Will NSGP cover our security upgrade?

Often, yes. NSGP awards up to $200,000 per eligible nonprofit / faith-based site under the FY 2025 program. A single organization can submit up to three sites per stream (NSGP-Urban Area and NSGP-State), for a maximum of $600,000 per organization per state. Eligible projects include cameras, access control, hardening, training, and contracted security. The FY 2025 program total is $274.5 million ($137.25M NSGP-UA + $137.25M NSGP-S); FY 2024 reached $454.5M with the National Security Supplemental.

How do we apply for an NSGP grant?

Each state has its own State Administrative Agency (SAA) that handles the NSGP application. Applications typically open in spring and award in late summer or early fall. Tec-Tel helps with the threat narrative, scope of work, and BOM. We don't take a percentage of the grant; the work itself is the relationship.

Can you install during normal service times?

No. We sequence around weekly service times, high holy days, Easter, Ramadan, and other observances. The work happens on evenings and weekdays so service times stay untouched.

Does this integrate with our existing PA system?

Yes for most modern PA platforms. Lockdown integration uses event-based bridging so the PA, access control, and camera VMS coordinate without a clinical-network connection. No claim of vendor partnership; integration runs on documented APIs.

Are cameras allowed in sanctuaries and prayer spaces?

Most denominations allow it in entry zones and lobbies; some restrict coverage during active worship. We design coverage that respects your denomination's policy and document the no-coverage zones in your install package. Common policy: cameras outside the sanctuary, not inside during service.

Industry · Houses of worship

Protect your congregation without changing how it gathers.

Tec-Tel designs, installs, and runs cameras, access control, and lockdown workflows for synagogues, churches, mosques, and temples. NSGP grant-aligned. 15+ years as a national security integrator.

Talk to our team

or reach us directly

Call us855-577-0400

NDAA-compliant
Platform-agnostic
1,000+ deployments over 15 years

$200K

NSGP grant maximum per eligible site (FEMA FY 2025)

$274.5M

NSGP total allocation (FEMA FY 2025)

1,000+

facilities secured nationwide

15+ yr

as a nationwide security integrator

§01 What we install in houses of worship

Protection your security committee can stand behind.

What a congregation gets once Tec-Tel commissions the system, and what your clergy, ushers, and security volunteers see the next morning.

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Sanctuary entry coverage at every door. Visitor flow at the main entrance, sanctuary doors, side entries, and parking-lot routes. Pre-service threat detection without making the lobby feel like an airport.

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Lockdown integration with paging. One-button lockdown that talks to access control, the PA system, and the camera VMS at once. Drilled during your annual safety meeting, not improvised.

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Behavior analytics tuned for congregation contexts. Loitering near children's programming entries, aggression in lobbies, weapons detection. Tuned for crowded but peaceful environments, low false-positive rate by design.

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Parking-lot LPR + perimeter coverage. Plate recognition at lot entries. Flagged plates from prior incidents alert security volunteers before the service starts. Perimeter coverage that survives the early-morning or after-service walk.

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NSGP grant-package documentation. Install package designed and documented to NSGP scope. BOM, install photos, and post-install attestation hand-delivered for your federal grant compliance file.

§ How we work

When NSGP funds the install, we handle the grant scope, the BOM, the install, and the lockdown drill with your security committee. We sequence the work around your worship calendar from first call to handoff.

How Tec-Tel works in houses of worship

§02 How a Tec-Tel deployment works

Five steps, one accountable team.

Walk the building before we quote

No quote-by-floorplan. We come on site, talk to your clergy or board safety committee, and document what's actually there. The threat-context interview is part of the visit.

Design to the NSGP grant

NSGP pays for most house-of-worship installs. We design the install package to satisfy your specific grant award and walk through the BOM with your safety committee.

Sequence around the worship calendar

High holy days, Easter, Ramadan, and weekly service times stay untouched. We sequence the install around the calendar so services never get disrupted.

Tune analytics for sanctuary contexts

Behavior analytics need calibration in faith environments. We tune on site before alerts route to security volunteers, until the false-positive rate is low enough to trust.

