Security grants in Indiana: federal NSGP and the Secured School Safety Grant

Status on October 16, 2026

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Its Grants Management section also runs the state-funded Secured School Safety Grant (SSSG). NSGP questions go to grants@dhs.in.gov; SSSG questions go through the Grants Support Ticket link on the SSSG page.

Federal NSGP through IDHS

Nonprofits apply to IDHS, not to FEMA. For FY2026, IDHS took applications by email to grants@dhs.in.gov and used no application portal. The IDHS NSGP page set the deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 9, 2026, and said, "Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered for grant funding." FEMA later moved its own deadline for SAAs to July 31, 2026 (Information Bulletin 579); we found no IDHS notice moving the nonprofit deadline. NSGP deadlines compares Indiana's date with other states'.

The FY2026 NSGP-S instructions gave both 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. EDT in different sections. When IDHS documents disagree on a time, plan to the earlier one.

Which stream a site uses

Indiana has one FY2026 urban area, the Indianapolis Area (FY2026 NOFO, Appendix B). IDHS defines it by county: a site in Marion or Hamilton County applies under NSGP-UA, and a site anywhere else applies under NSGP-S. IDHS posts separate instructions and file names for each stream. The NOFO disqualifies an application filed in the wrong stream, so check the site's county before anyone drafts.

These are total federal allocations, which include the SAA's 5% for management and administration (M&A). The amount available for nonprofit subawards is smaller. The state lookup table uses the same basis. In FY2026 an organization could request up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites, and IDHS repeats the $600,000 combined limit in its instructions. The NSGP program guide covers national eligibility and scoring.

The five documents IDHS required in FY2026

IDHS's instructions say, "Submissions must include all five (5) documents to be considered for submission to FEMA."

1. The FY2026 Investment Justification (IJ). It must stay a fillable PDF. IDHS says not to convert it, add pages or scan it. The NSGP page adds that it should be opened in a PDF reader, not a web browser.
2. The vulnerability assessment. IDHS sets no required format and offers an optional Indiana assessment template. A prior assessment may be reused if it is no more than three years old and nothing substantive has changed. IDHS asks applicants to list on the assessment which vulnerabilities they want grant funds to fix, so every item in the IJ should trace to one of them.
3. A mission statement on letterhead. IDHS uses it to confirm the organization type: ideology-based, spiritual or religious; educational; medical; or other.
4. A signed W-9.
5. A signed Automated Direct Deposit form. IDHS uses this form and the W-9 to set up a state Supplier ID. An organization that already has one should put the number in the submission email.

IDHS listed no photos and no proof of 501(c)(3) status among the five attachments. Applicants need a UEI and active SAM.gov registration. The NSGP page warns that registration can take "four weeks or more," and that a renewal or update needs an original signed, notarized letter confirming the entity administrator. The how-to-apply guide explains the federal document set.

IDHS's rule on grant writers and vendors

The IDHS NSGP page states: "grant writers/consultants cannot complete the Investment Justifications and then receive the work that is paid for using NSGP funds." IDHS also requires fair competition under 2 CFR 200.319 and 200.320.

FEMA likewise bars contractors that help develop grant applications, project plans or budgets from competing for the resulting procurement (FY2026 NOFO). The procurement guide covers that rule.

After selection

FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026 (FEMA). On October 16 the IDHS NSGP page still carried an older banner saying FY2025 awards "are still waiting for FEMA decisions," so ask IDHS about your application rather than infer a result.

IDHS links its Post-Award Grants Manual (2023) from the NSGP page. It says, "All payments to sub-recipients are made on a reimbursement basis only. No advance payments are allowed," requires direct deposit, and says quarterly reports must be current before invoices are paid. The manual covers all IDHS awards, so the executed subaward controls where they differ. Plan to pay vendors first, and sign no contracts before the subaward is signed; see after the award and reimbursement requests.

The Secured School Safety Grant

The SSSG was created in 2013 and is codified at Indiana Code 10-21-1. IDHS calls it "a dedicated state fund that provides matching grants" (SSSG page). The FY2027 notice says the General Assembly "allocated $27.1 million in the budget for FY26-27" for the program. The Secured School Safety Board makes final decisions "at its sole discretion" (FY2027 SSSG notice).

Who can apply

The FY2027 notice says:

"Eligible applicants include school corporations, accredited non-public (i.e., private) schools, charter schools and coalitions of school corporations applying jointly."

