Programs at a glance, October 14, 2026
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) runs two state-funded grants, and it calls its nonprofit fund "separate and distinct" from PEMA's program (PCCD 2026 Fall funding announcement).
| Item | NSGP (federal) | Nonprofit Security Grant Fund (state) | Targeted School Safety, nonpublic schools (state) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrator | PEMA, as SAA; FEMA makes final selections | PCCD | PCCD's School Safety and Security Committee |
| Who can apply | 501(c)(3) nonprofits at high risk of terrorist or other extremist attack, for a Pennsylvania site they occupy when applying (NSGP guide) | Pennsylvania 501(c)(3) nonprofits, including churches that claim automatic exemption, that principally serve a group in an FBI single-bias hate crime category | Nonpublic schools with grade 1 and above; also municipalities, police agencies, and approved vendors supplying school security personnel |
| Allowable uses | Planning, listed equipment, training and exercises, contracted security, and limited management and administration (M&A) (allowable costs) | The Act 83 list, from planning and equipment to structural upgrades, assessments, and specialty-trained canines | Physical security, mental health supports, school security personnel, assessments, and training |
| Maximum | $200,000 per site, up to three sites per stream, $600,000 per organization in the state (FY2026) | $5,000 to $150,000 per request; Act 83 caps an applicant at $150,000 per fiscal year | $75,000 per applicant, projects up to 24 months (2025–26) |
| Match | None | None up to $25,000; 33% from $25,001 to $75,000; 50% from $75,001 to $150,000. Cash from non-state sources. | We found none in the 2025–26 announcement; confirm in the next one |
| Payment model | Reimbursement | Reimbursement of reported, eligible expenses | Reimbursement of actual expenses on quarterly fiscal reports |
| Status | FY2026 closed July 14, 2026. FEMA announced awards September 28, 2026 (FEMA); PEMA's award list was not yet posted. FY2027 notice not published. | 2026 Fall round ($10 million) closed September 10, 2026. PCCD's Commission votes December 9, 2026. No next round announced. | 2025–26 round ($20.7 million) closed March 30, 2026. PCCD says the 2026–27 solicitation "will be available in early 2027" (PCCD FY2026–27 announcement). |
| Next step | Before the FY2027 notice, keep SAM.gov active and searchable, set up a Keystone Login, and get a current assessment for each site | Applicants: watch for PCCD's mid-December email. Others: watch PCCD's active announcements. | Finish Egrants and Commonwealth vendor registration now |
| Official source | PEMA NSGP page | PCCD program page | PCCD 2025–26 announcement |
Two other PCCD school programs were open on October 14, 2026. The 2026–27 School Safety and Mental Health Grants, due at 11:59 p.m. on October 16, 2026, are formula grants limited to school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, and charter, regional charter, and cyber charter schools (PCCD FY2026–27 announcement). PCCD's 2026–27 CPR/AED Training for Nonpublic Schools announcement stays open until May 13, 2029, or until funds run out, but it is for training rather than security work (PCCD Active Funding Announcements).
We found no county or city security grant for nonprofits in Philadelphia, Allegheny, or Montgomery counties when we checked in October 2026, and that search was not exhaustive. PEMA's page sends applicants to their county contact for help with assessments; ask that office about local funding too.
Federal NSGP through PEMA
PEMA collects Pennsylvania's applications, reviews them for eligibility, scores each Investment Justification (IJ), and submits the state's package to FEMA, which makes the final selections. PEMA's NSGP page says it notifies awardees after it hears from the federal government. Send questions to NSGPgrant@pa.gov; the page also offers an email list for program updates.
FEMA published the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) on June 24, 2026, PEMA's Electronic Single Application (ESA) opened at 8 a.m. on June 29, and applications were due at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 (PEMA 2026 application tips slides). The slides name no time zone; PEMA is in Harrisburg, on Eastern Time. FEMA later moved its own deadline for SAAs to 5 p.m. ET on July 31 (Information Bulletin 579), and we found no PEMA notice moving the July 14 date. NSGP deadlines sets Pennsylvania's date beside other states'.
