Security grants in Georgia: the state FPC guard grant and federal NSGP

Status on October 15, 2026

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). It also runs the state-funded Funds for Protection of Communities (FPC) grant. Both programs take applications through the same portal, ga.emgrants.com, and questions on both go to hsgrants@gema.ga.gov.

FPC FY2027: the open round

GEMA/HS released the 2027 FPC Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), Funding Opportunity Number 2027-FPC-01, on September 15, 2026, and opened applications October 1. The state "set aside $5,000,000 from the Amended Fiscal Year 2027 state budget" for the round, according to the FPC page. The NOFA calls that figure an estimate and says GEMA/HS may change the total, the award amounts or the number of awards.

Who can apply

The three FPC documents describe eligibility in different words, and the application form is the narrowest. The NOFA accepts nonprofits tax-exempt under any part of section 501(c) that serve Georgia, have a facility there, and show a security need. It excludes individuals, businesses, public entities, and debarred or suspended organizations.

The application form limits eligibility to organizations described in section 501(c)(3) and tax-exempt under 501(a) that have been "disproportionately affected by" hate-motivated violence and terrorist or violent extremist acts and threats. The organization must be domestic, able to operate legally in Georgia, and seeking money for a facility physically located in Georgia. Page 1 asks the applicant to answer yes or no that it meets those requirements. An organization exempt under another part of 501(c) should ask GEMA/HS in writing before applying.

The form adds site rules that disqualify applications outright:

• One facility per applicant, and one investment justification per facility.
• Only one nonprofit may apply per building or address. If two organizations at one address apply, every request from that address is ineligible. The funded security may still benefit other nonprofits in the building.
• The organization must occupy and operate from the site when it applies. A tenant must have the owner's permission for the proposed security.
• A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is not required to apply, but the organization must have a valid UEI when GEMA/HS makes awards. If you don't have one, start the SAM.gov registration now.

The form places emphasis on houses of worship "and their core operations and facilities," which it says may include cultural landmarks and museums, pre-K and K-12 schools, after-care programs, and senior living facilities. It also states there is "NO scoring preference" for any religious affiliation. Churches, synagogues and mosques will find their federal options on the church, synagogue and mosque guides.

What FPC pays for in FY2027

FY2027 FPC money pays only for security personnel. Section VI of the NOFA allows contract security guard and officer services, armed or unarmed contracted personnel "when justified and legally permissible," contracted law enforcement officer details, and law enforcement overtime for eligible security activities. It lists no equipment. The form narrows the personnel to off-duty active state, county or municipal law enforcement officers, or security officers registered and licensed in Georgia, and says "only costs for security personnel that fit the above description will be eligible for reimbursement."

Other limits from the NOFA and form:

• Security for off-site events is allowed "under special conditions," but only within Georgia.
• Personnel used for municipally required traffic control in and out of the facility are ineligible.
• Contracted law enforcement must supplement, not replace, the agency's normal duties, unless the agreement and GEMA/HS authorize otherwise.
• Management and administration (M&A) costs, routine operations, general administration and costs outside the approved budget are unallowable.

For how guard coverage is planned, priced and documented under federal rules, see security guard grants.

Award size, match, payment and timing

Awards run from $25,000 to $150,000, with no cost share or match (NOFA sections III and VIII). The form adds that a request over $150,000 "will not be considered." It also states plainly: "This is a reimbursement grant." The organization pays the guard company or police agency first and then claims the cost from GEMA/HS, so it should plan the cash to carry coverage until each claim is paid.

The period of performance runs October 1, 2026, to June 1, 2027. GEMA/HS plans to review applications in November 2026 and lists the award announcement date as "TBD." Costs incurred outside the authorized period of performance are not allowable unless GEMA/HS authorizes them in writing (NOFA section XV). Because the period begins before awards are announced, an organization should not start coverage it expects FPC to repay until it holds a signed award, or until GEMA/HS confirms in writing that earlier costs will be accepted.

What to submit

Applications go only through the GEMA/HS grants portal, and the form says they must be submitted "as completed Adobe PDF files." Section IX of the NOFA lists the minimum package:

• Investment Justification. The GEMA/HS fillable application, Form 86v2 FY 27 FPC (eight pages), one per facility.
• Project narrative. Mission, location, threat and vulnerability assessment, existing measures and gaps, the personnel, hours and dates requested, outcomes, coordination with local police, and justification for the amount.
• Detailed budget. Rates, number of personnel, estimated hours, total project cost, the FPC request, and any other funding for the project.
• Budget narrative. How each cost was calculated and why it is reasonable, necessary and allocable.
• If police are contracted (section XIII). Documents such as a memorandum of understanding or agency agreement, the agency's authorization, scope, rates, liability terms and civil-rights documentation.
• If a security company is used (section XIV). Vendor selection, scope, headcount, hours, rates, qualifications, insurance, supervision and cost reasonableness.

The NOFA warns that applications "lacking required documentation may be deemed ineligible." The 2026 NOFA required a 501(c) determination letter, but the FY2027 NOFA does not name one. Congregations without an IRS letter, and anyone unsure, should ask GEMA/HS whether to attach proof of exempt status.

How GEMA/HS scores the form

The form is scored out of 50 points, and GEMA/HS security experts review it for completeness, adherence to program guidelines, feasibility and how well the costs address the identified risk. Its largest parts are:

• Background, 20 points. Up to 10 for the site's symbolic value as a recognized local or historic institution, 5 if the applicant is a house of worship or an ideology-based, spiritual or religious organization, and 5 if the money protects a house of worship or its core operations.
• Risk, 15 points. Threats, vulnerabilities and consequences. The form asks for incidents and specific threats within the past three years, police reports and insurance claims, and an overview of the organization's security-focused emergency operations plan, which GEMA/HS may ask to see in full.
• Use of security personnel, 10 points. A table with one row per officer or guard: the vulnerability addressed, whether the position is new or additional, hours per week, weeks per year, average rate and total cost.

