The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) NSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Fiscal Year 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program

Download this NOFO

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Fiscal Year 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program

Fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and other criminal or noncriminal misconduct related to this program may be reported to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline. The toll-free numbers to call are 1 (800) 323-8603 and TTY 1 (844) 889-4357.

Contents

1. Basic Information.

A. Agency Name.

B. NOFO Title.

C. Announcement Type.

D. Funding Opportunity Number

E. Assistance Listing Number

F. Expected Total Funding.

G. Anticipated Number of Awards.

H. Expected Award Range.

I. Projected Application Start Date.

J. Projected Application End Date.

K. Anticipated Funding Selection Date.

L. Anticipated Award Date.

M. Projected Period of Performance Start Date.

N. Projected Period of Performance End Date.

Executive Summary.

O. Agency Contact

2. Eligibility.

A. Eligible Entities/Entity Types.

B. Project Type Eligibility.

C. Requirements for Personnel, Partners, and Other Parties.

D. Maximum Number of Applications.

E. Additional Restrictions.

F. References for Eligibility Factors within the NOFO..

G. Cost Sharing Requirement

H. Cost Share Description, Type and Restrictions.

I. Cost Sharing Calculation Example.

J. Required information for verifying Cost Share.

3. Program Description.

A.    Background, Program Purpose, and Program History.

B.    Goals, Objectives, and Priorities.

C.    Program Rationale.

D.    Federal Assistance Type.

E.    Performance Measures and Targets.

F.    Program-Specific Unallowable Costs.

G.    General Funding Requirements.

H.    Indirect Costs (Facilities and Administrative Costs)

I.     Management and Administration (M&A) Costs.

J.     Pre-Award Costs.

K.    Beneficiary Eligibility.

L.    Participant Eligibility.

M.   Authorizing Authority.

N.    Appropriation Authority.

O.    Budget Period.

P.    Prohibition on Covered Equipment or Services.

4. Application Contents and Format

A.    Pre-Application, Letter of Intent, and Whitepapers.

B.    Application Content and Format

C.    Application Components.

D.    Program-Specific Required Documents and Information.

E.    Post-Application Requirements for Successful Applicants.

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines.

A.    Address to Request Application Package.

B.    Application Deadline.

C.    Pre-Application Requirements Deadline.

D.    Post-Application Requirements Deadline.

E.    Effects of Missing the Deadline.

6. Intergovernmental Review.

A.    Requirement Description and State Single Point of Contact

7. Application Review Information.

A.    Threshold Criteria.

B.    Application Criteria.

C.    Financial Integrity Criteria.

D.    Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review..

E.    Reviewers and Reviewer Selection.

F.    Merit Review Process.

G.    Final Selection.

8. Award Notices.

A.    Notice of Award.

B.    Pass-Through Requirements.

C.    Note Regarding Pre-Award Costs.

D.    Obligation of Funds.

E.    Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants.

9. Post-Award Requirements and Administration.

A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

B. DHS Standard Terms and Conditions.

C. Financial Reporting Requirements.

D. Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements.

E. Closeout Reporting Requirements.

F. Disclosing Information.

G. Reporting of Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance.

H. Single Audit Report

I. Monitoring and Oversight

J. Program Evaluation.

K. Additional Performance Reporting Requirements.

L.    Termination of the Federal Award.

M. Best Practices.

N. Payment Information.

O. Immigration Conditions.

10. Other Information.

A.    Period of Performance Extension.

B.    Other Information.

11. Appendix A: Allowable Costs.

A.    Planning.

B.    Organization.

C.    Equipment

D.    Training and Exercises.

E.    Maintenance and Sustainment

F.    Construction and Renovation.

G.    Contracted Security Personnel

12. Appendix B: FY 2025 NSGP-UA Eligible High-Risk Urban Areas Allocations.

13. Appendix C: FY 2025 NSGP-S Allocations.

14. Appendix D: Evaluation Criteria and Scoring.

1. Basic Information

2. Eligibility

3. Program Description

1. Background, Program Purpose, and Program History 

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is one of the grant programs that support DHS/FEMA’s focus on enhancing the ability of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as nonprofits, to prevent, protect against, prepare for, and respond to terrorist or other extremist attacks. These grant programs are part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS to help strengthen the nation’s communities against potential terrorist or other extremist attacks. The NSGP is a competitive grant program intended to provide federal funding for physical security enhancements and other security-related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at risk of terrorist attack. 

DHS is focused on the criticality of information sharing and collaboration in building a national mindset of preparedness and protecting against terrorism and other threats to our national security. DHS and its homeland security mission were born from the “failures among federal agencies and between the federal agencies and state and local authorities to share critical information related to the threat of terrorism” prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks. However, the threat profile has changed in the past two decades. We now face continuous cyberattacks by sophisticated actors, as well as ongoing threats to soft targets and crowded places, such as schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, and other nonprofit entities. The NSGP reflects DHS’s commitment to risk-informed investment, collaboration, and resilience. To ensure that priorities reflect the current threat environment, FEMA’s Preparedness Grant Programs are guided by annually designated National Priority Areas (NPAs). The FY 2025 NPAs are:

1. Enhancing the protection of soft targets and crowded places,
   1. This includes faith-based organizations and election sites;
   2. Supporting Homeland Security Task Forces and fusion centers;
   3. Enhancing and integrating cybersecurity resiliency;
   4. Enhancing election security; and
   5. Border Crisis Response and Enforcement Support.
      1. Example activities under border crisis response and enforcement support may include:
2. Participation in the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) training program;
3. Cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers; and
4. Other jurisdictional responsibilities to support the enforcement of United States immigration law.

For FY 2025, the Administration encourages applicants to propose innovative solutions that support the broader homeland security mission reflected in the NPAs, as applicable. Applicants must clearly demonstrate how their proposed projects address an NPA and how they align with the stated purpose and objectives of this NOFO.

