U.S. Rep. Thompson Congressman Thompson Announces FY 2020 Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
The FY 2020 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) provides funding support for physical security enhancements and other security related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. Eligible nonprofit organizations are those described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such code.
In recent years, there has been an increase in acts of violence and threats of violence against nonprofit organizations. Deadly mass-casualty incidents include 2019 synagogue shootings in Poway California and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a 2017 church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and a 2012 Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
In response to these attacks, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson sponsored the Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-108) which authorizes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant program that makes funds available to nonprofit organizations that are at risk of a terrorist attack. Importantly, the Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 requires funds to be available to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, regardless of whether they are located within jurisdictions deemed by DHS as high-risk, urban areas. For Fiscal Year 2020, Congress appropriated $90 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Each sub-applicant may apply for up to $100,000. The funding may be requested for multiple sites, but the organization must submit the completed forms for each individual site, with only one site per Investment Justification. A fillable “IJ” form is available in the Related Documents tab of the Grants.gov Nonprofit Security Grant Program posting under FY 2020 NSGP Investment Justification or click on the below link and search keyword DHS-20-GPD-008-00-01 or Nonprofit: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html. Each sub-applicant must provide the following:
- NSGP Investment Justification (Microsoft Word Template)
- Vulnerability/Risk Assessment on which the request in the “IJ” is based
- Mission Statement
Allowable equipment is limited to two categories of items on the Authorized Equipment List (AEL):
- -AEL Section 14- Physical Security Enhancement Equipment
- -AEL Section 15- Inspection and Screening Systems
The equipment categories are listed on the web based AEL on the FEMA website: https://www.fema.gov/authorized-equipment-list.
Please e-mail all required documents to mmanuel@dps.ms.gov by the established deadline. If you have any questions, contact Marsha Manuel, Grants Director at 601-346-1504. All submissions must be received by the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security by March 27, 2020 in order to meet the FEMA deadline.
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Release from Congressman Bennie Thompson.
Frank Corder