Schools sharing one Employer Identification Number get one application per cycle, which can hold several projects. A private or religious school must also meet every one of these conditions, all from the FY2027 notice:

• Accreditation. The school must be an accredited nonpublic school. The notice does not define which accreditation counts, so a school unsure of its status should ask IDHS before applying.
• Not virtual. Virtual accredited nonpublic schools are not eligible under IC 10-21-1-0.5. The notice defines a virtual school as one offering 51 percent or more of instruction off-site through online or computer-based learning.
• A county school safety commission. The Board may not award a grant to a school in a county without one (IC 10-21-1-4). The notice says to ask the local sheriff's department.
• A site vulnerability assessment. The school certifies that it assessed each school building it uses before applying.
• A mental-health memorandum of understanding. The school certifies an MOU with a community mental health center or a state-certified or licensed provider, or employs such a provider.
• A reviewed safety plan. New for FY2027, the school certifies that its governing body or organizer reviewed its school safety plan.
• State registrations. The school must be registered in IntelliGrants, the state grant system, and as an active supplier and an active bidder with the state of Indiana.

What it pays for

The SSSG page lists school resource officer or law enforcement officer salary and fringe; assessments and critical incident digital mapping; equipment to restrict access, manage visitors, speed first-responder notice and entry, show door status, detect threats, and support emergency communication and medical response; security-focused construction; canines; training; support and bullying-prevention programs; and active event warning system set-up.

The FY2027 notice lists items "frequently denied," including pre-award costs, go-bags, pepper spray, weapons, personal protective equipment, vehicles and bus cameras not monitored in real time. It also bars equipment that violates fire or building codes, impedes a safe exit, or requires a key or "special knowledge or effort" to exit. The notice says a push button that releases an electronic lock on the exit side counts as special knowledge and is unallowable. Schools planning door hardware should read access control grants and involve the fire marshal early.

Match and payment

Any school may request up to $100,000. The match depends on the school's average daily membership (ADM) or enrollment and on the amount requested (FY2027 notice, Appendix B):

Active event warning system set-up needs no match. Otherwise the match must be cash or in-kind, must itself be allowable, is not reimbursed, and must be spent before or alongside grant funds. "Other state or federal grants are not allowed for match," so a school cannot use an NSGP award to meet its SSSG match.

The SSSG pays by reimbursement through "Fiscal Reports" in IntelliGrants, limited to three a year. Each request needs an invoice and proof of payment, and partial requests must show the match. Fiscal reports are due each trimester even when the school requests nothing. The SSSG page describes advances from the Common School Fund for "a school corporation or charter school" with an award. It does not mention nonpublic schools, so a private school should not plan on an advance unless IDHS confirms one in writing.

The FY2027 round and the next one

The FY2027 round opened at 8 a.m. EDT on June 1, 2026, and closed at 4:30 p.m. EDT on June 30, 2026. Its performance period runs from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2027, and no project or match spending may start before September 1, 2026, or before the award letter. IDHS posted FY2027 awards totaling $26,934,220.86. The notice says a grantee may be asked to adjust its budget as a condition of a partial award.

As history only: the FY2026 round ran from June 2 to June 30, 2025 (FY2026 notice), and the FY2027 round ran through June 2026. IDHS has not announced the next round, and we don't predict one. The MOU, the county commission check and the state registrations take time, so a school can settle them before any notice.

Programs compared

Using both programs

A nonprofit private or religious school can pursue both. For NSGP, IDHS uses the mission statement to confirm its organization type, which drives the NOFO's scoring multiplier; see private and religious school security grants.

We found no IDHS rule on holding both awards at once. NSGP money cannot count as SSSG match, and no cost can be claimed twice. Keep each award's scope and invoices separate, and ask IDHS before planning overlapping projects at one building.

Official documents

If IDHS issues a newer notice, form or instruction than these, the newer document controls.

Other states' agencies and programs are in the state lookup table.

Last checked and change log

Last checked: October 16, 2026, against the IDHS and FEMA documents listed above and the SSSG match page.

• October 2026: Page published. FY2026 NSGP closed in Indiana July 9, 2026; no Indiana award list found. SSSG FY2027 round closed June 30, 2026, with awards posted; next round not announced. No statewide program for houses of worship or other nonprofits was identified in this review.