The NSGP has significantly contributed to the improvement and increase in the physical/cyber security and facility/target hardening of nonprofit organizations’ facilities, ultimately safeguarding the lives and property of the American people. Nonprofit organizations tend to be high-profile and/or visible targets of group- or identity-based attacks because the populations affiliated with these organizations are usually members of a group with a shared identity (religious, ideological, mission-based, etc.). The frequency and severity of attacks – whether they are hate-based, group-based, opportunistic, or random – are increasing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported more than 11,862 hate or bias-based attacks in 2023, an increase from previous years. 

Nonprofit organizations tend to not have the resources, capital, or experience to secure facilities and implement costly and effective (i.e., state-of-the-art) security measures to protect the individuals who use their services or facilities from the increasing acts of violence perpetrated against populations who affiliate with these, often identity-based, nonprofits. In FY 2024, the types of equipment nonprofit organizations requested and received the most NSGP funding for included: 1) video assessment and security systems; 2) impact resistant doors and gates; 3) physical access control systems; 4) jersey walls, fences, and other barriers; and 5) fixed area lighting. By providing crucial funding to high-risk non-profit organizations, the NSGP supports the ability of non-profit organizations to protect themselves and the individuals targeted by affiliation. 

In the history of the program, over $1.8 billion has been allocated to nonprofit organizations and over 14,000 applications have been awarded. In recent years:

• NSGP emphasized the integration of preparedness activities of nonprofit organizations with broader state and local preparedness efforts.
• Funding priorities evolved to include spending Planning, Organizational, Equipment, Training, and Exercises (POETE) towards addressing the NPAs.

2. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities 

Goals: The NSGP will improve and increase the physical/cybersecurity and facility/target hardening of nonprofit organizations’ facilities at risk of a terrorist of other extremist attack, ultimately safeguarding the lives and property of the American people. Concurrently, the NSGP will integrate the preparedness activities of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack with broader state and local preparedness efforts.

Objectives: The NGSP, via State Administrative Agencies (SAA), provides funds to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist or other extremist attack to meet the following three objectives throughout the period of performance: 

1. Enhance equipment and conduct security-related activities to improve the security posture of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack.
   1. With this funding, build and sustain core capabilities, as identified in individual nonprofit organization Vulnerability Assessments, of high-risk nonprofit organizations in the annual national priority areas. See the table “FY 2025 NSGP Funding Priorities” in Section 3B.
2. Address and close capability gaps that are identified in individual nonprofit organization Vulnerability Assessments via funding spent on Planning, Equipment, and Training and Exercises that aim to enhance the protection of soft targets and crowded places.
   1. Planning – carrying out risk management for the protection of programs and activities, risk and disaster resilience assessment, threats, and hazard identification, as well as operational coordination.
   2. Equipment– Strengthening security infrastructure, technology, and protective measures.
   3. Training & Exercises – long-term vulnerability reduction via preparedness training, public information and warning enhancement, and threat response exercises.   
3. Strengthen relationships across non-profit organization, state, local, and territorial homeland security agencies for a whole community approach to preparedness.
   1. Implementing a comprehensive and coordinated (whole of community) approach to preparedness can address enduring security needs, including effective planning, training and awareness campaigns, and exercises. See the table “FY 2025 NSGP Funding Priorities” in Section 3B. 

Priorities: Given the evolving threat landscape, it is incumbent upon DHS/FEMA to continuously evaluate the national risk profile and set priorities that help ensure appropriate allocation of scarce security dollars. The FY 2025 NPAs reflect FEMA’s broader mission across all preparedness efforts. Applicants should be familiar with these NPAs, as they represent DHS’s current focus areas and may shape future guidance:

• Enhancing Protection of Soft Targets/Crowded Places
• Supporting Homeland Security Task Forces and Fusion Centers
• Enhancing Cybersecurity
• Enhancing Election Security
• Supporting Border Crisis Response and Enforcement

Enduring needs include:

• Effective planning
• Training and awareness campaigns
• Equipment and capital projects
• Exercises

The table below provides a breakdown of the NPAs and core capabilities impacted, as well as examples of eligible project types for each area. More information on allowable investments can be found in the Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs section below.

FY 2025 NSGP Funding Priorities

All priorities in this table concern the Safety and Security Lifelines.

3. Program Rationale

The stated goals, objectives, and priorities of NSGP support Section 2002 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-296, as amended) (6 U.S.C. § 609a) by supporting eligible nonprofit organizations at risk of terrorist or extremist attack with funding to enhance facility hardening, improve cybersecurity, and cover costs related to security training, facility security personnel, grant administration, and other appropriate activities as determined by the Administrator.

4. Federal Assistance Type 

Grant

5. Performance Measures and Targets

Performance metric for this program is:

• Performance Measure 1: Percentage of funding allocated by the recipient to core capabilities to build or sustain the national priorities identified in Section B above. (80%)

FEMA will calculate and analyze the above metrics through a review of recipient Biannual Strategy Implementation Report (BSIR) updates and award monitoring to ensure that the funds are expended for their intended purpose and achieve the stated outcomes in the grant application.

6. Program-Specific Unallowable Costs

The following projects and costs are considered ineligible for award consideration:

• Organization costs, and operational overtime costs;
• Hiring of public safety personnel (excluding off duty law enforcement personnel in the capacity of contract security);
• General use expenditures;
• Overtime and backfill;
• Initiatives that do not address the implementation of programs/initiatives to build prevention and protection-focused capabilities directed at identified facilities and/or the surrounding communities;
• The development of risk/vulnerability assessment models;
• Initiatives that fund risk or vulnerability security assessments or the development of the Investment Justification (IJ);
• Initiatives in which federal agencies are the beneficiary or that enhance federal property;
• Initiatives which study technology development;
• Proof-of-concept initiatives; and
• Direct or indirect pass-through of benefits to non-eligible entities.

7. General Funding Requirements

Costs charged to federal awards (including federal and non-federal cost share funds) must comply with applicable statutes, rules and regulations, policies, this NOFO, the Preparedness Grants Manual, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. This includes, among other requirements, that costs must be incurred, and products and services must be delivered within the budget period. See 2 C.F.R. § 200.403(h).

Recipients may not use federal funds or any cost share funds for the following activities: 

1. Matching or cost sharing requirements for other federal grants and cooperative agreements (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.306).
2. Lobbying or other prohibited activities under 18 U.S.C. § 1913 or 2 C.F.R. § 200.450.
3. Prosecuting claims against the federal government or any other government entity (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.435).