Funding stream by county
PEMA assigns the funding stream by county in its Program Designation by County document. Sites in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia urban areas apply under NSGP-UA (Urban Area); every other site applies under NSGP-S (State). The FY2026 NOFO disqualifies an application filed in the wrong stream.
| Stream | Counties | Total federal allocation | Amount for nonprofit projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Area (UA) | Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Washington, Westmoreland | $1,006,134 | $955,827 |
| Philadelphia Area (UA) | Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia | $1,470,721 | $1,397,185 |
| NSGP-S | The other 48 counties | $3,600,000 | $3,420,000 |
| Pennsylvania total | $6,076,855 | $5,773,012 |
The total federal allocation includes the 5% that PEMA may keep for its own management and administration, and it is the basis used in our state lookup table. The last column is the NOFO's "Actual" figure, the money left for nonprofit subawards. Because the Pittsburgh area reaches as far as Mercer, Venango, and Somerset counties, check each site's county on PEMA's list rather than going by the area's name.
Accounts to set up early
PEMA sets no separate registration deadline, but three things must be in place before anyone can submit.
- Keystone Login. The ESA runs on the Commonwealth's Keystone Login. After registering, you must return to the Single Application site to complete the application (ESA instructions). PEMA's page and its instructions give two different web addresses for the ESA, so start from the PEMA NSGP page when the window opens.
- SAM.gov. PEMA's page asks for at least a pending Unique Entity ID (UEI) that matches the name and address on the IJ. The 2026 slides go further: "Full registration is required," the organization "MUST be searchable in SAM.gov," and the IJ's legal name must match SAM.gov. FEMA warns that registration "can take several weeks" (FY2026 NOFO), so you should finish full registration well before the next window.
- ESA account settings. The settings describe the applicant, "not preparer," with "Non Profit" selected and the nine-digit Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) entered without the dash. The instructions say a state vendor (SAP) number is needed only to receive state money.
Documents PEMA required for FY2026
PEMA's page and slides list what to upload with the ESA application:
- The FY2026 IJ, one per site, named FY2026_NSGP_UA_PA_[Urban Area]_[Nonprofit Name] or FY2026_NSGP_S_PA_[Nonprofit Name]. PEMA says to save the form first and open it from your computer in an up-to-date desktop reader, not a browser or phone.
- A mission statement on official letterhead.
- A vulnerability assessment for each site, showing the site's full address. Combined assessments are not accepted. PEMA says the assessment "should be no older than three years from the date of application" and must be updated to remove vulnerabilities that have already been addressed.
- The IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter or a letter of exemption, with the required sentence shown on the online application's Attachments & Addenda page. PEMA's page says houses of worship that aren't required to obtain IRS recognition provide a letter of exemption instead.
- Incident documentation, such as police reports, if any.
PEMA asks applicants not to use special characters, such as commas, in file names. Its posted list doesn't mention the short bios and resumes that the FY2026 NOFO says subapplicants "must submit," covering the entity type and the names and addresses of leaders and board members. Ask PEMA how it wants those before the next deadline.
Inside the ESA, the budget total must match the IJ budget total, and Budget Justification must be checked as the basis of cost. The Certification page lists any errors to clear before you can submit, and the submitted application stays under Submitted Application for your records (ESA instructions). The general sequence is in how to apply for NSGP.
