What the NSGP is
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is FEMA's principal funding source for nonprofits hardening physical security against a documented threat. It exists because at-risk congregations and community organizations rarely carry capital budgets for cameras, access control, and ballistic hardening. The grant closes that gap. Many qualifying organizations pay little or nothing out of pocket once funding applies.
FEMA funds it. The state runs it. Each state's State Administrative Agency, or SAA, is the only entity that applies to FEMA. Your nonprofit applies to the SAA as a subapplicant. The program runs in two parallel streams: NSGP-UA for sites inside FEMA-designated high-risk urban areas, and NSGP-S for sites outside them. Both share the same eligibility bar, the same allowable costs, and the same per-site cap.
Funding and eligibility at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Per-site award | Up to $200,000 per location, per funding stream |
| Per-organization cap | Up to 3 sites = max $600,000 per org, per state or territory |
| Cost-share / match | None required (FY2025) |
| FY2025 total available | $274.5M ($137.25M NSGP-UA + $137.25M NSGP-S) |
| Administering agency | FEMA, via each state’s State Administrative Agency (SAA) |
| Eligible applicant | 501(c)(3) nonprofit at high risk of terrorist or extremist attack |
Eligibility rests on three pillars. The applicant holds 501(c)(3) status. The applicant documents a credible threat narrative that names the specific risk and its basis. The applicant submits a vulnerability assessment that connects that narrative to physical security gaps at the site. Evaluators read the threat narrative first and weigh every requested line item against it. Generic requests without a documented tie back to the threat score poorly.
Source: FEMA FY2025 NSGP Fact Sheet and the FY2025 NSGP FAQ. Figures reflect the FY2025 cycle. Confirm against the active NOFO at fema.gov before final budget submission.
What security NSGP funds
The program funds the acquisition and installation of security equipment, contracted security personnel, security planning and training, and cybersecurity measures on property the nonprofit owns or leases. A complete application names line items across these categories, each tied to a documented vulnerability.
- Security cameras and video. IP cameras and a central video management system at entrances, parking lots, sanctuaries, classrooms, and approach roads. Federal grant dollars require NDAA Section 889-compliant equipment.
- Access control and door hardware. Card and mobile readers, electrified strikes, door-position monitoring, and visitor management at main entries and after-hours zones. A single-button lockdown ties access, cameras, and intrusion together.
- Monitoring and alerting. Central-station monitoring and duress alarms. Panic buttons route a documented alert to local law enforcement and on-site staff in seconds, and can trigger lockdown automatically.
- Physical hardening. Ballistic-resistant window film, reinforced door hardware, bollards and anti-ram barriers, perimeter fencing, and exterior lighting at lots, walkways, and approach roads.
- Contracted security and training. Contracted security personnel, active-shooter response, threat assessment, and de-escalation training. The NOFO caps training at a defined share of the award. Confirm the current cap before budgeting.
- Cybersecurity measures. FY2025 allows cybersecurity costs on real property the nonprofit owns or leases. Network segmentation for the camera VLAN and hardening of the access platform fit here.
Allowable categories shift cycle to cycle. The FY2025 NOFO is the current reference. Confirm the active NOFO before you build the budget.
The application cycle and deadline
Recent cycles follow a predictable rhythm. FEMA publishes the federal NOFO, then each SAA opens its own subapplication window and sets its own deadline. The FY2025 NOFO released July 28, 2025, with SAA deadlines running through the fall. Award decisions follow, then six to twelve months of procurement and install, then reimbursement against documented receipts.
As of June 2026 the program is between cycles. FEMA has signaled the FY2026 NOFO over the summer. Deadlines are set by your state, not by FEMA, and they vary. Always confirm your SAA's exact date before relying on it. A wrong deadline costs a year. The federal program page is the place to start: fema.gov/grants/preparedness/nonprofit-security.
One planning note worth acting on now. Awards favor applicants who are already assessment-ready when the window opens. The threat narrative, the vulnerability assessment, and an NDAA-clean bill of materials take weeks to assemble. Build them before the NOFO drops, and you submit a complete package on day one instead of scrambling against a short state deadline.
NDAA Section 889 applies to every dollar
NSGP awards are federal grant dollars, which puts every install under NDAA Section 889. The statute prohibits federal grantees from using or procuring covered video surveillance and telecommunications equipment from Hikvision, Dahua, Hytera, Huawei, ZTE, and their subsidiaries, regardless of vintage.
The trap is rebranding. Some integrators apply their own label over OEM Hikvision and Dahua gear, so compliance is verified against the bill of materials, not the sticker on the dome. If covered equipment is already on the wall, the fix is a documented rip-and-replace plan with NDAA-compliant equipment before federal funds release. The full walkthrough lives in our NDAA Section 889 explainer (Public Law 115-232; FAR 52.204-25).
How Tec-Tel designs to grant scope
Tec-Tel produces the security-side documentation a complete NSGP application needs, designed to the federal evaluation rubric. Four deliverables.
- Site assessment. A walking assessment with your security committee and facilities lead. We document existing camera and access posture, mark gaps against NSGP target-hardening categories, and produce a written assessment your application can cite directly.
- Threat-aligned technology recommendation. Every line item in the bill of materials references the threat it addresses and the allowable-cost category from the active NOFO. A camera at the lot entrance because the narrative names vehicle-based intrusion. Ballistic film at named windows because the narrative names firearms.
- NDAA-compliant vendor selection. We hold the 889-compliant subset of camera, access, and intrusion vendors on file, each with the manufacturer's own self-certification attached to the bill of materials. Covered brands are excluded by default.
- Signed vendor letter. A letter on Tec-Tel letterhead confirming pricing validity through the review cycle, install timeline, NDAA compliance, and our integrator track record. Pricing holds so the award amount matches the install cost when funds release.
What Tec-Tel does not do. We do not write the grant narrative and we do not sign as the applicant. Grant writing stays with your nonprofit's team, often with a dedicated grant-writing consultant. An application written by the install vendor reads differently to a federal evaluator than one written by the nonprofit. Keeping the voices distinct makes the application stronger.
For the deeper, step-by-step install walkthrough, including the top state programs and the post-award timeline, see our NSGP install playbook. To see how NSGP sits alongside the other funding programs we design to, start at the security grants hub.
Last updated: 2026-06-05. We refresh this page when the FEMA NSGP NOFO publishes, when NDAA enforcement guidance changes, or when a state administrative agency updates its NSGP packet.