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for more information on funding restrictions and allowable costs.

8. Indirect Costs (Facilities and Administrative Costs)

Indirect costs are allowed for recipients and subrecipients.

Indirect costs (IDC) are costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective and not readily assignable to specific cost objectives without disproportionate effort. Applicants with a current negotiated IDC rate agreement who desire to charge indirect costs to a federal award must provide a copy of their IDC rate agreement with their applications. Not all applicants are required to have a current negotiated IDC rate agreement. Applicants that are not required to have a negotiated IDC rate agreement, but are required to develop an IDC rate proposal, must provide a copy of their proposal with their applications. Applicants without a current negotiated IDC rate agreement (including a provisional rate) and wish to charge the de minimis rate must reach out to FEMA for further instructions. Applicants who wish to use a cost allocation plan in lieu of an IDC rate proposal must reach out to FEMA for further instructions. As it relates to the IDC for subrecipients, a recipient must follow the requirements of 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.332 and 200.414 in approving the IDC rate for subawards. See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on establishing indirect cost rates.

9. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs

M&A costs are allowed.

M&A costs are not operational costs but are necessary costs incurred in direct support of the federal award or as a consequence of it, such as travel, meeting-related expenses, and salaries of full/part-time staff in direct support of the program. As such, M&A costs can be itemized in financial reports. Other M&A costs examples include preparing and submitting required programmatic and financial reports, establishing and/or maintaining equipment inventory, documenting operational and equipment expenditures for financial accounting purposes, and responding to official informational requests from state and federal oversight authorities.

Note: SAAs must be able to separately account for M&A costs associated with the NSGP-UA award from those associated with the NSGP-S award.

M&A costs are allowed under this program as described below:

1.   SAA (Recipient) for NSGP-S and NSGP-UA M&A

The SAA may use and expend up to 5% of their total FY 2025 NSGP-S and NSGP-UA awards for M&A purposes associated with administering the NSGP-S and NSGP-UA awards. SAAs must include the amount they are requesting for NSGP-S and NSGP-UA M&A in the SF-424A form. The amount should be in addition to the total requested by the subapplicant nonprofit organizations, but not exceed 5% of the total requested by the subapplicant nonprofit organizations. SAAs must be able to separately account for M&A costs associated with the NSGP-UA award from those associated with the NSGP-S.

2.   Nonprofit Organization (subrecipient) for NSGP-S and NSGP-UA M&A

Nonprofit organizations that receive a subaward under the NSGP may use and expend up to 5% of each subaward for M&A purposes associated with that subaward. If an organization is receiving more than one subaward, they must be able to separately account for M&A costs for each subaward.

10. Pre-Award Costs 

Recipient (SAA) pre-award costs are allowable only with the prior written approval of DHS/FEMA and as included in the award agreement. To request pre-award costs, a written request must be included with the application, signed by the SAA. The letter must outline what the pre-award costs are for, including a detailed budget break-out of pre-award costs from the post-award costs, and a justification for approval. Subrecipients cannot claim pre-award costs. Please contact your SAA should exigent circumstances exist. 

11. Beneficiary Eligibility

There are no program requirements. See Section 2 for additional information on eligibility. This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any beneficiary.

12. Participant Eligibility

There are no program requirements. This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any participant.

13. Authorizing Authority

Section 2009 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-296, as amended) (6 U.S.C. § 609a).

14. Appropriation Authority

Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, Pub. L. No. 119-4, § 1101.

15. Budget Period

There will be only a single budget period with the same start and end dates as the period of performance. 

16. Prohibition on Covered Equipment or Services 

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on prohibitions on expending funds on covered telecommunications and surveillance equipment and services.

4. Application Contents and Format

1. Pre-Application, Letter of Intent, and Whitepapers

Not applicable.

2. Application Content and Format

Applications are required to be submitted in FEMA GO by the SAA ONLY. To begin, visit Grants.gov and search for the NSGP posting. Once you find the posting, go to the Related Documents tab to download the necessary documents. Fill out these forms carefully, ensuring all information is accurate and clearly labeled. Save the completed forms. Finally, log in to FEMA GO and upload the required documents as part of your application submission.

3. Application Components 

The following forms or information are required to be submitted via FEMA GO. Applicants can complete these forms directly in FEMA GO without needing to upload PDF versions of the forms. The Standard Forms (SF) are also available at Forms | Grants.gov:

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• Grants.gov Lobbying Form, Certification Regarding Lobbying
• SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction)
  • For construction under an award, submit SF-424C, Budget Information (Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424A
  • To comply with 2 C.F.R. § 200.402 - 2 C.F.R. § 200.405, NSGP applicants must complete and submit an SF-424A or SF-424C, as appropriate, reflecting cost breakdown per budget cost categories per sub-programs (NSGP-S and NSGP-UA) and Management and Administration costs as applicable to align with the FY 2025 NSGP funding notice. The SF-424A or SF-424C with the pre-filled requirements can be found with the NSGP funding notice and associated attachments on grants.gov. Adjustments to the SF-424A or SF-424C maybe required after the FY 2025 NSGP final allocation announcements are made. GPD Grants Management Specialists will contact applicants for any necessary revisions.
• SF-424B, Standard Assurances (Non-Construction)
  • For construction under an award, submit SF-424D, Standard Assurances (Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424B
• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

4. Program-Specific Required Documents and Information

The following program-specific forms or information are required to be submitted in FEMA GO following award to the applicable SAA and before any subawards are approved/issued: 

• Investment Justifications (IJ) from ALL nonprofit subapplicants, regardless of if the SAA recommends them for funding in the provided FY 2025 IJ Template (OMB Control Number: 1660-0110/FEMA Form FF-207-FY-21-115).
• SAA Prioritization of IJs in the DHS/FEMA-provided template (OMB Control Number: 1660-0110/FEMA Form FF 207-21-114) located in the Related Documents tab of the Grants.gov posting:
  • SAAs must include nonprofit organization application details (e.g., nonprofit organization name, IJ title(s), requested amount(s)) for each nonprofit organization that applied to the SAA for funding on the State Prioritization of IJs even if not being recommended by the SAA for funding.
  • IJs for applications not being recommended for funding must still be submitted to FEMA.
  • Each nonprofit organization being recommended for funding must be scored and must have a unique rank (#1 [one] being the highest ranked through the total number of applications the SAA scored).
  • States with multiple FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban areas must ensure that nonprofits are ranked by high-risk urban area. For example, if a state has three high-risk urban areas, there should be three groups of rankings. 

