Origins of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)
New grant programs are not just “hatched” just because. There is almost always an event that causes law makers and administrators to implement a new grant program. That is very true for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)
I was near ground zero for this new grant program. The impetus for it came from the terrible Seattle Jewish Federation shooting that occurred in 2006. I actually know one of the women who was shot and survived.
It was not long after that shooting that I was alerted to the fact that Congress was working on an appropriation for nonprofits to use funding to upgrade their facility security measures. This entire effort and then the funding mechanism came from the unfortunate event linked above.
I was reminded of this grant by an email I got today announcing the process for applicants for the next round of funding. Some of that process is described below. More details are at the grant link above:
If you plan to apply, start here:
1. Notice of Intent: All organizations must complete a Notice of Intent form to submit a FY24 NSGP-NSS application no later than Monday, December 16, 2024, by 11:59PM. Please use this link to file your notice.
2. UEI and Entity Registration (sam.gov): Per FEMA requirements, all organizations must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in sam.gov to receive an NSGP pass-through grant agreement. We recommend requesting the UEI immediately during the application period as it can take a significant amount of time to get through the process.
a. To Request a UEI and/or Register/Renew your Entity Registration please visit sam.gov.
Vulnerability Assessment: All applications will require an up-to-date Vulnerability Assessment. Assessments completed within the last three years are considered valid. To complete this requirement, you may contact your CISA representative or your local police department to conduct an assessment. Alternatively, you may use CISA’s Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment.
4. Investment Justification: The application is also known as the Investment Justification (IJ). While there will be an updated version of the IJ released with the NOFO, you can begin crafting your responses to each of the IJ questions prior to the NOFO release. You can find the questions under “Investment Justification Checklist” in the Fiscal Year 2024 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Subapplicant Quick Start Guide. We recommend that you draft your answers in a Word document for easy editing, transferring the information into the IJ template when final. Please be aware that the final Adobe document has character limits for each section.