PEMA's own rules and cautions
PEMA's 2026 slides add PEMA's own guidance and repeat several "Tips from FEMA." Where the slides are stricter than the NOFO, you should plan to the slides.
| Topic | What PEMA says |
|---|---|
| Ineligible organizations | The slides' examples: government bodies; utility companies; for-profit hospitals, colleges, venues, and transportation companies; foundations; fire departments and EMS companies; organizations active in politics or lobbying; service clubs; homeowner associations; labor unions; and municipal, public, and charter schools. |
| Items listed as not eligible | Fire department key boxes ("Knox boxes" in PEMA's words), fencing around utilities or HVAC, accessibility (ADA) upgrades, fire suppression systems, weapons and weapons training, and cameras for license plate readers or facial recognition. Ask NSGPgrant@pa.gov before budgeting anything close to these. |
| Occupancy | The organization must occupy the facility when it applies, and NSGP "does not fund for projects currently under construction/renovation." |
| Budget | PEMA suggests adding 10 to 15% to estimated project costs for inflation. M&A, capped at 5% and based on actual costs, must be requested on the IJ. |
| Milestones | No dates outside the period of performance. Allow 90 days to six months for environmental and historic preservation (EHP) review, and longer where a site has archaeological, historical, or environmental issues. See EHP review. |
| Grant writers | Review a writer's work for errors. A grant writer's cost is not allowable, because it is a pre-award cost. |
| Same project, two programs | A FEMA tip on the slides: don't apply for the same project to NSGP and "the State NSGP program" at the same time. The slides don't name PCCD. See applying to more than one program. |
Vulnerability assessments
PEMA accepts an assessment from state or local law enforcement, a county or local emergency management agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) through its SAFE assessment or self-assessment tools, or another "valid method of assessment." Its page also links the Pennsylvania State Police Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Team (RVAT) request. For regional help, PEMA lists the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center (oem@phila.gov) for the five Philadelphia-area counties and the Western Area Fusion Center (safeguardwesternpa@pa.gov) for the 14 Pittsburgh-area counties.
The FY2026 NOFO lists the assessment and the IJ's development among unallowable costs. The vulnerability assessment guide covers what a usable assessment contains.
Awards in Pennsylvania
PEMA's FY2025 sub-recipient list shows 35 awards totaling $5,266,519. None reaches the $200,000 request limit, and the list doesn't explain the amounts. Plan spending from the amount in your subaward, not the amount you requested.
FEMA announced FY2026 awards on September 28, 2026, and issued them to SAAs (FEMA press release). On October 14, PEMA's page said its award listing "is expected to release October 2026"; it had not been posted. PEMA's page lists NSGP as a reimbursement grant with a three-year period of performance and no cost share. The post-award guide covers EHP, procurement, reimbursement, and reporting.
PCCD Nonprofit Security Grant Fund
Act 83 of 2019 created this state program at PCCD (Act 83 of 2019). PCCD says the administration has secured $35 million for it since 2023, including $10 million in the 2026–27 budget (PCCD program page). PCCD funds security work at a Pennsylvania facility that the nonprofit owns or operates.
Who qualifies
The applicant must be a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that "principally serve[s] individuals, groups, or institutions" in one of the FBI's single-bias hate crime categories: race, ethnicity, or ancestry; religion; sexual orientation; disability; gender; or gender identity (2026 Fall funding announcement). Churches that claim the automatic exemption described in IRS Publication 1828 qualify. Other 501(c) types and public schools do not. PCCD's Q&A says an organization headquartered in another state may apply for a project at its Pennsylvania location. PCCD leaves the eligibility call to the applicant, and its program page says "PCCD will not make that determination for you."
PCCD's initial request asks for one primary category; in its example, a synagogue selects "Jewish" under Religion. A prior hate crime isn't required, but PCCD gives priority to organizations that report one or describe a credible threat. Past PCCD or PEMA recipients may apply, though "prior awards may be factored into the review process." The synagogue, church, and mosque guides cover those organizations.