As part of the FY 2025 NSGP application, each eligible nonprofit subapplicant must submit the following three documents to the SAA by the deadline established by the SAA:

1. NSGP IJ

Nonprofit subapplicants with one site may apply for up to $200,000 for that site. Nonprofit subapplicants with multiple sites may apply for up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites per funding stream for a maximum of $600,000 per state. See Section 2.D. for more information about this maximum. If a nonprofit subapplicant applies for multiple sites, it must submit one complete IJ per each site. ^[1] IJs cannot include more than one physical site. 

A fillable IJ form (DHS/FEMA Form FF-207-FY-21-115, OMB Control Number: 1660-0110) is available in the Related Documents tab of the Grants.gov NSGP posting. This year, for the first time, FEMA is also offering a web version of the IJ, available at Grants.gov. The IJ must describe each investment proposed for funding. The investments or projects described in the IJ must:

• Be for the location(s)/physical address(es) (NOT P.O. Boxes) that the nonprofit occupies at the time of application;
• Address an identified risk, including threat and vulnerability, regardless of whether it is submitting for similar projects at multiple sites;
• Demonstrate the ability to provide enhancements consistent with the purpose of the program and guidance provided by DHS/FEMA;
• Be both feasible and effective at reducing the risks for which the project was designed;
• Be able to be fully completed within the three-year period of performance; and
• Be consistent with all applicable requirements outlined in this NOFO and the Preparedness Grants Manual.

More information about the IJ’s content and scoring is listed in Appendix D.

Nonprofit subapplicants are required to self-identify with one of the following categories in the IJ as part of the application process: 

• Ideology-based/Spiritual/Religious (Houses of Worship, Educational Institutions, Medical Facilities, etc.)
• Educational (secular)
• Medical (secular)
• Other

2. Vulnerability/Risk Assessment 

Each nonprofit subapplicant must include a vulnerability/risk assessment unique to the site the IJ is being submitted for.

3. Mission Statement

Each nonprofit subapplicant must include its Mission Statement and any mission implementation policies or practices that may elevate the organization’s risk. SAAs will use the Mission Statement along with the nonprofit subapplicant’s self-identification in the IJ to validate that the organization is one of the following types: 1) Ideology-based/Spiritual/Religious; 2) Educational; 3) Medical; or 4) Other. The organization type is a factor when calculating the final score of the application; see Section 7 “Application Review Information,” subsection “Final Score.”

The Vulnerability/Risk Assessment and Mission Statement are not to be submitted in FEMA GO but should be maintained by the SAA and must be made available to DHS/FEMA upon request.

The Vulnerability/Risk Assessment and Mission Statement are not to be submitted in FEMA GO but should be maintained by the SAA and must be made available to DHS/FEMA upon request.

5. Post-Application Requirements for Successful Applicants

a. Grant Agreement and Acceptance

Recipients must review, sign, and return the grant agreement to formalize acceptance of the award and its terms.

b. Additional Application Material

With FEMA's approval, applicants may submit certain required information post award. For detailed guidance, please refer to the award letter or contact your assigned FEMA HQ Preparedness Officer.

c. General Information About Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements

Award recipients must submit the following reports: quarterly financial reports, semi-annual performance reports and BSIR submissions, final financial and performance reports, and an annual audit report (if required). These must follow the Part 200 Uniform Requirements or specific conditions of the award. If reports are late, future funding or fund access may be delayed, and additional reports may be requested in some cases.

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

6. Address to Request Application Package

Applications are processed through the FEMA GO system. To access the system, go to https://go.fema.gov/.

Steps Required to Apply for An Award Under This Program and Submit an Application:

To apply for an award under this program, all applicants must:

a.   Apply for, update, or verify their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and EIN from the Internal Revenue Service; 

b.   In the application, provide an UEI number;

c.   Have an account with login.gov;

d.   Register for, update, or verify their SAM account and ensure the account is active before submitting the application;

e.   Register in FEMA GO, add the organization to the system, and establish the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). The organization’s electronic business point of contact (eBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/181607;

f.    Submit the complete application in FEMA GO; and

g.   Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. As part of this, applicants must also provide information on an applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable.

Per 2 C.F.R. § 25.110(a)(2)(iv), if an applicant is experiencing exigent circumstances that prevents it from obtaining an UEI number and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award, the applicant must notify FEMA as soon as possible. Contact fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov and provide the details of the exigent circumstances. 

How to Register to Apply:

General Instructions:

Registering and applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process and requires time to complete. Below are instructions for registering to apply for FEMA funds. Read the instructions carefully and prepare the requested information before beginning the registration process. Gathering the required information before starting the process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. To ensure an application meets the deadline, applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their submission.

Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Obtain a UEI Number: 

All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a UEI number. Applicants must enter the UEI number in the applicable data entry field on the SF-424 form. For more detailed instructions for obtaining a UEI number, refer to SAM.gov.  

Obtain Employer Identification Number:

In addition to having a UEI number, all entities applying for funding must provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN can be obtained from the IRS by visiting https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online.

Create a login.gov account: 

Applicants must have a login.gov account in order to register with SAM or update their SAM registration. Applicants can create a login.gov account at: https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd.

Applicants only have to create a login.gov account once. For existing SAM users, use the same email address for both login.gov and SAM.gov so that the two accounts can be linked.

For more information on the login.gov requirements for SAM registration, refer to https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/loginFAQ.jsf.

Register with SAM: 

In addition to having a UEI number, all organizations must register with SAM. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through FEMA GO. SAM registration must be renewed annually and must remain active throughout the entire grant life cycle.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to: Register with SAM

Note: per 2 C.F.R. § 25.200, applicants must also provide the applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner, subsidiaries, and predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the past three years, if applicable.

