Security grants in Ohio: NSGP through Ohio EMA, the Ohio Security Grant, and school programs

Programs at a glance, October 15, 2026

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency (Ohio EMA), part of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Ohio EMA also runs the State of Ohio Security Grant (OSG), which the Governor's office says is offered "as part of the operating budget" (Governor, April 6, 2026). Schools have two more routes: the Attorney General's School Safety Grants and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) School Safety and Security Grant (SSSG).

Federal NSGP through Ohio EMA

Ohio EMA collects Ohio's applications, reviews them, and forwards Investment Justifications (IJs) to FEMA, which "will score applications and make final award decisions" (Ohio EMA FY2024 instructions). On October 15, 2026, Ohio EMA's NSGP page said only that the FY2026 application period "is closed." It posted no dates, forms, webinar or FAQ. Send questions to NSGP@dps.ohio.gov.

The FY2026 deadline is not on Ohio EMA's pages

We could not verify Ohio's FY2026 nonprofit deadline on any Ohio EMA page or document. A Clinton County EMA post from July 1, 2026, said applications were due to Ohio EMA by noon ET on July 10, 2026. Treat that date as unconfirmed. Ohio's earlier rounds used a noon ET deadline too: May 21, 2024 for FY2024 (FY2024 instructions), and December 18, 2024 for the National Security Supplemental (NSS) round (NSS instructions).

FEMA later moved its own deadline for SAAs to 5 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026 (Information Bulletin 579). That date is for Ohio EMA, not for nonprofits, and we found no Ohio EMA notice of a later nonprofit date. NSGP deadlines lists Ohio beside other states.

Funding streams and FY2026 allocations

The FY2026 NOFO gives Ohio three NSGP-UA allocations: Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. The figures below are total federal allocations, including the state administrative share. The nonprofit portions total $5,413,315. Our state lookup table uses the same total-allocation basis.

Ohio EMA's FY2024 and NSS instructions sent sites in Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton counties to NSGP-UA and every other site to NSGP-S. We found no FY2026 county list from Ohio EMA. The NOFO tells applicants to contact the SAA for each urban area's footprint, and it disqualifies an application filed in the wrong stream. Before the next round, ask NSGP@dps.ohio.gov in writing which stream each of your sites belongs to.

An organization with sites in both streams could apply in each, up to three sites per stream, but its combined FY2026 Ohio request could not exceed $600,000.

How Ohio EMA took applications in recent rounds

Ohio EMA has not posted FY2026 instructions that we could find. Its FY2024 and NSS instructions are the newest available, and they describe an email process with no portal and no separate registration deadline. Use them to prepare, not as the FY2026 rule:

For those past rounds, applicants emailed one set of attachments per site to NSGP@dps.ohio.gov. Ohio EMA required the fillable Investment Justification in its original format, a mission statement on letterhead and a site vulnerability assessment. It rejected extra documents and cloud-storage links. The FY2024 instructions also required stream-specific file names, site rankings for multiple applications and project descriptions without brands or vendors. These were past-round instructions, not confirmed FY2026 or FY2027 rules.

One FY2026 requirement may not fit that three-document rule. The FY2026 NOFO says subapplicants "must submit short bios and resumes" covering the entity type, leadership and board members, with names and addresses. Ask Ohio EMA how it wants them before the next deadline. The general sequence is in how to apply for NSGP.

The FY2024 instructions noted that FEMA had waived the Unique Entity ID (UEI) on the IJ that year, while awardees still needed one to accept funding. The FY2026 NOFO did not make that a standing Ohio rule. Keep SAM.gov active before the next notice.

Vulnerability assessments

Ohio EMA's FY2024 instructions allowed an earlier assessment of the same site if no substantive change made it inaccurate. Schools may request a free assessment from the Ohio School Safety Center (Governor, September 2, 2025). Federal NSGP funds cannot pay for the assessment or the Investment Justification. See the assessment guide.

Awards and payment

FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026 (FEMA press release). We found no Ohio EMA list of FY2026 subawards. Ohio EMA has not posted how it pays NSGP subrecipients, so confirm the payment model and any payee setup when your agreement arrives. Under the NOFO, FEMA must approve each reimbursement request before the state draws funds. The post-award guide covers environmental review, procurement, reimbursement and reporting.