Smaller items cover the project manager, measurable outcomes and funding history. The form asks for the name, address and contact for the law enforcement agency you would use, and says that information "shall be used as the 'approved provider(s)'," so confirm the agency's willingness and rates before you list it. A prior history of misuse of federal grant funding costs 15 points and, if severe, may disqualify the application.

Procurement

Section XII of the NOFA applies State of Georgia procurement rules and GEMA/HS policies. Recipients must be able to show competition where required, cost reasonableness, how they selected the vendor, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and quotes or proposals where required. The NOFA bars splitting or structuring purchases to avoid those rules. Ask GEMA/HS which Georgia thresholds apply before you sign a guard contract. NSGP procurement requirements covers the federal rules, which apply to NSGP awards, not FPC.

The documents don't say whether the October 1 applicant webinar was recorded. Send that question, and the open questions above, to hsgrants@gema.ga.gov before October 30, and keep the written answers with your application file.

The 2026 FPC round (closed)

The 2026 FPC NOFA offered an estimated $3,000,000 with the same $25,000 minimum and $150,000 maximum and no match. Applications opened May 8 and closed at 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 22, 2026. The 2026 NOFA allowed contract security, contract law enforcement details, and equipment from FEMA Authorized Equipment List categories 14 and 15, but the 2026 application form said only security-personnel costs were reimbursable. The FY2027 notice resolves that conflict by listing personnel only.

The 2026 form set the period of performance at June 15, 2026, to May 1, 2027. We found no published list or count of 2026 awards. A 2026 award holder should follow its own award documents.

Federal NSGP through GEMA/HS

GEMA/HS accepted FY2026 NSGP applications from June 26 to July 15, 2026. Its NSGP page says applications "must be received by the deadline" and gives no time of day. FEMA later moved its own deadline for SAAs to 5 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026 (Information Bulletin 579), and we found no GEMA/HS notice moving the July 15 date. See NSGP deadlines for other states' dates.

How Georgia took applications

Georgia accepts NSGP applications "only online" through the Georgia EM Grants Manager System at ga.emgrants.com. The NSGP page lists three items every applicant must submit: the Investment Justification, a mission statement and a vulnerability assessment. It warns that "failure to turn in the above items within the allotted timeframe will result in your grant application being forfeited." The page also mentions a risk assessment, a cost estimate and a cost-benefit showing without saying whether they are separate files. It links the free CISA Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment.

The page doesn't say whether a portal account must exist before the window opens. FPC uses the same system. The how-to-apply guide covers SAM.gov and the federal forms.

Which stream a site uses

Georgia has one FY2026 urban area, the Atlanta Area (FY2026 NOFO, Appendix B). A site inside that area applies under NSGP-UA, and every other Georgia site applies under NSGP-S. The GEMA/HS page doesn't list the Atlanta footprint, and its stream descriptions still refer to "FY 2025" urban areas. The NOFO tells nonprofits to ask the SAA for the footprint and disqualifies an application filed in the wrong stream, so confirm a site's stream with GEMA/HS in writing before drafting.

These are total federal allocations, which include the SAA's 5% for management and administration, so they exceed what is available for nonprofit subawards. The state lookup table uses the same basis. An organization may apply for up to $200,000 per site and up to three sites per stream, with a combined limit of $600,000 in Georgia. GEMA/HS posts FEMA's FY2026 Key Changes sheet, which repeats those limits and the 15 points added for organizations never funded by NSGP. The NSGP program guide explains eligibility and scoring nationally.

After the window

The NSGP page gives a projected federal period of performance of September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2029. FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026 (FEMA), but GEMA/HS had posted no Georgia subaward list by October 15. Its page also doesn't state how GEMA/HS pays NSGP subawards. The executed subaward controls; see after the award.

Schools and local programs

We found no Georgia state security grant for nonpublic schools. A nonprofit private or religious school may still apply to FPC if its legal entity meets the form's eligibility statement, and the form names pre-K and K-12 schools among a house of worship's core operations. For federal NSGP, see private and religious school security grants.

We also found no verifiable county or city nonprofit security grant in the Atlanta area. This page doesn't cover every county, municipal or private source.

Programs compared

Holding FPC and NSGP at once

A federal NSGP award does not block FPC. The form says a prior NSGP award "will not prohibit" an FPC award; GEMA/HS uses the history for vetting and for the funding-history points. The FPC NOFA does bar "duplicate costs funded through another federal, state, local, or private funding source."

The overlap matters because both programs can pay for guards. The FPC form says that "unlike the federal NSGP grant" FPC allows off-duty officers, but the FY2026 NSGP NOFO also allows contracted security, including off-duty law enforcement working as contract security, and lets a subrecipient spend up to 100% of its award on it. An organization with an NSGP guard line and an FPC award at the same site should assign each shift, invoice and payment to one program, and describe the split in the FPC budget's "other funding sources" line.

Official documents

If GEMA/HS issues a newer notice, form or instruction than these, the newer document controls.

Last checked and change log

Last checked: October 15, 2026, against the GEMA/HS FPC, NSGP and Preparedness Grants pages; the 2027 FPC NOFA and FY 27 application form; the 2026 FPC NOFA and form; the FY2026 NSGP Key Changes sheet; and FEMA's FY2026 NOFO, Information Bulletin 579 and September 28, 2026 announcement.

• October 2026: Page published. FPC FY2027 open, due October 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EDT (the NOFA header's October 31 date conflicts with the rest of the notice). FPC 2026 closed May 22, 2026. FY2026 NSGP closed in Georgia July 15, 2026; no Georgia award list found.