Register in FEMA GO, Add the Organization to the System, and Establish the AOR: 

Applicants must register in FEMA GO and add their organization to the system. The organization’s electronic business point of contact (eBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see FEMA GO Startup Guide.

Note: FEMA GO will support only the most recent major release of the following browsers:

• Google Chrome;
• Mozilla Firefox;
• Apple Safari; and
• Microsoft Edge.

Applicants using tablet type devices or other browsers may encounter issues with using FEMA GO.

Submitting the Final Application:

Applicants will be prompted to submit the standard application information and any program-specific information required. Standard Forms (SF) may be accessed in the Forms tab under the SF-424 family on Grants.gov. Applicants should review these forms before applying to ensure they are providing all required information.

After submitting the final application, FEMA GO will provide either an error message, or an email to the submitting AOR confirming the transmission was successfully received.

7. Application Deadline 

08/11/25 05:00:00 PM Eastern Time

8. Pre-Application Requirements Deadline  

Not applicable.

9. Post-Application Requirements Deadline 

Not applicable.

10. Effects of Missing the Deadline

All applications must be completed in FEMA GO by the application deadline. FEMA GO automatically records proof of submission and generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives an application. The submitting AOR will receive via email the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number to serve as proof of timely submission prior to the application deadline. 

Applicants experiencing system-related issues have until 3:00 PM ET on the date applications are due to notify FEMA. No new system-related issues will be addressed after this deadline. Applications not received by the application submission deadline will not be accepted.

6. Intergovernmental Review

11. Requirement Description and State Single Point of Contact 

An intergovernmental review may be required. Applicants must contact their state’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372.

7. Application Review Information

12. Threshold Criteria

Subapplicants will be disqualified if they: submit incomplete subapplication packages; are administratively noncompliant (e.g., scanned IJs, incorrect or previous year forms); have a history of poor performance in grant administration; apply for the wrong funding stream; and/or are deemed an ineligible organization. 

13. Application Criteria
14. Programmatic Criteria

Nonprofit organizations must submit their FY 2025 NSGP applications to their respective SAA by the deadline established by the SAA. If an SAA has established deadline that is prior to release of the FY 2025 NSGP funding notice, the SAA is responsible for working with any nonprofits that may need to amend their submissions to account for changes in the FY 2025 NSGP program prior to the start of the SAA application evaluation process. FY 2025 NSGP-S and NSGP-UA applications will be reviewed through a two-phase state and federal review process for completeness, adherence to programmatic guidelines, feasibility, and how well the IJ (project description and justification) addresses the identified risk(s). For FY 2025 NSGP-S and NSGP-UA SAAs will make recommendations to DHS/FEMA based on their allocation and according to the chart listed in the respective process subsection below.

The following are the FY 2025 NSGP-S and NSGP-UA evaluation process and criteria:

• For NSGP-UA, state and federal verification that the nonprofit organization is located within one of the FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban areas (contact the appropriate SAA for the UAWG-defined high-risk urban area footprints); and for NSPG-S, verification that the nonprofit is located outside of one of the FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban areas;
• Identification and substantiation of current or persistent threats or attacks (from within or outside the United States) by a terrorist or other extremist organization, network, or cell against the subapplicant based on their ideology, beliefs, and/or mission as: 1) an ideology-based/spiritual/religious; 2) educational; 3) medical; or 4) other nonprofit entity;
• Symbolic value of the site(s) as a highly recognized regional and/or national or historical institution(s) that renders the site a possible target of terrorist or other extremist attack;
• Role of the nonprofit organization in responding to or recovering from terrorist or other extremist attacks;
• Alignment between the project activities requested within the physical or cyber vulnerabilities identified in the organization’s vulnerability assessment;
• Integration of nonprofit preparedness with broader state and local preparedness efforts;
• Completed IJ for each site that addresses an identified risk unique to that site, including the assessed threat, vulnerability, and consequence of the risk; and
• History of prior funding under NSGP. Not having received prior year NSGP funding is a positive factor when calculating the state score of the application; see Section 7, Application Review Information – Review and Selection Process, for additional information.

Grant projects must be: 1) both feasible and effective at mitigating the identified vulnerability and thus reducing the risks for which the project was designed; and 2) able to be fully completed within the three-year period of performance. DHS/FEMA will use the information provided in the application, as well as any supporting documentation, to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the grant project. Information that would assist in the feasibility and effectiveness determination includes the following:

• Scope of work (purpose and objectives of the project, identification of what is being protected);
• Desired outcomes, including expected long-term impact where applicable;
• Summary of status of planning and design accomplished to date (e.g., included in a capital improvement plan); and
• Project schedule.

Recipients and subrecipients are expected to conform, as applicable, with accepted engineering practices, established codes, standards, modeling techniques, and best practices.

2. Review and Selection Process

Because of the timing of the FY 2025 NSGP Program, the NSGP-S and NSGP-UA funding will be issued as risk-based allocations to each state and territory. Subawards will still be governed by the competitive process described below; however, this will occur after award of the state- and territory-based allocations to ensure that all funds can be obligated prior to the end of the fiscal year.  

1. NSGP-UA Process

State Review 

Application packages are submitted by the nonprofit organization to the SAA based on the established criteria. As part of the review for NSGP-UA, the SAAs must:

• Conduct an eligibility review, in coordination with the UAWG;
• Verify that the nonprofit is located within a FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban area;
• Review and score only complete application packages (including mission statements and vulnerability assessments) using the NSGP Scoring Criteria provided by DHS/FEMA;
• Validate the self-certified organization type listed in the IJ by assessing the central purpose of the organization described in the mission statement;
• Prioritize all NSGP IJs by ranking each IJ. Each IJ will receive a unique rank (#1 [one] being the highest ranked through the total number of applications the SAA scored);
• For states with multiple FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban areas, each high-risk urban area must be ranked separately;
• Submit the results of the SAA review of complete applications from eligible subapplicants to DHS/FEMA using the SAA Prioritization Tracker;
• Submit nonprofit organization application details for applications received but not recommended for funding (including incomplete applications and ineligible subapplicants), as well as justification as to why they are not being recommended for funding to DHS/FEMA using the SAA Prioritization Tracker;
• Submit IJs that are recommended for funding; SAAs should submit IJs that collectively represent 150% of the state’s NSGP-UA allocation; this will allow DHS/FEMA to award the next prioritized IJ in instances when a subapplicant is found to be ineligible or when a significant portion of an IJ includes proposed projects that are unallowable, for example:

• Submit IJs received and not recommended for funding, including incomplete IJs and IJs from subapplicants deemed ineligible; and
• Retain the mission statements and vulnerability assessments submitted by each nonprofit organization.

