Security grants in Virginia: federal NSGP and the DCJS Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program

Status on October 15, 2026

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Nonprofits in five Northern Virginia jurisdictions apply for NSGP through the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DC HSEMA) instead. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) runs the state-funded Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program.

Federal NSGP in Virginia

NSGP-UA (Urban Area) serves sites inside a FEMA-designated urban area, and NSGP-S (State) serves the rest. The NSGP program guide explains both. A Virginia applicant must first identify which agency receives the application.

These are total federal allocations from the FY2026 NOFO. Each includes the share of up to 5% the SAA may keep for management and administration (M&A). VDEM's page cites "approximately $3.4 million in federal funding," which matches the three VDEM streams without M&A ($3,451,232), not the $3,632,876 total. The National Capital Region figure covers the District, two Maryland counties and the Northern Virginia jurisdictions together. FEMA publishes no Virginia share of it, so it is not added to Virginia's total. The state lookup table uses the same basis.

In FY2026 an organization could request up to $200,000 per site and three sites per stream, with a $600,000 combined limit per state (NOFO). The NOFO disqualifies an application filed in the wrong stream. VDEM gives file names for the Hampton Roads and Richmond streams but no list of their localities, so confirm the stream with VDEM before drafting.

Northern Virginia: the National Capital Region

DC HSEMA runs NSGP-UA for the whole National Capital Region (NCR) and submits one combined application to FEMA. Its NSGP page lists the Virginia NCR jurisdictions as "Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties and the City of Alexandria." Virginia nonprofits outside those jurisdictions apply to VDEM. VDEM's page gives NCR applicants the same instruction: email the application to NCR.NSGP@dc.gov and a second DC HSEMA address listed there, and don't use EM Grants, FEMA or Grants.gov.

The agencies gave different July 10 deadlines: 5:00 p.m. on VDEM's page and 11:59 p.m. on DC HSEMA's. NCR applicants used DC HSEMA's documents and file names, including FY2026_NSGP_UA_DC_NCR_<Nonprofit Name> for the Investment Justification (IJ). The DC guide covers that process. An organization with sites inside and outside the NCR should ask both agencies how they count sites against the $600,000 limit.

How VDEM took FY2026 applications

VDEM's window opened July 1 and closed July 10, 2026. Its page says "only complete applications received by 5:00 p.m. on July 10, 2026, will be considered." It also says late or incomplete applications cannot be revised, and VDEM offers no resubmission, technical help or corrections after submission. FEMA later moved its own SAA deadline to July 31, 2026 (Information Bulletin 579), and we found no VDEM notice moving July 10. Other states' dates are on NSGP deadlines.

Applications go through VDEM's EM Grants system at vdem.emgrants.com. Access is a separate step: an applicant registers and VDEM grants it, and "Only eligible employees of a nonprofit organization will be granted access." Inside the system, the path runs through the Resources tab, then Preparedness Resources, then Apply for a Grant, where the 2026 NSGP tab holds the job aid, IJ and NOFO. Register well before the ten-day window opens.

A complete VDEM packet has three documents:

1. The FY2026 NSGP IJ, a fillable Adobe form. VDEM's page says to open it in Edge or Firefox and warns that it does not save automatically.
2. A mission statement, as a PDF.
3. The vulnerability assessment the request is based on, as a PDF.

Password-protected files are not accepted. Each file takes a set name, with the suffix _IJ, _VA or _MS: FY2026_NSGP_UA_VA_HR_<Nonprofit Name> for Hampton Roads, FY2026_NSGP_UA_VA_R_<Nonprofit Name> for Richmond, and FY2026_NSGP_S_VA_<Nonprofit Name> for the rest of the state. The NOFO also requires short bios and resumes for leadership and board members, with names and addresses. VDEM's page doesn't list them, so ask VDEM how to send them. The how-to-apply guide covers the federal forms.

VDEM's eligibility and review rules

• UEI and SAM.gov. VDEM says applicants "do not need to have a valid UEI at the time of application," but need one for a subaward and "must be fully registered to be reimbursed."
• Ineligible organizations. VDEM's list includes utility companies, organizations active in politics or lobbying, government entities, for-profit venues and hospitals, homeowners associations, labor unions, for-profit colleges, volunteer fire departments, public elementary, middle and high schools, and service clubs such as Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions.
• No pre-award costs. VDEM's page states they are not eligible.
• Who scores. VDEM, the Richmond Urban Area Work Group and the Hampton Roads Urban Area Working Group conduct the initial review and scoring. FEMA makes the final selection.

After the window

VDEM pays by reimbursement: subrecipients "will be reimbursed for eligible costs as phases of their approved project are completed," so plan the cash to carry each phase.

VDEM's page projects a subrecipient period of performance of October 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028. That ends 14 months before the federal period in the NOFO, September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2029. We could not confirm which dates will appear in Virginia subawards. A selected organization should plan its schedule, including environmental review, to the shorter VDEM window unless its signed subaward says otherwise. See after the award for the steps between selection and the first claim.

