Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program application is now online

On Friday, April 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted its FY 2019 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Notice of Funding Opportunity. https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178521  

Agudath Israel has spent more than a decade working with the Jewish Federations of North America and other Jewish groups at the forefront of creating and maintaining the $60 million Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding for security enhancements for nonprofits that are at high risk of terror attacks. 

The federal deadline for applications is May 29 and state deadlines will likely be a few weeks earlier. 

There are 3 changes in this year’s program (from JCRCNY) 

1) The maximum award will be $100,000. 

2) 10 bonus points will be added to the scores of organizations that never received NSGP funding, giving them a serious advantage 

3) Security guards. The NSGP guidance now allows that the costs to hire a private security firm or off-duty law enforcement officers to provide security services to the facility or organization is permissible, as is the training of said security personnel (but not equipment of contracted security personnel). The recipient must be able to sustain this capability in future years without NSGP funding. Rob Goldberg (from the JFNA Washington Office and the key lobbyist for the NSGP) spoke with his FEMA contacts and reports that, “It means because the program is competitive, there is no guarantee of future years funding so the recipient may have to fund the project if they are unsuccessful in subsequent years. The language is an admonition, but it does not mean that an applicant must show, describe or otherwise prove that it has funding in future years to sustain security personnel.”