State of Ohio Security Grant (OSG)

Ohio EMA administers OSG with Ohio Homeland Security under House Bill 96 (OSG page). The SFY2026 FAQ says no federal funds or UEI were involved. Ohio ran two rounds within about seven months, but no official source establishes that as a future schedule.

The SFY2026 terms come from the SFY2026 notice and FAQ. That notice sets the October 24 close at noon. The SFY2027 notice returned "not found" on October 14 and 15, 2026, and the Governor's release gives a May 15 date but no closing time. The SFY2027 cap, match, payment and performance terms remain unconfirmed.

Who qualifies

The SFY2026 notice funds security improvements that help an organization prevent, prepare for or respond to "acts of terrorism," and it defines terrorism as acts meant to intimidate or coerce the organization, its people or their families. It sets no hate-crime category test. Four kinds of applicants qualify:

• A 501(c)(3) nonprofit with active filing status as a nonprofit corporation with the Ohio Secretary of State.
• A house of worship, which states on the IJ that it meets the 501(c)(3) requirements and names its affiliation with a recognized religion.
• A chartered nonpublic school that holds a state board charter, complies with the Operating Standards for Ohio's Schools, and has an Information Retrieval Number (IRN) from the Ohio Department of Education.
• A preschool actively licensed by the Ohio Department of Education, with an IRN.

Public schools, public libraries, public colleges and community schools are not eligible (SFY26 FAQ). The notice also says an application may be ruled ineligible if the person who submits it is not a current employee or agent of the organization and authorized to apply for it. The organization's own representative should submit.

For SFY2026, a site was a unique address. Buildings with different primary functions at one address could count separately. Separate entities sharing an address each needed an assessment and application. See private and religious school grants.

What OSG pays for, and what it doesn't

The SFY2026 notice allowed listed physical-security equipment, contracted security and related training. It excluded pre-award costs, assessments, application costs, grant management, staff salaries, subscriptions, firearms, self-defense training, generators, drones, panic rooms and vestibules, among other items. OSG and federal NSGP use different cost lists. Check each item against the notice for the applicable round.

The application

The SFY2026 package had two parts: the online application on the OSG page and the OSG Vulnerability Assessment Worksheet. The assessment was the only document accepted with the application, so no quotes. Ohio EMA offered an Excel version of the IJ for drafting offline, and the FAQ suggests printing the expanded online form to keep a record. Staff do not help individual applicants because the grant is competitive; questions go to OSG@dps.ohio.gov or the webinars.

The FAQ lists an incomplete assessment, mismatched budget sections, ineligible costs, blank fields and late submission as reasons for denial. It recommends updating assessments at least every three years. Other SFY2026 rules included:

• A vendor or contractor that helps develop an application "will be disqualified" from supplying goods or services under the award (FAQ 17).
• Ohio EMA's decisions are "not subject to appeal or review," and awards depend on the state budget director certifying that funds are available.

After an OSG award

Planning can start at any time, but the organization may not buy equipment or start services until Ohio EMA has the executed Grant Award Agreement and has approved the organization's procurement process (SFY26 FAQ). The FAQ warns that confirming payee "Remit To" information is not the executed agreement. In SFY2026, Ohio EMA paid 10% of the award shortly after receiving the signed agreement and paid the rest after the organization showed completed work, competitive procurement and expenditures.

A security-services contract needs Ohio EMA procurement review unless an earlier OSG award paid the same firm. Ohio EMA provides procurement guidance after the agreement is signed. The procurement guide covers federal NSGP; OSG follows Ohio EMA's rules.

Attorney General School Safety Grants

The Ohio Attorney General offered $9.01 million in FY26 school safety grants, funded through House Bill 96, for the 2026–27 school year (Attorney General, October 27, 2025). There were two grants, and a school organization could apply for one or both: a formula grant of $2,500 or $4.50 per student, whichever is greater, and a program-based grant of up to $40,000 regardless of enrollment. Both were first-come, first-served until funds ran out, through the Ohio Grants Portal. Questions go to SchoolSafetyGrants@OhioAGO.gov.

