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Nonprofit security grant updates

April 07, 2022

Application information for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) will be released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on or about May 13, 2022. NY DHSES will publish its Request for Applications shortly thereafter. Anticipate an New York application window of two weeks or less. Take steps immediately to address the issues below. 

What can you do immediately?

  1. Review the latest information. If you didn’t see FEMA’s technical assistance presentation last week, click here to see the slides, including allowable projects, recommendations and other basic information. Note: this year’s Investment Justification will be in the easier-to-use PDF format. Another change, new applicants will be eligible for a 15 point bonus.
  2. Get a UEI. Previous grantees all know about DUNS numbers, but DUNS numbers will not be accepted. Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). This process is challenging so do not leave it until the last minute. Click here to download the Quick Start Guide for Getting a Unique Entity Identifier. 
  3. Update your Document Vault. All New York applicants must be prequalified in order to submit an application. 
    • Certain financial documents must be updated annually. If you are already prequalified, ensure that all financial documentation in your document vault is current and will not be expiring in the near future. Organizations with expired documentation will not be considered for funding. 
    • Organizations that used the “Streamlined” prequalification process for the Hate Crimes (SCAHC) grants last year must  prequalify using the traditional process. 

For more information on prequalification, and maintaining prequalification, please visit: https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/get-prequalified.

    1. Assessments. An up-to-date vulnerability assessment must be attached to each application. CSI will continue to deliver assessments to organizations on a three-year cycle (once every three years). The vulnerability assessment submitted must be current and accurately reflect the site’s security vulnerabilities at the time your application is submitted
        • Click here to request a physical or cybersecurity assessment, training or purchasing support. Note, the CSI team is delivering scores of physical assessments and CSI has brought in additional experts. However, at this time we cannot guarantee the delivery of physical assessments before the grant applications are due. 
        • Organizations can update their recent assessments. Click here for instructions. CSI will supply our current threat overview. Request one here. 
        • The vulnerability assessment must contain the site’s physical address, which must match the physical address provided in the Investment Justification (IJ) and in the Work Plan of your E-Grants application. 
        • Each and every project being requested in the IJ must be clearly linked to a security vulnerability identified in the vulnerability assessment.  Requested projects that are not reflected as vulnerabilities in the assessment will not be funded.
      1. E-Grants. You must be a registered user of the DHSES E-Grants System.  All applications must be submitted to DHSES using this system.  If you need information about this system or need to register for access, please see the NY DHSES website for instructions: https://www.dhses.ny.gov/e-grants. 
      2. Charities Bureau.
        You must be registered, have recently applied for registration, or be exempt from registering with the NYS Attorney General’s Office Charities Bureau: https://www.charitiesnys.com/charities_new.html.
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NSGP Webinar

March 21, 2019

Some people couldn’t join the webinar today. Sorry, but this was a DHS production and we had no control.

We didn’t hear anything more than that they plan to release the Notice of Grant Opportunity (NOFO) on or before April 16th. We should expect the NY DHSES Request for Applications (RFA) soon thereafter. The NOFO will include the deadline for states to submit the applications to DHS. NY DHSES will have to give themselves enough time to score hundreds of submissions. Remember: The NY RFA will be the definitive and final word on all grant details.

Click here for a copy of today’s slides and here for some FAQ‘s. There are some interesting details in the FAQ’s.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Nonprofit Organizations.