Amounts and match
Requests run from $5,000 to $150,000 in state funds, and the announcement notes that under Act 83 no applicant may receive more than $150,000 in a fiscal year. Above $25,000, the applicant must contribute cash from a non-state source. In-kind donations and earlier security spending don't count. PCCD's September 9, 2026 Q&A adds two cost rules. An organization may file a separate request for each building, but if those awards total more than $25,000, the match applies to the combined total. The Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act also applies, and its $25,000 threshold counts the total project cost, including the match.
| State funds requested | Required match | Applicant's cost (PCCD's range) |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 to $25,000 | None | $0 |
| $25,001 to $75,000 | 33% of the request | $8,250 to $24,750 |
| $75,001 to $150,000 | 50% of the request | $37,500 to $75,000 |
In PCCD's example, a $50,000 request needs a $16,500 match, for a $66,500 project, and the initial request must describe the whole $66,500. The program page has a match calculator and the past award lists. Its 2025–26 list totals $10,871,285 recommended for 191 nonprofits in 28 counties, and 103 of those awards were $25,000 or less, the tier with no match.
Eligible expenses
Act 83's list covers planning; equipment; security technology such as metal detectors, protective lighting, surveillance equipment, special emergency communications equipment, electronic locksets, deadbolts, trauma kits, and theft control devices; training, including threat awareness and response; upgrades to existing structures; vulnerability and threat assessments; specialty-trained canines; and any other security project the applicant describes and justifies. The announcement excludes indirect costs, civilian firearms training, and license plate readers without a letter of collaboration from local law enforcement. No security assessment is needed to apply, and PCCD says it "cannot weigh in on allowable projects or expenses."
The two-step application
The 2026 Fall round opened July 28 and closed at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Step one is an initial request in SurveyMonkey, the tool PCCD's announcement requires. PCCD then invites recommended applicants to file a final application in its Egrants system. PCCD's announcement sets these rules for the initial request:
- Only items listed in the initial request can carry into the final application. PCCD calls changes "unallowable," though its Q&A lets an applicant drop an item if another costs more than quoted.
- A replacement request can be filed while the window is open, and PCCD reviews only the last one an organization submits. No confirmation is sent.
- The form accepts one submission per device or IP address, so a second request may need a different browser or computer.
- The narrative, up to 5,000 characters, goes in the form itself; PCCD deducts points if it arrives as an attachment.
- Applicants that received a PCCD or PEMA security grant in the past four years list each grant's ID, project period, items bought, and results.
A workgroup of PCCD, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security reviews the requests. Scoring weighs any recent hate crime incident, the organization's susceptibility based on the population it serves, the statement of need, the clarity of the budget, and past performance. The organization name must match the one tied to its IRS employer identification number, and bids aren't required at this step.
After the Commission vote
PCCD's Commission is set to vote on recommended requests on December 9, 2026, and PCCD plans to notify those applicants in mid-December. The Egrants application then asks for a detailed budget and narrative, procurement information, and organizational documents. PCCD says a recommendation "does not guarantee" approval of the final application, and it may remove costs it finds ineligible or unnecessary.
Funded projects run 18 months, from January 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028, and a project modification request can extend the end date. PCCD reimburses reported, eligible expenses and covers no cost incurred before January 1, 2027; work begins only after the award notice is signed in Egrants. An award that doesn't reach open-awarded status in Egrants within a year of Commission approval risks forfeiture. Recipients must follow the procurement rules in PCCD's Applicant Manual.
Targeted School Safety Grants for nonpublic schools
PCCD's School Safety and Security Committee runs this competitive grant under Section 1306.1-B of the Public School Code (FY2025–26 announcement). Eligible schools are nonpublic schools as Section 923.3-A defines them, including approved private schools and private residential rehabilitative institutions; PCCD's February 6, 2026 release also names diocese schools, licensed private academic schools, and nonpublic non-licensed schools. The definition ties to compulsory attendance, so only schools offering grade 1 and above qualify; pre-K, kindergarten-only, and K-1 programs do not. A school with campuses under different administrative unit numbers (AUNs) may file a request for each.
Allowable activities include physical security, mental health supports, school security personnel, assessments, and training; indirect costs are not eligible. Priority goes to schools working toward the committee's Level 1 Baseline Criteria and to costs that close gaps found in a professionally completed assessment, such as one by the State Police RVAT or an assessor on the committee's registry. The application asks whether such an assessment was done in the past three years.
