Grant funding · design to scope
Security funded by grants, not your capital budget.
Many facilities pay little or nothing out of pocket for a security upgrade once a government grant, rebate, or insurance-discount program is applied. Federal and state programs fund cameras, access control, panic buttons, fencing, lighting, and training for eligible nonprofits, schools, houses of worship, ports, and healthcare sites. Tec-Tel designs the install to the grant's allowable-cost scope and produces the security-side documentation the application needs. We do not write the grant narrative or sign as the applicant. Book a free consultation for a read on which programs your site qualifies for.
§01 Check your fit
See which grants your site can apply through.
Tell us your organization type and state. We will show the federal and state programs you are a real candidate for, with verified award bands, in seconds.
Pick your organization type and state to see which programs your site can apply through.
§02 The funded-security model
Design to the grant. Document for the award. Install to scope.
A government grant, rebate, or insurance-discount program tied to a security upgrade often covers most or all of the cost. The work for the integrator is specific: build the install so every line item maps to the program's allowable-cost categories, and produce the security-side documentation that scores well against the evaluation rubric.
Tec-Tel does the site assessment, the threat-narrative-aligned technology recommendation, the NDAA-compliant vendor selection, and the signed vendor letter. We do not write the grant narrative or sign as the applicant; that stays with your team or your grant consultant. The two voices read stronger to a federal evaluator kept distinct.
When the award covers the scope, the program pays for the install. Where the scope exceeds a cap, applicants split it across cycles or stack a federal award with a state supplement.
Every camera, reader, and barrier on the bill of materials references the allowable-cost category and the documented vulnerability it addresses. Generic line items score poorly.
A written site assessment, an NDAA-compliant BOM, and a signed vendor letter your application can cite directly. Pricing holds through the review cycle so the award matches the install cost.
§03 11 programs we work with
Find the program that fits your site.
Funding figures and eligibility below are verified against each agency's published guidance and hold across cycles. Exact deadlines lapse between fiscal-year cycles, so confirm the active window on the agency page before you build an application. For the NSGP deep-dive, start with the NSGP grant security installs guide.
NSGP - Nonprofit Security Grant Program
FEMA's principal funding source for at-risk 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Up to $200,000 per site (up to $600,000 per organization) for cameras, access control, ballistic film, panic buttons, fencing, lighting, and training. Administered through each state's State Administrative Agency.
Funds: physical hardening · Match: 0%
See the details State supplements · per stateState NSGP programs - SCAHC, CSNSGP, NJ-NSGP
State-administered nonprofit security grants that stack with the federal award. New York SCAHC (up to $250,000, 0% match, via DCJS), California CSNSGP (up to $250,000 per location, via Cal OES), and New Jersey NSGP among others. One Tec-Tel assessment can cover both the federal and the state application.
Geo: per state · Stacks with NSGP
See the details State · California nonprofits & houses of worshipCSNSGP - California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program
Cal OES funds target-hardening for at-risk California 501(c)(3) nonprofits: up to $250,000 per location and $500,000 across two locations, with no federal match. Reinforced doors and gates, lighting, access control, cameras, and screening systems. Stacks with the federal NSGP award on one Tec-Tel assessment.
Geo: California · Stacks with NSGP
See the details Federal · public K-12 districtsSVPP - School Violence Prevention Program (DOJ COPS)
The Department of Justice COPS Office funds target-hardening at public K-12 districts: cameras, access control, locks, lighting, and emergency notification. Up to $500,000 per award with a 25% local match (the microgrant tier waives the match). The district applies directly.
Funds: school target-hardening · Match: 25%
See the details State · Indiana schools (public, non-public, charter)Indiana SSSG - Secured School Safety Grant
Indiana DHS funds up to $100,000 per school for cameras, access control, and school-hardening equipment. A matching, reimbursement grant: schools spend first, then reimburse, with a 25/50/100% match tier set by enrollment. Open to public, accredited non-public, and charter schools.
Geo: Indiana · Match: tiered · Non-public eligible
See the details State · Virginia public school divisionsVirginia SSEG - School Security Equipment Grant
VDOE funds up to $250,000 per school division each year for cameras, access control, visitor management, and security equipment, awarded competitively with a 25% local match that's reducible for low-ability-to-pay divisions. Authorized by the Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of 2013.
Geo: Virginia · Match: 25% · Competitive
See the details Nonpublic K-12 · New YorkNPSE - Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NYSED)
New York reimburses nonpublic religious and independent schools for school-safety equipment, including cameras, access control, secured entrances, and lockdown systems, on a per-pupil formula (Year 10 paid roughly $120 per student). Non-competitive, and unused allocation rolls over year to year. A durable funding lane for parochial and day schools.
Geo: New York · Non-competitive · Rolls over
See the details Federal · ports & maritimePSGP - Port Security Grant Program
FEMA funding for MTSA-regulated port and maritime facilities, including for-profit operators (rare among security grants, which are usually nonprofit or public only). Awards range from roughly $10,000 to several million for cameras, access control, and perimeter security at the facility.
For-profit eligible · Per-facility scope
See the details Federal · high-risk metro regionsUASI - Urban Area Security Initiative
FEMA funding for the nation's highest-risk metropolitan regions. It funds equipment and projects that help cities prevent, protect against, and respond to terrorism, including surveillance, access control, and emergency communications. Applications run through the designated urban-area body.
Funds: metro preparedness · Per-region
See the details Federal pass-through · victim servicesVOCA - Victims of Crime Act
VOCA funds direct services to crime victims through DOJ grants passed to every state and subgranted to victim-services nonprofits. Security improvements that protect victims and staff (cameras, access control, secured entries, panic buttons) can be eligible where the application ties them to victim safety.
Geo: per state · Victim-services orgs
See the details Compliance · applies to all federal grantsNDAA Section 889 - the rule every federal grant carries
Federal grant dollars cannot buy or keep covered equipment from Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera, Huawei, or ZTE. Tec-Tel walks the bill of materials, matches each model against the FCC Covered List, and documents 889 compliance line by line so the award is not jeopardized at audit.
Public Law 115-232 · FAR 52.204-25
See the details§04 Who qualifies
Five facility types that grant programs fund most.
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Nonprofits at risk of a hate-motivated or terrorist attack. 501(c)(3) organizations are the core eligibility for NSGP and most state supplements. A documented threat narrative and a vulnerability assessment carry the application.
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Houses of worship. Synagogues, churches, mosques, and temples are the most-funded category under NSGP and state programs like SCAHC and CSNSGP, often as the same campus as a preschool or day school.
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Schools, public and non-public. Public K-12 districts apply to SVPP and state school-safety programs; non-public and parochial schools have their own lanes like New York NPSE.
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Ports and maritime facilities. MTSA-regulated facilities, including for-profit operators, are eligible for the Port Security Grant Program - a rare opening among grants that are otherwise nonprofit or public only.
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Healthcare and senior living. Compliance pressure (CMS, HIPAA) and insurance-discount programs frequently underwrite security upgrades even where a named grant does not apply.
Not sure which lane fits? The most efficient first step is a short call. We confirm eligibility, flag any NDAA exposure on your existing camera fleet, and tell you which program your site is a real candidate for before anyone writes an application.
Book a free consultation
Find out which grants your site qualifies for.
Tell us the facility type, the state, and what security is already in place. The Tec-Tel team reviews it and comes back with the programs you're a real candidate for, the allowable-cost scope, and what a complete application package 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
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What you're looking for, plus any details. We review it and follow up, usually the same day.