The DCJS Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program

This state program is separate from NSGP. It pays for security at institutions and nonprofits that have been targets of hate crimes, as defined in Code of Virginia § 52-8.5, or are at risk of being targeted. DCJS runs it, and the Criminal Justice Services Board (CJSB) approves awards.

Funding basis

The 2026 budget bill as introduced allocated $1.5 million in each of state fiscal years 2027 and 2028 for competitive hate-crime grants. The Round 1 guidelines state the same figures. We could not open the enacted Item 394 text, so its final wording remains unconfirmed.

Round 1: localities only (closed)

The FY2027 Round 1 guidelines, issued February 12, 2026, set a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on March 17, 2026. Round 1 was "open to local governments" that partner with nonprofits in their jurisdiction, so a nonprofit took part only as a 501(c)(3) partner in its locality's single application.

The maximum was $150,000 per locality. General crime-prevention requests without a direct hate-crime link were excluded. The award period runs July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, with no match. Payment is by reimbursement on paid invoices or requested advance draw-downs. The Round 1 page doesn't post the results.

Round 2: nonprofits could apply directly (closed)

The Round 2 guidelines, issued July 15, 2026, opened the program to "institutions or nonprofit organizations that have been targets of or are at risk of being targeted for hate crimes, as well as localities engaged in partnership programs." Applications were due at 5:00 p.m. on August 18, 2026, in OGMS. DCJS anticipated "approximately $1 M in state funds," with no match.

The guidelines allow:

• Equipment: target hardening, critical technology and infrastructure, and security and monitoring equipment.
• Contracted security: on-site security services, and inspection and screening systems.
• Training: security training for employed and volunteer security staff, serious-incident response training not already available, and terrorism awareness training for employees.
• Part-time staff to perform security assessments. The funding is one-time, and ongoing personnel cost falls on the organization.

Round 2 does not pay for capital construction, renovation, remodeling or land; vehicles; firearms, ammunition or related equipment; political contributions or lobbying; honoraria; or salary for time not spent on the grant. It states no maximum award, and DCJS "has the discretion to make awards for greater or lesser amounts than requested."

Several Round 2 rules differ from NSGP:

• SAM.gov first. An applicant needs an active SAM.gov registration and a UEI to apply. "Applicants without a UEI or SAM registration will not be considered." VDEM's NSGP process does not require a UEI until the subaward.
• OGMS registration. DCJS tells applicants to register in OGMS at least two weeks before the due date.
• Past DCJS grantees. A current grantee with claims or reports more than 30 days overdue will not be considered.
• Short award period. November 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. "Grant period extensions will not be considered."
• Payment and decisions. Funds are paid "on a cost-reimbursement basis for actual funds expended," with quarterly reports in OGMS. CJSB award determinations "are final and may not be appealed."

The Round 2 page still described the October 8 board review as scheduled and showed no results on October 15. DCJS has not announced a later round. The introduced 2026 budget text said funding "shall be awarded to the applicable locality to distribute to the grant recipient," which matches Round 1's design. Because we couldn't confirm the enacted wording, a nonprofit should ask DCJS whether a future round will accept nonprofit applicants directly or only through localities.

Schools and local programs

The Virginia Department of Education's School Security Equipment Grants fund "public school buildings." They are not open to nonpublic schools or nonprofits. We found no other Virginia state security grant for nonpublic schools. A nonprofit private or religious school with its own 501(c)(3) entity may fit NSGP; see private and religious school security grants. Whether a school counts as an at-risk institution for DCJS is a question for DCJS.

Faith-specific guidance is on the church, synagogue and mosque pages. We found no verifiable county or city nonprofit security grant in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads or Richmond. This page doesn't cover every county, municipal or private source.

Programs compared

Holding NSGP and a DCJS grant at once

Neither DCJS guideline mentions NSGP, and VDEM's page doesn't mention DCJS, so we found no rule that bars holding both. The Round 2 budget form asks the applicant to list "funds from other sources" that support the project, and DCJS requires that state funds supplement, not replace, state or local funds for the same purpose. Both programs can pay for equipment, guards and training. An organization with both awards at one site should assign each item, shift and invoice to one program and disclose the other award wherever a form asks.

Official documents

If VDEM, DC HSEMA or DCJS issues a newer notice, form or instruction than these, the newer document controls.

Last checked and change log

Last checked: October 15, 2026, against VDEM's FY2026 NSGP page; DC HSEMA's NSGP page; the DCJS Round 1 and Round 2 pages and guidelines; Item 394 of the 2026 budget bill as introduced and of the 2025 act; the Department of Education's security equipment grant page; and FEMA's FY2026 NOFO, Information Bulletin 579 and September 28, 2026 announcement.

• October 2026: Page published. FY2026 NSGP closed in Virginia on July 10, 2026, through VDEM (5:00 p.m.) and DC HSEMA for the NCR (11:59 p.m.); no Virginia or NCR award list found. DCJS Combating Hate Crimes Round 1 closed March 17, 2026, and Round 2 closed August 18, 2026; no result posted for the board's October 8, 2026 meeting.