The 2025–26 round
PCCD offered $20.7 million, up to $75,000 per applicant, for projects of up to 24 months starting July 1, 2026. Applications were due in Egrants by 11:59 p.m. on March 30, 2026. Schools competed in regional cohorts based on Intermediate Units, and each region's share of the money matched its share of the total requested. PCCD received 395 eligible nonpublic school applications. Its project summary, marked approved by the committee on June 3, 2026, recommends 347 of them, plus six municipal, police, or vendor applicants for security personnel, for a total of up to $19,356,596 (PCCD project summary).
Payment is by reimbursement of actual expenses reported on quarterly fiscal reports, and a school with cash-flow problems may report monthly. We found no match requirement in the 2025–26 announcement; check the next one. Purchases follow the procurement thresholds for public school entities, which the announcement gives as of January 1, 2026: no formal quotes below $13,200, quotes from at least three qualified sources from $13,200 to $24,500, and public bids at $24,500 or more. Those standards aren't required for professional services, including school security personnel services. A cooperative purchasing contract does not by itself meet the quote or bid requirement.
Getting ready for 2026–27
PCCD says the 2026–27 nonpublic solicitation "will be available in early 2027" (FY2026–27 public school announcement, footnote 1). Under the 2025–26 announcement, a nonpublic school that hasn't complied with Section 1303-D of the School Code (final dispositions of Safe2Say Something reports) can't receive a committee grant until it does. That announcement also required the school and at least two users to be registered in Egrants before applying, in this order:
- Register a User Manager.The User Manager needs a Keystone ID login.
- Register the organization.Send the Egrants Agency Registration Form to RA-eGrantsSupport@pa.gov.
- Add users.The User Manager adds other users and approves their roles.
- Register as a Commonwealth vendor.Non-Procurement Vendor registration lets PCCD pay electronically (by ACH), and the announcement required it before or at application.
- Request e-signature access.At least one person must hold the E-signature role.
Questions on the 2025–26 announcement went to RA-CD-TARGETEDSS@pa.gov. PCCD's Egrants alerts announce new rounds. The private and religious schools guide compares nonpublic programs in other states and covers schools that share a campus with a congregation.
Applying to more than one program
PEMA's 2026 slides, under "Tips from FEMA," say nonprofits "should not apply for projects simultaneously with the State NSGP program," because two awards for the same project "could be interpreted as supplanting or comingling of funds" and the subrecipient could lose funding. The slides don't name PCCD, and PCCD's Q&A says it has "no special guidelines for PEMA applicants or awardees." PCCD still guards against overlap. Its nonprofit fund bars supplanting other funds, asks whether any requested expense already has another funding source, and asks about PEMA and PCCD security grants from the past four years. The nonpublic school application asks whether the school applied to the nonprofit fund and says PCCD "will not award multiple grants for the same items that are already funded completely by other means."
The match is where the two agencies' guidance conflicts. PCCD's Q&A says NSGP money can serve as the cash match, but only if it pays for the same items as the PCCD request. That is the same-project overlap PEMA's slides warn about. Before you count NSGP money as a PCCD match, get both agencies' answers in writing.
Official documents
If an agency sends you a newer guide or form, the newer document controls.
