process, your organization will be referred to as a subapplicant, as the SAA is the actual applicant for the FEMA funding (applying on your behalf).
6. The SAA establishes the application deadline (which will be earlier than any stated deadline for the SAA's to submit applications to FEMA).

3. Determine Your Application Address and Its Funding Stream

• The program will cover up to $150,000 in security improvement costs per site.
• Organizations are allowed to apply for up to three sites per year ($450,000 total for the organization).
• Each site must have a different physical address.
• The award is based on the facility's physical address, and there are two categories:
  1. High-risk urban area – this application will be routed through the NSGP-Urban Area (UA) funding stream. Verify your location's eligibility with your SAA.
  2. Outside of the high-risk urban area – this application will be routed through the NSGP-State (S) funding stream.

4. Understand What Allowable Projects/Activities Are

Information on funding restrictions and allowable costs is found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

READ THE NOFO DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.  

Refer to Section D of the FY 2024 NSGP NOFO for detailed information on these cost categories.  

Here are some general guidelines:

Allowable:

• Alarm systems and access controls
• Security cameras
• Physical security (gates, fences, barrier protection, bullet or blast-resistant windows and doors)
• Planning, training, exercises
• Cybersecurity investments

Unallowable:

• Facial recognition or license plate reading software
• Weapons or weapon training
• Operational expenses or salaries
• Direct hiring of public safety personnel
• Studies or evaluations

5. Prepare Sub-application Materials

As the funding is competitive, it's vital to prepare a thorough and detailed application.

• Carefully plan and organize your thoughts systematically.
• Clearly explain why your facility is vulnerable and specify the security enhancements you need and how they will improve the situation.
• Review your draft, gathering input from others, including external outsiders. Treat this like a cover letter for a critical job interview. The more serious you look, the more serious they will take your application.

Consider hiring a grant writer. Some of these writers, like EMD at emdnyc.com, are so practiced at the NSGP process that their rates are surprisingly reasonable, and they have a near-perfect track record with acceptance. Plus they can do the security assessment over the phone. One thing to note, you cannot seek reimbursement in the proposal for the expense of the grant writer.

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The actual application will entail providing:

1) Mission statement

• Write on official letterhead, if available.
• Describe the "who, what, and why" of theorganization's purpose.
• This will be used to validate the information in theInvestment Justification and to categorize the facility (ideology-based,education, medical, and other).

2) Vulnerability Assessment

• This assessment iscrucial for your application, as it identifies vulnerabilities that yourproposed security enhancements will address. It will serve as the backbone ofjustifying your needs.
• Use an experienced professional, even if they must behired.
• Identifies vulnerabilities in the context of threats,risks, and consequences of potential attacks at a facility.

3) Supporting Documents

• Anything that will help validate and describe the threats, risks, and vulnerabilities that your facility is facing (e.g., police or insurance reports).
• Contact your SAA for specifics and examples of the requirements for supporting documents.

4) Any additional requirements from your specific SAA

5) Investment Justification

• This is a standard form created by FEMA.
• Required for EACH physical location applying, even if they are all part of the same organization.
• Demonstrate that your organization is at risk by tying vulnerabilities to practical threats- the more evidence of the threats, the higher the priority the application will receive.
• Outline the proposed expenditures:
  • A common mistake is estimating costs without accurate quotes. Contact vendors to get formal proposals for your security upgrades.
  • These vendors are quite often also experts in security; lean on them for advice.
  • It's best to have competing quotes for any significant expenses.
  • Stay neutral and avoid making any vendor commitments at this stage.
• Include budget estimates.
• Include a deployment timeline and project plan.
• Any equipment requested should be directly linked to the threats, vulnerabilities, solutions to these vulnerabilities, and potential consequences of events described in the Vulnerability Assessment.
• Summarize the mission statement, threat/risk/vulnerability assessment, and supporting documents (this may seem redundant to items 1, 2, and 3, but those original documents do not travel with the investment justification throughout the application process to FEMA and without knowledge of this information, the panel will likely turn down the application).
• If you have applied and been turned down in the past or never applied before, make this known as bonus points are awarded to applicants who have not received NSGP funding in the past.
• Bonus points are also awarded to applicants located within a disadvantaged community or demonstrate how they serve a disadvantaged community or population.
• The Investment Justification form downloaded from the FEMA website needs to be opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Once in Acrobat Reader, press the "Enable All Features" button to view the form.
• No attachments are allowed; everything you want FEMA to see or read must be entered into the form.

6. Get a Unique Entity ID

If your organization was previously assigned a Data Universal Number System (DUNS), it has been replaced by a new Unique Entity ID (UEI) value. You can log in at sam.gov to check your new UEI.

If you do not already have a UEI (or DUNS, from which to get a UEI), register for a UEI number at SAM.gov

• There is a helpful video halfway down the page that explains the process. The video is also found here: Get a Unique Entity ID.
• Then, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and register in the System for Award Management at sam.gov; your organization will be assigned a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) once registered.

The UEI is not necessarily needed for the application process, but it will be required for the SAA to distribute the final award to your organization.

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7. Submit Your Application to your state SAA, not to FEMA

To your state SAA, notto FEMA

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Key Points to Improve Success

1. If you hire a grant writer, review their work, and remember that the nonprofit must sign the application, not the grant writer.
2. Incomplete application packages will be disqualified.
3. Review all requests for only allowable expenditures.
4. Nonprofits may not act as pass-throughs for government or for-profit entities.
5. Start early.
6. The threat risks must be tied to existing physical vulnerabilities.
7. Contract security or any hiring outside of the nonprofit cannot be sole-sourced.
8. The project content and goals should be logical, reasonable, and attainable.
9. Do not exceed the funding caps ($150,000 per site, $450,000 per organization).
10. Explore peer-to-peer support by contacting other schools or places of worship in your wider organization.
11. Vulnerability assessments should not be older than five years.
12. Avoid any conflict of interest between grant writers and contractors/vendors executing awards.

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Additional resources:

• The main web page for the program: NSGP Home Page
• An easy-to-understand PowerPoint summary: NSGP Summary Slide Deck
• A comprehensive manual describing the 2023 NSGP and other programs: FEMA manual
• An easy-to-follow step-by-step guide for the applications process: Step-By-Step Process
• For FEMA's NSGP-specific questions or more information about the federal process, feel free to contact them by email at: FEMA-NSGP@fema.dhs.gov‍
• NSGP fact sheet

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