The SAA will base the ranking on the final scores from the Prioritization Tracker as determined by the SAA’s subject-matter expertise and discretion with consideration of the following factors:

• Need: the relative need for the nonprofit organization compared to the other subapplicants; and
• Impact: the feasibility of the proposed project and how effectively the proposed project addresses the identified need.

The SAA reviewers will score each question in the IJ according to the scoring matrix in Appendix D.

Federal Review

The highest-ranking IJs from each submitting high-risk urban area are reviewed by a panel made up of DHS/FEMA federal staff. As a part of this review, federal staff will also verify that the nonprofit is located within a FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban area. 

Federal reviewers will review each IJ to check for the following:

• Eligibility (e.g., that a potential subrecipient meets all the criteria for the program);
• Allowability of the proposed project(s); and
• Any derogatory information on the organization applying per Section 7.B.3. “Security Review.”

Final Score

To calculate an application’s final score, the subapplicant’s SAA score will be multiplied:

• By a factor of three for ideology-based/spiritual/religious entities (Houses of Worship, Educational Institutions, Medical Facilities, etc.);
  • By a factor of two for secular medical and educational institutions; and
  • By a factor of one for all other nonprofit organizations.

Subapplicants that have never received an NSGP award will have 15 points added to their score. 

Subapplicants will be selected from highest to lowest scored within their respective urban area until the available urban area allocation has been exhausted. In the event of a tie during the funding determination process, priority will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior year funding, and then those prioritized highest by their SAA. Should an Urban Area fail to meet their published allocation, the remaining balance will not be reallocated. 

DHS/FEMA will use the final results to make subaward funding recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security. All final subaward funding determinations will be made by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who retains the discretion to consider other factors and information in addition to DHS/FEMA’s funding recommendations.

2. NSGP-S Process

    

State Review 

Application packages are submitted by the nonprofit organization to the SAA based on the established criteria. The SAA will review applications and recommend to DHS/FEMA which nonprofit organizations should be selected for funding. As part of the state review, the SAAs must:

• Conduct an eligibility review;
• Verify that the nonprofit is located outside a FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban area;
• Review and score all complete application packages (including vulnerability assessments and mission statement) using the NSGP Scoring Criteria provided by DHS/FEMA;
• Validate the self-certified organization type listed in the IJ by assessing the central purpose of the organization described in the mission statement;
• Prioritize all NSGP IJs by ranking each IJ. Each IJ will receive a unique rank (#1 [one] being the highest ranked through the total number of applications the SAA scored);
• Submit the results of the state review along with complete IJs from eligible subapplicants to DHS/FEMA using the SAA Prioritization Tracker;
• Submit nonprofit organization application details for applications received but not recommended for funding (including incomplete and ineligible subapplicants), as well as justification as to why they are not being recommended for funding to DHS/FEMA using the SAA Prioritization Tracker;
• Submit IJs that are recommended for funding; SAAs should submit IJs that collectively represent 150% of the state’s NSGP-S allocation; this will allow DHS/FEMA to award the next prioritized IJ in instances when a subapplicant is found to be ineligible or when a significant portion of an IJ includes proposed projects that are unallowable, for example:

• Submit IJs received and not recommended for funding, including incomplete IJs and IJs from subapplicants deemed ineligible.
• Retain the mission statements and vulnerability assessments submitted by each nonprofit organization.

The SAA will base the ranking on the final scores from the Prioritization Tracker as determined by the SAA’s subject-matter expertise and discretion with consideration of the following factors:

• Need: The relative need for the nonprofit organization compared to the other subapplicants; and
• Impact: The feasibility of the proposed project and how effectively the proposed project addresses the identified need.

The SAA reviewers will score each question in the IJ according to the scoring matrix in Appendix D.

Federal Review

The IJs submitted by each SAA will be reviewed by DHS/FEMA federal staff. Federal staff will also verify that the nonprofit organization is located outside of a FY 2025 Designated high-risk urban area. Federal reviewers will review each IJ to check for the following:

• Eligibility (e.g., that a potential subrecipient meets all the criteria for the program);
• Allowability of the proposed project(s); and
• Any derogatory information on the organization applying per Section 7.B.3. “Security Review.”

Final Score

To calculate an application’s final score, the subapplicant's SAA score will be multiplied:

• By a factor of three for ideology-based/spiritual/religious entities (Houses of Worship, Educational Institutions, Medical Facilities, etc.);
  • By a factor of two for secular medical and educational institutions; and
  • By a factor of one for all other nonprofit organizations.

Subapplicants who have never received a NSGP award will have 15 points added to their score. 

Subapplicants will be selected from highest to lowest scored within their respective state/territory until the available state allocation has been exhausted. In the event of a tie during the funding determination process, priority will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior year funding, and then those prioritized highest by their SAA. Should a state/territory fail to meet their published allocation, the remaining balance will not be reallocated.

DHS/FEMA will use the final results to make funding recommendations for subawards to the Secretary of Homeland Security. All final funding determinations for subawards will be made by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who retains the discretion to consider other factors and information in addition to DHS/FEMA’s funding recommendations.

3. Security Review 

DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis receives a list of potential NSGP subrecipient organizations, which it reviews against U.S. intelligence community reporting. The security review occurs after the competitive scoring and selection process is complete. The information provided for the security review is limited to the nonprofit organization’s name and physical address, as submitted by the nonprofit organization. Any potentially derogatory information, as well as any potentially mitigating information, that could assist in determining whether a security risk exists is sent to FEMA and is used in making final award decisions.