| Document | Covers | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| PEMA NSGP page | Current | Status, required documents, assessment sources, update sign-up |
| PEMA Application Tips Webinar slides | FY2026 | Dates, SAM.gov rules, ineligible organizations and items. PEMA posted slides only; we found no recording or FAQ. |
| Program Designation by County | Current | Each county's stream |
| ESA NSGP Instructions | Undated | Account settings and submission steps |
| Investment Justification and completed IJ example | FY2026 | The form; use the current year's version |
| Authorized Equipment List and Eligibility Overview | As posted | Equipment codes; FEMA's examples of eligible and ineligible organizations |
| PCCD Nonprofit Security Grant Funds announcement | 2026 Fall round | Eligibility, match, the initial request questions, timeline |
| PCCD Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Q&A | 2026 Fall round, updated September 9, 2026 | Multiple buildings, NSGP as match, prevailing wage, budget changes |
| PCCD Targeted School Safety for Nonpublic Schools announcement | 2025–26 | Eligibility, Egrants setup, scoring, procurement, payments |
| PCCD Active Funding Announcements | Current | Open PCCD rounds |
Last checked and change log
Last checked: October 14, 2026, against PEMA's NSGP page, 2026 slides, county designations, ESA instructions and FY2025 award list; PCCD's program page, 2026 Fall announcement, Active Funding Announcements, and nonpublic school documents; and FEMA's NSGP page, Information Bulletin 579 and the FY2026 NOFO. Statuses, PCCD's September 9 Q&A, and the June 3 project summary were rechecked October 15, 2026. Other states' agencies and programs are in the state lookup table.
- October 2026: Page published. PEMA's FY2026 window closed July 14, 2026, and its FY2026 award list was not yet posted. PCCD's 2026 Fall nonprofit round closed September 10, 2026, with a Commission vote set for December 9. PCCD expects the 2026–27 nonpublic school round in early 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Pennsylvania charter school apply for NSGP or PCCD's nonprofit fund?
Not for NSGP. PEMA's 2026 application tips slides list municipal, public, and charter schools among ineligible organizations. PCCD's nonprofit fund excludes public schools, naming school districts as the example, so a charter school should get PCCD's answer in writing before applying. Charter schools are eligible for PCCD's 2026–27 School Safety and Mental Health Grants, a formula program that sets $70,000 for each charter school, with applications due in Egrants by 11:59 p.m. on October 16, 2026 (PCCD announcement).
Can a PCCD grant pay for the vulnerability assessment an NSGP application needs?
Possibly. Act 83 lists vulnerability and threat assessments among eligible expenses (PCCD 2026 Fall announcement), while the FY2026 NOFO bars NSGP funds from paying for assessments. A PCCD award reimburses only items named in the initial request, and only costs incurred after the award starts (January 1, 2027, for the 2026 Fall round). PEMA accepts an assessment up to three years old. Neither agency's materials address this use directly, so confirm it with both.
Sources
- PEMA, Apply for a Nonprofit Security Grant (NSGP page)
- PEMA, FY2026 NSGP Application Tips Webinar slides
- PEMA, NSGP Program Designation by County
- PEMA, Electronic Single Application (ESA) NSGP Instructions
- PEMA, FY2026 NSGP Investment Justification
- PEMA, NSGP Eligibility Overview
- PEMA, NSGP County Contacts list
- PEMA, Fiscal Year 2025 NSGP sub-recipient awards
- FEMA, FY2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program NOFO
- FEMA, Information Bulletin 579: FY2026 NSGP deadline extension to July 31, 2026 (July 17, 2026)
- FEMA, Nonprofit Security Grant Program
- FEMA press release, $300 million to houses of worship and other nonprofits (September 28, 2026)
- PCCD, Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program
- PCCD, 2026 Fall Nonprofit Security Grant Funds funding announcement
- PCCD, Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Fall 2026 Q&A (updated September 9, 2026)
- PCCD, $10 million in state funding available for nonprofits to combat hate crimes (July 27, 2026)
- Pennsylvania General Assembly, Act 83 of 2019
- PCCD, FY2025-26 Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools funding announcement
- PCCD, $20.7 million for school safety and mental health, including nonpublic schools (February 6, 2026)
- PCCD, 2025-26 Targeted School Safety for Nonpublic Schools project summary (approved June 3, 2026)
- PCCD, FY2026-27 School Safety and Mental Health Grants funding announcement
- PCCD, Active Funding Announcements
- Pennsylvania State Police, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Team request