    1. What is the purpose of the NSGP? The NSGP provides funding support for target hardening and other physical security enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at risk of a terrorist attack.
    2. Where can I learn more about the NSGP? The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is the official document that contains all information and requirements for the current year NSGP. The FY 2019 NSGP NOFO has not been released yet. Check http://fema.gov/grants for the NOFO release.
    3. How much funding is available under the NSGP? The total amount of funds available for NSGP is determined annually by the appropriations act. The total amount of funds available under FY 2019 NSGP is $60,000,000, of which: $50,000,000 is for NSGP-Urban Area (NSGP-UA); and $10,000,000 is for NSGP-State (NSGP-S)
    4. Who is eligible to apply to FEMA for NSGP funding? The State Administrative Agency (SAA, in NY that’s DHSES) is the only entity eligible to apply to FEMA for NSGP funding on behalf of an eligible nonprofit organization. Nonprofit organizations must apply to their SAA as the sub-applicant.
    5. Am I an eligible nonprofit organization? An eligible nonprofit organization must:
      a) Meet the description under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of 1986 and be exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such code;
      b) For NSGP-UA, be located within one of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)- designated urban areas (the year you are applying for funding); OR for NSGP-S, be located outside of a UASI-designated urban area (for the year you are applying for funding); and c) Determined to be at high risk of a terrorist attack by the Secretary of Homeland Security (this is informed by the state scores/recommendations and the Federal review results).
    6. What is the difference between NSGP-UA and NSGP-S? NSGP-UA provides funding for nonprofit organizations located within a current year UASI designated urban area. NSGP-S provides funding for nonprofit organizations located outside of current year UASI designated urban areas. The UASI-designated urban areas are determined annually. For a list of UASI-designated urban areas, see the NSGP NOFO for the year you will apply for funding.
    7. Should I apply to NSGP-UA or NSGP-S? If the physical address of the nonprofit organization is within a UASI-designated urban area (the year you are applying for funding) then you may apply to NSGP-UA. If the physical address of the nonprofit organization is outside of a UASI-designated urban area (the year you are applying for funding) then you may apply to NSGP-S. If you are unsure whether your nonprofit organization’s physical address is located within or outside of a UASI-designated urban area, contact your SAA. For a list of SAA contacts, see http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/28689?id=6363. You may not apply to both programs. Applications that are received for the wrong program will be deemed ineligible.
    8. How do I apply? Eligible nonprofit organizations must apply to their SAA for NSGP funding. Nonprofits may not apply to FEMA directly. Contact your SAA for information on how to apply.
    9. What kinds of target hardening project costs or security enhancement costs can I apply for? Allowable costs include planning, equipment, training, and exercises. Below are some examples of each:
      • Planning – Activities related to the development of plans such as:
        • Security Risk Management Plans
        • Continuity of Operations Plans
        • Response Plans
      • Equipment – Authorized Equipment List Sections 14 and 15 only; examples include:
        • Access control equipment
        • Surveillance equipment
        • Physical protective measures such as fences, bollards, concrete barriers
      • Training
        • Active Shooter Training
        • Security Training for employees, or members/congregation
      • Exercises
        • Response exercises

For a complete and up-to-date description on allowability, see the NSGP NOFO for the year you will apply for funding. See more FAQ’s here.

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Non-Profit Security Grant is Coming Soon!

February 26, 2019

DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives

Prepare Now for the Non-Profit Security Grant!

Updated March 14, 2019| FEMA will release the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) no later than April 16, 2019 which opens the application period. Under the FY 2019 NSGP FEMA will award $60 million in security related funding to nonprofit organizations. New York State DHSES will transform this document into its Request for Applications (RFA) which will be the last word for New York nonprofits on the requirements and deadlines for submissions.

In FY 2019, FEMA will award $60 million dollars in security funding for nonprofit organizations. The application period for NY organizations starts on the day the RFA is released. Nonprofit organizations are required to submit their application to NY DHSES shortly thereafter.

FEMA Webinar (3/21) – Protecting Your Organization: Fiscal Year 2019 Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and other Resources to Help Keep Your Facility Safe

Register

Please register if you are unable to attend to receive a recording of this webinar.

Please join FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate in partnership with DHS’s Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives and FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division, on Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 2-3 p.m. ET to learn about the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and how to prepare for the application period.

Get a head start on the application by reviewing the FY 2018 NSGP Investment Justification (IJ) questions and preparing your answers. Download a copy at: Investment Justification 2018, JCRC-NY’s 2018 Tutorial (PDF of PowerPoint), JCRC-NY’s Tying together the risk and target hardening language and JFNA’s Threat Chronology.

Note: JCRC-NY modified a FEMA announcement to add NY-specific details. Organizations outside of NY should check with their state.