Nonpublic schools

The release says "every school district is eligible." The Ohio Grants Portal listings for the FY26 program-based and FY26 formula grants list "Chartered Non-Public Schools" among eligible applicants. The appropriation text quoted there limits the grants to "public and chartered nonpublic schools," educational service centers, local law enforcement agencies, and county developmental disabilities board schools. The sources name chartered nonpublic schools only. A private school without a state charter should ask the Attorney General's office before planning on this grant.

The listings required one request at the district, board or organization level, using the organization's IRN. Schools had to involve the county sheriff or local police in funded programs and training, except mental-health training. Both listings say no match was required. The Attorney General list includes license-plate-reader alerts, which federal NSGP bars.

Status and conflicting dates

The FY26 round is closed. The release gave May 29, 2026 as the deadline, but the two portal listings show different registration and project dates. No FY27 opportunity appeared on the Ohio Grants Partnership list on October 15, 2026. The FY26 sources don't state a payment method.

BWC School Safety and Security Grant

BWC runs this program under Policy SP-19-04. Neither the policy nor the program page identifies the underlying funding source, so this page does not call it state-funded.

Eligibility

Eligibility runs through the employer's workers' compensation coverage, not its tax status. The applicant must be a state-fund private employer or public employer taxing district with employees who work with students. Eligible employers include public and private K-12 schools, charter schools, joint vocational school districts, and preschools licensed by the Ohio Department of Education or the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Colleges, self-insuring employers, professional and alternate employer organizations, and state agencies are not eligible.

The program page also requires current BWC payments, at least one year in existence and one full policy year of payroll or true-up reporting. Additional coverage and licensing conditions apply.

Items, amounts and match

BWC pays only for items on its list. Security items include doors and locking mechanisms, security glass and window film, entrance barriers, access-control systems, metal detectors, cameras, responder communications and panic alarms.

An employer may receive up to $40,000 in BWC funds per three-year eligibility cycle, which starts on the date of the earliest grant award. BWC gives $3 for every $1 the employer contributes. In the policy's example, trauma kits with a total cost of $5,000 carry a $1,250 employer match, and BWC's $3,750 share counts against the $40,000. BWC's application instructions say a grant writer's cost does not count toward the match.

Applying and reporting

Applications go through the BWC Grant and Program Management Portal. Required setup includes:

• An active OhioPays Supplier ID whose name and address match the BWC policy and W-9.
• Three detailed quotes, or one quote with a sole-source letter.
• A Budget and Statement of Agreement signed by a person with fiduciary responsibility.

BWC says payment arrives about six to eight weeks after approval. Buying, paying a deposit or taking delivery before approval can require repayment. The employer then has 120 days to install the items and submit invoices and proof of payment. A case study is due after one year; failure to submit it requires repayment.

Applying to more than one program

The SFY26 OSG FAQ allows applicants with other grants but bars reimbursement for costs covered elsewhere. We found no Ohio EMA rule on holding NSGP and OSG awards at one site. Ask both program offices before including related work in both applications.

Each program has its own cost list. License-plate-reader alerts appear in the Attorney General's list but are barred under NSGP, while OSG excludes vestibules and window darkening film. Never charge the same cost to two awards. See reimbursement requests.

The synagogue, church and mosque guides cover NSGP questions specific to those organizations.

Official documents

If an agency sends you a newer notice or form, the newer document controls.

Last checked and change log

Last checked: October 15, 2026, against Ohio EMA's NSGP and OSG pages, its FY2024 and NSS instructions, and the SFY2026 OSG notice and FAQ; the Governor's releases of September 2, 2025 and April 6, 2026; the Attorney General's release and FY26 Ohio Grants Portal listings; BWC's program page, application instructions and Policy SP-19-04; and FEMA's FY2026 NOFO, Information Bulletin 579 and award announcement. Other states' agencies and programs are in the state lookup table.

• October 2026: Page published. Ohio EMA's FY2026 NSGP window is closed, and its deadline is unconfirmed on Ohio EMA's own pages. The SFY2027 OSG round closed May 15, 2026, with no next round announced. BWC's School Safety and Security Grant was open with no posted deadline.