14. Financial Integrity Criteria

Before making an award, FEMA is required to review OMB-designated databases for applicants’ eligibility and financial integrity information. This is required by the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-117, § 2 (2020)), 41 U.S.C. § 2313, and the “Do Not Pay Initiative” (31 U.S.C. 3354). For more details, please see 2 C.F.R. § 200.206. 

Thus, the Financial Integrity Criteria may include the following risk-based considerations of the applicant:

1. Financial stability.
2. Quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards.
3. History of performance in managing federal award.
4. Reports and findings from audits.
5. Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

15. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review

Before making an award expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently a total federal share of $250,000) over the period of performance:

1.  FEMAis required by 41 U.S.C. § 2313 to review or consider certain information found in SAM.gov. For details, please see 2 C.F.R. § 200.206(a)(2).
2. An applicant may review and comment on any information in the responsibility/qualification records available in SAM.gov.
3. Before making decisions in the risk review required by 2 C.F.R. § 200.206, FEMA will consider any comments by the applicant.

16. Reviewers and Reviewer Selection

NSGP subapplications undergo a two-tiered review process. The SAAs review, score, and rank all submitted subapplications. FEMA then reviews all subapplications recommended by the SAA for Federal Review. FEMA’s review is conducted by the GPD Homeland Security Programs Division’s Branch Chiefs, Section Chiefs, and Preparedness Officers, who receive comprehensive training on evaluation criteria to ensure consistency and fairness. To uphold impartiality, FEMA enforces strict conflict of interest policies, requiring reviewers to disclose any potential conflicts prior to participation. This rigorous process ensures that funding decisions are thorough and unbiased.

17. Merit Review Process

In the NSGP Federal Review, the SAAs’ score is multiplied by the applicable multiplier and bonus points are added based on first-time status (see Section 7.B.b.1 or 7.B.b.2 of this NOFO). The scoring matrix the SAAs use is found in Appendix D of this NOFO. IJs are also reviewed to identify any unallowable expenses or projects/activities, with costs disallowed or placed on hold as necessary. Subapplications are selected for funding in descending order, starting with the highest-scored subapplications, until the available funds are allocated. Additional information on this process can be found in section 7.G of this NOFO. This merit-based selection process ensures that funding is directed to the most promising and highest risk subapplications.

18. Final Selection

For NSGP, the determination is made using Final Score (SAA Score * Multiplier + Bonus Points). In both NSGP-S and NSGP-UA, subapplications are compared to those within the same State or Territory. The highest scored subapplication in a State and UA is selected for funding first and selection proceeds in descending order until the state reaches its allocation. In the event of ties, preference is given to first-time recipients, then SAA rank.

Final selections of NSGP subawards are at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security. 

8. Award Notices

19. Notice of Award

The Authorized Organization Representative should carefully read the federal award package before accepting the federal award. The federal award package includes instructions on administering the federal award as well as terms and conditions for the award.

By submitting an application, applicants agree to comply with the prerequisites stated in this NOFO, the Preparedness Grants Manual, and the material terms and conditions of the federal award, should they receive an award.

FEMA will provide the federal award package to the applicant electronically via FEMA GO. Award packages include an Award Letter, Summary Award Memo, Agreement Articles, and Obligating Document. An award package notification email is sent via the grant application system to the submitting AOR. 

Recipients must accept their awards no later than 60 days from the award date. Recipients shall notify FEMA of their intent to accept the award and proceed with work via the FEMA GO system. 

Funds will remain on hold until the recipient accepts the award via FEMA GO and all other conditions of the award have been satisfied, or until the award is otherwise rescinded. Failure to accept a grant award within the specified timeframe may result in a loss of funds.

20. Pass-Through Requirements

Pass-through funding is required under this program. For more information, please see the Preparedness Grants Manual.

21. Note Regarding Pre-Award Costs

Even if pre-award costs are allowed, beginning performance is at the applicant and/or sub-applicant’s own risk. 

22. Obligation of Funds

The funds are obligated only when and once the agency’s signatory authority approves and signs the award package.

23. Notification to Unsuccessful Applicants

SAAs are required to inform nonprofit organization subapplicants of their non-selection. FEMA will provide an optional template that SAAs can use; however, SAAs can modify this template as needed. SAAs are required to inform subapplicants of their non-selection no later than 90 days from the date they accept their NSGP award. 

9. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Presidential Executive Orders

Recipients must comply with the requirements of Presidential Executive Orders related to grants (also known as federal assistance and financial assistance), the full text of which are incorporated by reference.

In accordance with Executive Order 14305, Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty (June 6, 2025), and to the extent allowed by law, eligible state, local, tribal, and territorial grant recipients under this NOFO are permitted to purchase unmanned aircraft systems, otherwise known as drones, or equipment or services for the detection, tracking, or identification of drones and drone signals, consistent with the legal authorities of state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies. Recipients must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and adhere to any statutory requirements on the use of federal funds for such unmanned aircraft systems, equipment, or services.

Subrecipient Monitoring and Management

Pass-through entities must comply with the requirements for subrecipient monitoring and management as set forth in 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.331-333.

B. DHS Standard Terms and Conditions

A recipient under this funding opportunity must comply with the DHS Standard Terms and Conditions in effect as of the date of the federal award. The DHS Standard Terms and Conditions are available online: DHS Standard Terms and Conditions | Homeland Security. For continuation awards, the terms and conditions for the initial federal award will apply unless otherwise specified in the terms and conditions of the continuation award. The specific version of the DHS Standard Terms and Conditions applicable to the federal award will be in the federal award package. 

C. Financial Reporting Requirements

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on financial reporting requirements.

D. Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on performance reporting requirements.

E. Closeout Reporting Requirements

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on closeout reporting requirements and administrative closeout.

Anytime there is a chance in personnel for any of the awardees and/or subrecipients, their information needs to be submitted for approval (all the previous personal information identified). 

F. Disclosing Information 

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on disclosing information per 2 C.F.R. § 180.335.

G. Reporting of Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on reporting of matters related to recipient integrity and performance.