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National Preparedness Month couldn’t be more relevant

September 12, 2018

Forecasters predict that Hurricane Florence will aim its “potential for unbelievable damage” at the Carolinas and Virginia and will not have a significant impact on the New York area.

Beware! It’s peak hurricane season and this is not a time for complacency. We may see fewer hurricanes this year, but scientists conclude that hurricanes are getting wetter and slower.

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FEMA: 2018 Hurricane Season Outlook

May 02, 2018
Photo: NOAA.gov

Arago’s Admonition:

“Never, no matter what may be the progress of science, will honest scientific men who have regard for their reputations venture to predict the weather.”

It is hard to believe, as FEMA and our stakeholders are still very much in active recovery mode from the 2017 hurricane season, that the official start to the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1st.  Forecasts from leading researchers and meteorologists, including those at Colorado State University, are predicting a busy 2018 hurricane season with a 60% probability for a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast. Researchers also predict a slightly above average season in terms of number of hurricanes formed and intensity of the storms.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an above average hurricane season would equal over 11 named storms. NOAA continues to monitor weather patterns and will make formal forecasts closer to the start of June when the season officially begins.

Colorado State University added that higher than average ocean waters in the western tropical Atlantic combined with cooler than average ocean temperatures in the north and western Atlantic will contribute to an active upcoming hurricane season.

FEMA offers a number of resources to help to prepare for the upcoming Hurricane season. Visit FEMA.gov or download the FEMA app from iTunes or Google Play today. Before the 2017 Hurricane Season, Acting FEMA Administrator Robert J. Fenton Jr. (now FEMA Region IX Administrator) said, “Regardless of how many storms develop this year, it only takes one to disrupt our lives. Get ready now with these easy, low-cost steps that will leave you better prepared and will make all the difference: Have a family discussion about what you will do, where you will go and how you will communicate with each other when a storm threatens; Know your evacuation route; tune into your local news or download the FEMA app to get alerts, and finally – listen to local authorities as a storm approaches.”

(Sources: FEMA.gov, NOAA.gov, Colorado State University Extended Range Forecast of 2018 Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity, http://www.bsc.es/seasonalhurricanepredictions)

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Great news: Omnibus Bill has $50M plus for nonprofit security grants

March 22, 2018

Congressional leaders posted the text of Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (aka the Omnibus Bill)) last night. Its passage will keep the government operating for the remainder of the fiscal year. Included in the bill (besides the Taylor Force Act) is an allocation of $50 million (up from $25M) for the Nonprofit Security Grants Program (NSGP) and $10 million for nonprofits outside of the designated UASI regions (Good news for upstate and Connecticut institutions).

We won’t know when the application package will be available or the deadline for submission until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security releases its guidance. People always complain that they aren’t given enough time to complete their applications so we advise you to click to www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants and follow the instructions to get started now.

The projected increase in the grant allocation would not be possible without our Congressional champions. A major push for the $50 million came in a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter to the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee (including the Ranking Member, our own Rep. Nita Lowey) circulated by Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. and our own Dan Donovan, Jr. Our New York delegation figured prominently among the signers, including: Representatives Yvette Clarke, Joseph Crowley, Eliot Engel, Adriano Espaillat, John Faso, Hakeem Jeffries, John Katko, Peter King, Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks, Jerrold Nadler, Thomas Suozzi, Kathleen Rice, Claudia Tenney and Nydia Velázquez. Of course, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Democratic Leader Charles Schumer were helpful in the Senate. Please contact their offices to let them know that you appreciate their leadership.

JCRC-NY and UJA-Federation are key members of the dynamic coalition that pushes for this legislation year-after-year. The linchpin of this effort is Rob Goldberg of the Washington, DC office of the Jewish Federations of North America. Our friend, William Daroff, the senior vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office of The Jewish Federations of North America, plays an important role.

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Webinar: Emergency Preparedness Resources for Houses of Worship

August 06, 2014

The Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships
the Small Business Administration Center for Faith-based & Community Initiatives
(Both Centers of the White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency

invite you to join us for:

A Webinar on Emergency Preparedness Tools & Resources for Houses of Worship and Community Organizations

WEBINAR

________________

 

Learn more about tools, resources and partnerships strategies to help faith-based and community organizations prepare for emergencies!

