Where ballistic items sit on FEMA's equipment list
For an NSGP equipment request, first match the item to FEMA's Authorized Equipment List (AEL) and a vulnerability documented for the site. The FY2026 NSGP notice describes code 14EX-00-BSIR, "Systems, Building, Blast/Shock/Impact Resistant," this way:
"Systems to mitigate damage from blasts, shocks, or impacts, such as column and surface wraps, wall coverings, portable or fix[ed] ballistic boards/barriers, breakage/shatter resistant glass, window wraps/films/velums, etc."
The notice expressly names portable or fixed ballistic boards and barriers, breakage- or shatter-resistant glass, and window wraps or films. An AEL listing doesn't approve a purchase by itself. The State Administrative Agency and FEMA still review whether the item addresses an assessed vulnerability and meets the program's other rules.
NSGP also excludes "general use expenditures." For a ballistic board that doubles as classroom equipment, confirm the SAA's treatment before budgeting it and tie its security purpose to a specific vulnerability in the assessment.
Federal programs
Applicant routes differ, and several programs pass money only through state or local government. A diamond identifies a program whose cited rules expressly name a ballistic item.
| Program | Who can apply | Funding | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofit Security Grant Program (FEMA) | Nonprofits, including houses of worship, private and religious schools, and private colleges, through their state | Up to $200,000 per site, up to three sites per stream, and $600,000 total per organization per state; no match | Lists portable and fixed ballistic boards and barriers. FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026. FY2027 has not been published. |
| Homeland Security Grant Program (FEMA SHSP and UASI) | Local governments, including public school districts, through state or county emergency management | Varies, no match | The FY2026 notice lists school hardening, including bullet-resistant doors and glass, as eligible. Projects need a terrorism-prevention purpose. |
| Community Facilities (USDA) | Public bodies, nonprofits, and tribes in rural areas, generally under 20,000 people | Grants cover 15% to 75% of cost, by population and income | Funds major equipment; ballistic items aren't named. Loans are also available, and applications are rolling. |
| Byrne JAG (DOJ) | Police and sheriff's offices | Formula awards, no match | Has funded ballistic shields for law enforcement. The FY2026 notice includes a section on protecting houses of worship. |
| School Violence Prevention Program (DOJ COPS) | States, local governments, Indian tribes, and their public agencies, including school districts, public charter schools, school boards, and law enforcement agencies | Up to $500,000, 25% match; microgrants up to $100,000 with the match waived | The FY2026 round closed August 11, 2026. The FY2026 FAQ lists security cameras, access control doors, and "window film/tint" among equipment examples, and all budget items are reviewed case by case. Private schools can't be primary applicants, and the FAQ's subaward list reads "nonprofit organizations (excluding schools)." |
State programs
State-funded rounds depend on annual appropriations and can open or close quickly. Each row gives the latest official status confirmed as of October 14, 2026. The state grant lookup tracks agency contacts and NSGP deadlines nationwide.
| State | Houses of worship & nonprofits | Private & religious schools | Public schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | State Nonprofit Security Grant, up to $250,000 per site. Last round closed December 2025; no 2026-27 round posted yet. | No statewide program identified | No statewide program identified |
| Connecticut | Nonprofit Security Grant, up to $50,000 per site | School Security Competitive Grant, public and nonpublic, 50% match. No 2026 round found. | |
| Florida | State Nonprofit Security Grant Program in statute, $10,000 to $150,000 per award; FDEM was not accepting applications when checked. The statute is repealed January 1, 2028 unless reenacted. | Jewish Day School Security Grant (FL Department of Education) | School Hardening Grant, districts and charter schools |
| Georgia | Funds for Protection of Communities: the FY2027 round funds contracted security personnel only, not equipment. | No statewide program identified | Public-school grants found; no ballistic items named |
| Illinois | State Nonprofit Security Grant, up to $150,000 per site | No statewide program identified | No statewide program identified |
| Indiana | No statewide program identified | Secured School Safety Grant, up to $100,000, public and accredited nonpublic, match required | |
| Louisiana | No current round identified | Louisiana Center for Safe Schools Grant Program (LCSSGP), up to $50,000 per site, public, charter, and approved nonpublic. FY2026 round closed June 2025. | |
