Nonprofit Security Grant Program for Churches: How to Apply (2026 Rules, FY2027 Prep)

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is the largest source of federal money a church can use for cameras, door hardware, lighting, bollards, and security training. For fiscal year 2026, FEMA made $300 million available and raised the cap to $200,000 per site. The 2026 application window closed on July 24, 2026, so this guide is written for churches that want to be ready when the FY2027 cycle opens, which has historically been in late spring. It also explains why the same documentation that wins a grant tends to help at insurance renewal.

Integrity Now Insurance Brokers is an independent church insurance agency serving congregations in all 50 states. We are not a grant consultant, and we do not charge for this information; we write it because a church with a documented security plan is easier to insure.

What the Nonprofit Security Grant Program pays for

NSGP is run by FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security. It reimburses nonprofits, including houses of worship, for physical-security projects that reduce the risk of a terrorist or extremist attack. Typical funded items at churches include:

• Surveillance: cameras, video management systems, video analytics (weapons-detection analytics are allowed; facial recognition and license-plate readers are not).
• Access control: electronic locks, credentialed entry, visitor management systems.
• Hardening: reinforced doors and frames, ballistic film on glass, bollards, fencing, exterior lighting.
• Alerting: mass-notification and emergency-communication systems.
• Planning and training: security plans, threat assessments, staff and volunteer training, exercises.
• Contracted security personnel (off-duty officers as contractors; direct hires are not allowed under current rules).

Costs incurred before the award are not reimbursable, and NSGP is a reimbursement grant: the church pays the vendor first and is repaid through the state after the work is approved. Budget for that cash-flow gap before you apply.

FY2026 by the numbers

• Total funding: $300 million, split $150 million for high-risk urban areas (NSGP-UA) and $150 million for everywhere else (NSGP-S).
• Award cap: up to $200,000 per site, up to three sites per funding stream, not more than $600,000 per state. The per-site cap was $150,000 in FY2025.
• Notice of Funding Opportunity published June 24, 2026; federal deadline July 17, extended to July 24, 2026. State deadlines were earlier (Missouri, for example, took sub-applications June 30 to July 8).
• Period of performance: September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2028.
• Demand: In FY2024, about a third of more than 12,000 applications were funded. Faith leaders and members of Congress have been pushing to raise the program to $1 billion after the 2026 attacks on Temple Israel in Michigan and a San Diego mosque.

Sources: Feldesman, IntelliSee NSGP 2026 guide, WUNC, May 24, 2026.

Who is eligible

Applicants must be nonprofits described in section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. Churches are treated as 501(c)(3) organizations whether or not they ever requested an IRS determination letter, but many State Administrative Agencies ask for proof of status, so have your letter, your denomination’s group ruling, or your articles of incorporation ready. The applicant must also show it is at high risk of a terrorist or extremist attack. Reviewers weigh documented threats, incidents at similar organizations, the site’s symbolic value, and the findings of a vulnerability assessment. A church does not need to have been attacked to qualify; it needs to document why it is a plausible target and what specifically is vulnerable.

How a church applies, step by step

1. Find your State Administrative Agency (SAA). Churches do not apply to FEMA. Each state’s SAA (usually the state emergency-management or homeland-security office) runs its own sub-application window, reviews and ranks applications, and forwards them to FEMA. Get on the SAA’s email list now; state windows are often only two or three weeks long and open before the federal NOFO is widely reported.
2. Register for a UEI at SAM.gov. The Unique Entity Identifier is free and required to receive federal funds. Registration can take several weeks, so do it in the winter, not the week the window opens.
3. Get a vulnerability assessment. One is required per physical address. Many SAAs, local police departments, DHS Protective Security Advisors, and some denominations provide these at no cost. The assessment is what turns “we feel unsafe” into “the east entrance has no sight line and no lock.”
4. Write the Investment Justification (IJ). One per site, in FEMA’s template. It describes the threat, the vulnerabilities the assessment found, the specific purchases that address them, and the budget. The strongest IJs tie every dollar to a specific finding.
5. Gather the supporting documents. Proof of 501(c)(3) status, a mission statement (most SAAs ask for one), vendor quotes for each budget line, and any threat documentation such as police reports or hate mail.
6. Submit to the SAA before the state deadline. Then wait; awards are typically announced several months after the federal deadline and flow back through the state.

Why this matters for your church insurance

The underwriting questions a liability carrier asks about a church overlap almost exactly with what an NSGP vulnerability assessment covers: Who controls access during services and children’s programs? Are there cameras and lighting? Is there a written emergency plan, and has anyone been trained on it? A church that can hand its agent a completed assessment, a security plan, and receipts for improvements is materially less risky, and carriers reflect that in how they quote general liability insurance for churches and whether they will offer active assailant coverage at all.

Two practical notes. First, insurance does not pay for security upgrades, so the grant is the way to fund them; but a grant does not replace coverage, because it funds prevention, not the medical, legal, and counseling costs after an incident. Second, if your church is applying anyway, start from our church security checklist; it covers most of what an assessor will look for and lets you fix the cheap items before the assessment is written.

What to do between now and the FY2027 window

• Register at SAM.gov and get your UEI.
• Ask your SAA, local police, or your state’s DHS Protective Security Advisor for a vulnerability assessment.
• Collect three vendor quotes for the top items the assessment identifies.
• Write a one-page security plan and train greeters, ushers, and children’s-ministry staff on it. Document the training date.
• Send the assessment and plan to your insurance agent before your next renewal.
• Watch for the FY2027 NOFO. FEMA had not published dates as of September 2026; past cycles opened between April and June.

Other programs exist. The Department of Justice ran a separate, smaller houses-of-worship security grant in 2026 through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and several states fund their own nonprofit-security grants. Your SAA will know which ones apply in your state.

How Integrity Now Insurance Brokers can help

We can review your security plan against what carriers require, ensure your liability and abuse-coverage limits match your exposure, and shop active-assailant coverage if you want it. We are paid by carrier commission and do not charge broker fees. Request a church insurance quote or call us with questions about how a security project affects your policy. If your building is older, read our companion post on old church insurance and the upgrades carriers ask for; lighting and door hardware funded through NSGP can count toward both.

Frequently asked questions about NSGP for churches

This article is general information, not legal or grant-writing advice. Program rules are set by FEMA and your State Administrative Agency and change each fiscal year; confirm current requirements with your SAA.