 WEBINAR DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this webinar is to provide participants with information on emergency preparedness tools, resources and engagement strategies that are available to faith-based and community leaders and emergency managers. Presentations will explain how faith-based and community-based organizations can engage in National Preparedness Month 2014 and National PrepareAthon Day! activities. The presentations will also highlight engagement best practices at the state and local level between faith-based and community leaders and emergency managers to prepare faith and community-based organizations and the larger community.WHO SHOULD JOIN THE WEBINAR? This webinar is for anyone interested in learning more about resources to help faith-based and community-based organizations get prepared for emergencies and help their communities to do the same.

WHEN IS THE WEBINAR? 

August 19, 2014
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

HOW DO I JOIN THE WEBINAR?

Adobe Connect Web Link: https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/faithtoolsa/event/registration.html

Please sign in as a guest.  Be sure to test your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting by clicking here.

PRESENTERS. Representatives from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department’s Office of Emergency Management will present.  The Small Business Administration Center for Faith-based & Community Initiatives and Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships, will also provide remarks in support of houses of worship and community organizations engaging in preparedness activities.
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Nonprofit Security Grant: Webinar and more info

May 23, 2013

2013 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Webinar

Tuesday, May 28, 2013
2:00 PM

Learn about the grant requirements and the NY E-Grants system.

Click here to RSVP. You will be sent a confirmation with the connection links. The system requires a high speed computer connection and speakers or headphones.

Our friends at NY DHSES are hard at work getting out the formal application package. However, you can get started immediately (remember: the grant is due on June 10, 2013). Since the guidance was released:

  1. Changes from last year. The grant application is essentially the same as last year. We have updated the JCRC Security Grants webpage at: www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants.
  2. Nonprofit Security Grant Checklist 2013. The checklist is a step-by-step guide to help you complete the application package. Download it here.
  3. Investment Justification template. Many people (including yours truly) were frustrated that DHS only posted a PDF copy of the template. A working template is now available on the JCRC Security Grants webpage. Click here to download a copy. (Thank you Val!)
  4. Mission statement. Applicants will be required to upload their organizational mission statements along with their Investment Justification. We haven’t checked this, but it is likely that organizations that have not attached their mission statements will not be considered for a grant. Fear not. We posted What is a mission statement? to guide organizations without a mission statement.
  5. E-Grants system. New York  applicants must submit their grants through the E-Grants system. If you have a E-Grants account and remember your information you need not do anything else. If you need to be reminded of your account name and/or password, send a note to grants@dhses.ny.gov.  New applicants must fill out an E-Grants Registration available in two formats: doc pdf.

The NY DHSES package should be available on or before Tuesday, May 28th, but you have plenty to do before then.

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House passes disaster relief for houses of worship

February 14, 2013

Thanks to the leadership of our own, Rep. Grace Meng, and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the House passed the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013 with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote (354 – 72). We are grateful for their support that of the co-sponsors: Rep. Eliot L.Engel, Rep.  Trent Franks, Rep. Michael Grimm, Michael G., Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Peter King, Rep. Frank LoBiondo, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, and Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., and to all in our delegation who voted for the measure.

The legislation clarifies the Stafford Act to allow FEMA to reimburse houses of worship for uninsured, disaster-related damages at the same rate as other non-critical nonprofits, “without regard to the religious character of the facility or the primary religious use of the facility”.

As Avi Schick pointed out in a recent Wall Street Journal Op-ed: “Nobody suggests that government should entirely rebuild sanctuaries or pay for the printing of prayer books. But if roofs are being repaired and other structural damage is being remediated, the religious nature of what might occur below shouldn’t matter.”

As of February 1, 2013, 86 churches and synagogues had individually registered with FEMA and requested Public Assistance. In addition, 125 damaged Catholic churches are included in two applications. Daily, we hear about churches, mosques and synagogues that have not even applied, under the impression that they are not eligible.

The application deadline is February 27th in the New York  area. Applicants can download the forms below:

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