| Maryland | Protecting Against Hate Crimes | Nonpublic School Safety grant (closed September 2026) | No statewide program identified |
| Massachusetts | Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant, up to $60,000 per site. Next round expected fall 2026. | No statewide program identified | No statewide program identified |
| New Jersey | State Nonprofit Security Grant, up to $100,000 | Nonpublic School Security Aid, per-student aid through the local district | No statewide program identified |
| New York | Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes, up to $250,000 per organization. Applications for the 2026 round were due July 8, 2026. | Nonpublic School Safety Equipment grant. Claims due January 14, 2027. | No statewide program identified |
| Ohio | Ohio Security Grant, up to $125,000 per site in the SFY2026 round (SFY2027 cap not confirmed), also open to chartered nonpublic schools | Attorney General School Safety Grant, public and chartered nonpublic | |
| Oklahoma | No statewide program identified | School and Campus Safety Grant, up to $50,000, public and private. The FY2024 application listed ballistic film; no current round found. | |
| Pennsylvania | Nonprofit Security Grant Fund; requests of $5,000 to $150,000, and Act 83 of 2019 caps an applicant at $150,000 per fiscal year | Targeted School Safety Grant, up to $75,000 | School Safety and Mental Health Grant |
| South Carolina | No statewide program identified | Public and charter districts only | School Safety Funds, about $20 million |
| Texas | No statewide program identified | No statewide program identified | School Safety Allotment, formula funding to districts |
A row without the diamond means the cited rules don't expressly name a ballistic item. It doesn't confirm or rule out eligibility. Ask the administering agency in writing before you budget.
Rules beyond item eligibility
An AEL listing doesn't make every related cost allowable. NSGP requires each proposed investment to address a vulnerability documented in the site's vulnerability assessment. Procurement, timing, approval, and documentation rules still apply.
The application budget needs a documented basis, commonly written estimates. After an award, those estimates don't replace competitive procurement: federal rules prohibit brand-name-only specifications, and a contractor that helped develop the grant application, project plan, or budget may not compete for the resulting work (FY2026 NOFO, procurement standards). The procurement guide covers quotes, thresholds, and conflicts.
Equipment installation may trigger environmental and historic preservation review. Do not order or install until the SAA confirms in writing that any required review is complete.
Ratings and documents to ask for
A product label may refer to an older NIJ material standard, a newer NIJ threat level, or UL's glazing standard. They measure different things:
- NIJ 0108.01 rates ballistic-resistant protective materials with types such as IIIA (handgun) and III (rifle).
- RF1, RF2, and RF3 are rifle threat levels defined in NIJ 0123.00 (2023). The document defines threats and sets no test method of its own.
- UL 752 rates bullet-resistant glazing and panels and is common for glass and fixed barriers.
NIJ's compliance testing program covers body armor, and NIJ keeps no certification list for boards, barriers, or glass. Before you buy, ask the vendor for an independent lab report on the finished product, showing the lab, the standard used, the test date, the rounds fired, and multi-hit and spall results. File it with the purchase records.
Sources
- FEMA, FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program NOFO
- FEMA, Nonprofit Security Grant Program
- FEMA, Homeland Security Grant Program
- FEMA Authorized Equipment List, 14EX-00-BSIR
- FEMA Authorized Equipment List, 01LE-01-SHLD (ballistic shield)
- USDA Community Facilities grant percentages, 7 CFR 3570.63
- DOJ, FY2026 Byrne JAG local solicitation
- DOJ COPS Office, School Violence Prevention Program
- DOJ COPS Office, FY2026 School Violence Prevention Program NOFO
- DOJ COPS Office, FY2026 School Violence Prevention Program FAQs
- Florida Statutes, s. 252.3712, Nonprofit Security Grant Program
- New York Governor's Office, Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes funding announcement (April 15, 2026)
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Nonprofit Security Grant Fund
- NIJ Standard 0123.00, ballistic protection levels
- NIJ Standard 0108.01, ballistic resistant protective materials
- New Jersey Nonpublic School Security Aid guidelines
- Louisiana Center for Safe Schools Grant Program (LCSSGP), FY2026 notice
- Connecticut Nonprofit Security Grant Program
- South Carolina Department of Education, school safety funds memo
- GEMA/HS, FY2027 Georgia Funds for Protection of Communities NOFA