The Nonprofit Security Grant Program: who qualifies and how it works

How NSGP works

Through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, FEMA funds physical security and related work at nonprofits at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack. FEMA does not take applications from nonprofits. Each state's State Administrative Agency (SAA) is the formal applicant and award recipient. Your nonprofit is a "subapplicant," and it becomes a "subrecipient" if selected (FY2026 NOFO, Eligibility).

The SAA sets the nonprofit deadline and submission method, reviews each complete application, and scores the Investment Justification under the NOFO's Appendix D criteria. FEMA conducts the federal review, applies the score multiplier and first-time bonus, and makes funding recommendations. The Secretary of Homeland Security makes the final funding decisions. If selected, the nonprofit receives and administers its subaward through the SAA.

The FY2026 round provided $300 million for planning, equipment, training, exercises, contracted security, and limited management and administration costs. The NOFO and Authorized Equipment List determine whether a particular project is allowable within those categories.

Who can apply for NSGP?

The FY2026 notice requires an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt under section 501(a). The application must show that the nonprofit is at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack and must use the funding stream for its address. FEMA's examples include houses of worship, museums, educational facilities, senior centers, community centers, and day camps. Private colleges and universities with 501(c)(3) status also qualify.

Houses of worship don't need an IRS letter. The IRS doesn't require churches, mosques, and synagogues to apply for recognition of exemption, because they are exempt automatically if they meet the 501(c)(3) requirements. The FY2026 notice says these organizations "are not required to provide recognition of exemption." Your state's checklist may still ask for other governing or nonprofit documents, so read it before you assume you're set.

Government bodies are not eligible, and that includes public school districts. FDEM's 2024 Florida NSGP application guide lists "Municipal/Public Schools" and "Government Entities" among ineligible organizations, along with for-profit hospitals and colleges. A public charter school run by a nonprofit should get its SAA's answer in writing before investing in an application.

The site is part of eligibility:

• Each application covers one site, location, or physical address that the nonprofit occupies when it applies. A P.O. box does not qualify.
• The FY2026 Investment Justification form allows only one nonprofit applicant per building, facility, physical structure, or address. Multiple requests from the same address are all ineligible.
• Each site needs a site-specific vulnerability assessment. The NOFO warns that failing to provide a unique assessment for each site "may result in the rejection of the application."

NSGP-UA and NSGP-S

NSGP has two funding streams, each funded at $150 million in FY2026. NSGP-UA (Urban Area) serves nonprofits inside one of 44 designated high-risk urban areas. NSGP-S (State) serves nonprofits outside those areas. Each address belongs in one stream.

An organization with sites in both an urban area and the rest of its state can apply in both streams. SAA contacts and every state's allocation are in security grants by state.

How much an organization can request

A nonprofit may request up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites per funding stream, not to exceed $600,000 per organization per state (FY2026 NOFO, Eligibility section D). With sites in both streams in one state, that means up to six applications under the same $600,000 cap. An organization with sites in several states can apply in each. There is no cost share.

Each site requires a separate Investment Justification and vulnerability assessment, even when several sites propose similar projects.

How applications are scored and selected

The SAA screens each package and scores the Investment Justification (IJ) under the Appendix D criteria, which total 40 points. It also validates the organization type and ranks the applications. Incomplete or administratively noncompliant packages, applications in the wrong stream, ineligible organizations, and applicants with a history of poor grant performance are disqualified before competitive scoring (FY2026 NOFO, Application Review Information).

During the federal review, FEMA applies the multiplier to the SAA score and adds the first-time bonus. The multiplier is ×3 for ideology-based, spiritual, or religious entities, including houses of worship, educational institutions, and medical facilities; ×2 for secular medical and educational institutions; and ×1 for all other nonprofits. An organization that has never received an NSGP award gets 15 additional points.

For applications the SAA recommends, FEMA reviews eligibility, project allowability, feasibility, and effectiveness. After competitive scoring and selection, DHS separately checks each potential subrecipient's name and physical address against intelligence reporting. FEMA makes funding recommendations in descending final-score order within each state or urban area, and the Secretary of Homeland Security makes the final funding decisions. The Investment Justification guide explains the Appendix D sections and common form errors.

Current status: FY2026 and FY2027

The FY2026 round is complete at the federal level. FEMA published the notice on June 24, 2026. Information Bulletin 579 moved the SAA submission deadline from July 24 to 5 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026. Nonprofits were subject to earlier state deadlines, and most of those did not move. On September 28, 2026, FEMA announced $300 million for more than 1,600 nonprofits.

As of October 14, 2026, FEMA has not published the FY2027 notice. The House Appropriations Committee approved its Homeland Security bill after adopting a manager's amendment that raised the NSGP amount from the base bill's $315 million to $355 million. That committee action is not an appropriation.

NSGP deadlines tracks the federal status and each state's most recent nonprofit deadline.

Recent selection rates

For FY2025, FEMA initially reported that states forwarded roughly 6,000 applications for federal review and about 1,600 were selected, a rate of about 27% (Jewish Insider, July 30, 2026). States had received more than 8,000 applications, so the share selected from all state submissions was about 20% (Jewish Insider, August 4, 2026).

For FY2026, FEMA funded more than 1,600 nonprofits from more than 7,000 applications, a rate under 23% (Jewish Insider, September 30, 2026).

"Not selected" is different from "ineligible." An eligible application can score well and still fall below the funding line in a crowded pool. The FY2026 NOFO requires SAAs to notify subapplicants that weren't selected within 90 days of accepting their own NSGP award. The difference between ineligible, incomplete, and not selected, and what to do in each case, is covered in NSGP application mistakes.

Application and award details

The nonprofit submits its package to the SAA by the state's deadline, using a separate Investment Justification and vulnerability assessment for each site. States add their own forms and portal requirements. The full sequence is in how to apply for NSGP, with separate guidance on vulnerability assessments.

Verify proposed costs against the NSGP allowable-cost rules before finalizing a budget. If selected, follow the post-award compliance sequence before ordering equipment or beginning work.