Hand off with a runbook + drill

Your team gets a written ops doc, a lockdown drill rehearsal, and federal-grant attestation. Security committee, ushers, clergy all understand the integration before it sees a live event.

§03 How we deploy

Three congregation types. Three tailored builds.

No two houses of worship get the same install. Here's what we deploy across the three most common builds.

Single congregation · small

100-500 weekly attendees, single building, board-led safety

→ Visitor flow + sanctuary coverage at every entry
→ One-button lockdown integrated with PA + access
→ Behavior analytics tuned for service contexts
→ NSGP grant-aligned install package

Mid-size · school + sanctuary

House of worship with attached school or daycare

→ Daytime school workflow (FERPA-aligned) plus weekly service coverage
→ Visitor management at school entry separate from sanctuary
→ Children's programming area visibility for child-safeguarding policy
→ Coordinated lockdown across both halves of the building

Multi-site denomination

Diocese, presbytery, regional Jewish or Muslim federation

→ Standardized install spec across member congregations
→ Coordinated NSGP application support for eligible sites
→ Central VMS with role-based access per congregation
→ Single 24/7 monitoring contract, regional service crews

§04 Compliance buyers ask us about

Frameworks we build to.

NSGP

Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Up to $200K per eligible site. We design install packages to satisfy NSGP scope and provide federal-grant attestation packets.

FERPA

If your house of worship has an attached school or daycare, FERPA applies to footage capturing identifiable students. We segment storage and limit access to educational interest.

ADA

Door-access hardware to ADA 2010 reach ranges. Audible + visual alarms so hearing-impaired congregants are notified. Accessible visitor kiosks.

Child safeguarding

Most denominations require documented camera coverage in children's programming areas, visible to two-deep adult supervision. We design coverage that aligns with your denomination's policy.

Questions buyers ask us

FAQ

Will NSGP cover our security upgrade?: Often, yes. NSGP awards up to $200,000 per eligible nonprofit / faith-based site under the FY 2025 program. A single organization can submit up to three sites per stream (NSGP-Urban Area and NSGP-State), for a maximum of $600,000 per organization per state. Eligible projects include cameras, access control, hardening, training, and contracted security. The FY 2025 program total is $274.5 million ($137.25M NSGP-UA + $137.25M NSGP-S); FY 2024 reached $454.5M with the National Security Supplemental.
How do we apply for an NSGP grant?: Each state has its own State Administrative Agency (SAA) that handles the NSGP application. Applications typically open in spring and award in late summer or early fall. Tec-Tel helps with the threat narrative, scope of work, and BOM. We don't take a percentage of the grant; the work itself is the relationship.
Can you install during normal service times?: No. We sequence around weekly service times, high holy days, Easter, Ramadan, and other observances. The work happens on evenings and weekdays so service times stay untouched.
Does this integrate with our existing PA system?: Yes for most modern PA platforms. Lockdown integration uses event-based bridging so the PA, access control, and camera VMS coordinate without a clinical-network connection. No claim of vendor partnership; integration runs on documented APIs.
Are cameras allowed in sanctuaries and prayer spaces?: Most denominations allow it in entry zones and lobbies; some restrict coverage during active worship. We design coverage that respects your denomination's policy and document the no-coverage zones in your install package. Common policy: cameras outside the sanctuary, not inside during service.

Book a free assessment

Tell us about your building. We'll come back with a plan.

Get on a call with the Tec-Tel team. We'll walk through what NSGP covers, what your denomination expects, and what a defensible install scope looks like.

Tell us how many sites you run and what's already in place. We'll show you what a build or upgrade looks like.
Straight answers from the team that does the work. We're platform-agnostic, so you get the system that fits your sites, not one brand's catalog.

Since 2010 · 1,000+ deployments nationwide · ISN-accredited

Get a free assessment 855-577-0400

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How can we help?

What you're looking for, plus any details. We review it and follow up, usually the same day.

Related from Tec-Tel

Grants