H. Single Audit Report

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on single audit reports.

I. Monitoring and Oversight

Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.337, DHS and its authorized representatives have the right of access to any records of the recipient or subrecipient pertinent to a Federal award to perform audits, site visits, and any other official use. The right also includes timely and reasonable access to the recipient’s or subrecipient’s personnel for the purpose of interview and discussion related to such documents or the Federal award in general.

Pursuant to this right and per 2 C.F.R. § 200.329, DHS may conduct desk reviews and make site visits to review and evaluate project accomplishments and management control systems as well as provide any required technical assistance. Recipients and subrecipients must respond in a timely and accurate manner to DHS requests for information relating to a federal award.

J. Program Evaluation

Title I of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-435 (2019) (Evidence Act), PUBL435.PS  urges federal agencies to use program evaluation as a critical tool to learn, improve delivery, and elevate program service and delivery across the program lifecycle. Evaluation means “an assessment using systematic data collection and analysis of one or more programs, policies, and organizations intended to assess their effectiveness and efficiency.” Evidence Act, § 101 (codified at 5 U.S.C. § 311). OMB A-11, Section 290 (Evaluation and Evidence-Building Activities) further outlines the standards and practices for evaluation activities. Federal agencies are required to specify any requirements for recipient participation in program evaluation activities (2 C.F.R. § 200.301).  Program evaluation activities incorporated from the outset in the NOFO and program design and implementation allow recipients and agencies to meaningfully document and measure progress and achievement towards program goals and objectives, and identify program outcomes and lessons learned, as part of demonstrating recipient performance (2 C.F.R. § 200.301).

As such, recipients and subrecipients are required to participate in a Program Office (PO) or a DHS Component-led evaluation, if selected. This may be carried out by a third-party on behalf of the PO or the DHS Component. Such an evaluation may involve information collections including but not limited to, records of the recipients; surveys, interviews, or discussions with individuals who benefit from the federal award, program operating personnel, and award recipients; and site visits or other observation of recipient activities, as specified in a DHS Component or PO-approved evaluation plan. More details about evaluation requirements may be provided in the federal award, if available at that time, or following the award as evaluation requirements are finalized. Evaluation costs incurred during the period of performance are allowable costs (either as direct or indirect) in accordance with 2 C.F.R.§ 200.413. 

Recipients and subrecipients are also encouraged, but not required, to participate in any additional evaluations after the period of performance ends, although any costs incurred to participate in such evaluations are not allowable and may not be charged to the federal award.  

K. Additional Performance Reporting Requirements

Not Applicable.

12. Termination of the Federal Award
13. Paragraph C.XL of the FY 2025 DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, v.3 sets forth a term and condition entitled “Termination of a Federal Award.” The termination provision condition listed below applies to the grant award and the term and condition in Paragraph C.XL of the FY 2025 DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, v.3 does not.

14. Termination of the Federal Award by FEMA

    FEMA may terminate the federal award in whole or in part for one of the following reasons identified in 2 C.F.R. § 200.340: 

    1. If the recipient or subrecipient fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the federal award.
    2. With the consent of the recipient, in which case FEMA and the recipient must agree upon the termination conditions. These conditions include the effective date and, in the case of partial termination, the portion to be terminated.
    3. If the federal award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities. Under this provision, FEMA may terminate the award for these purposes if any of the following reasons apply:
    4. If DHS/FEMA, in its sole discretion, determines that a specific award objective is ineffective at achieving program goals as described in this NOFO;
    5. If DHS/FEMA, in its sole discretion, determines that an objective of the award as described in this NOFO will be ineffective at achieving program goals or agency priorities;
    6. If DHS/FEMA, in its sole discretion, determines that the design of the grant program is flawed relative to program goals or agency priorities;
    7. If DHS/FEMA, in its sole discretion, determines that the grant program is not aligned to either the DHS Strategic Plan, the FEMA Strategic Plan, or successor policies or documents;
    8. If DHS/FEMA, in its sole discretion, changes or re-evaluates the goals or priorities of the grant program and determines that the award will be ineffective at achieving the updated program goals or agency priorities; or
    9. For other reasons based on program goals or agency priorities described in the termination notice provided to the recipient pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.341.
    10. If the awardee falls out of compliance with the Agency’s statutory or regulatory authority, award terms and conditions, or other applicable laws.

     

15. Termination of a Subaward by the Pass-Through Entity 

    The pass-through entity may terminate a subaward in whole or in part for one of the following reasons identified in 2 C.F.R. § 200.340:

     

    1. If the subrecipient fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the federal award.
    2. With the consent of the subrecipient, in which case the pass-through entity and the subrecipient must agree upon the termination conditions. These conditions include the effective date and, in the case of partial termination, the portion to be terminated.
    3. If the pass-through entity’s award has been terminated the pass-through recipient will terminate its subawards.

4. Termination by the Recipient or Subrecipient

   The recipient or subrecipient may terminate the federal award in whole or in part for the following reason identified in 2 C.F.R. § 200.340: Upon sending FEMA or pass-through entity a written notification of the reasons for such termination, the effective date, and, in the case of partial termination, the portion to be terminated. However, if FEMA or pass-through entity determines that the remaining portion of the federal award will not accomplish the purposes for which the federal award was made, FEMA or pass-through entity may terminate the federal award in its entirety.

    

5. Impacts of Termination

    

   1. When FEMA terminates the federal award prior to the end of the period of performance due to the recipient’s material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the federal award, FEMA will report the termination in SAM.gov in the manner described at 2 C.F.R. § 200.340(c).
   2. When the federal award is terminated in part or its entirety, FEMA or pass-through entity and recipient or subrecipient remain responsible for compliance with the requirements in 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.344 and 200.345.

6.  Notification requirements

FEMA or the pass-through entity must provide written notice of the termination in a manner consistent with 2 C.F.R. § 200.341. The federal award will be terminated on the date of the notification unless stated otherwise in the notification. 

7. Opportunities to Object and Appeals

Where applicable, when FEMA terminates the federal award, the written notification of termination will provide the opportunity and describe the process to object and provide information challenging the action, pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.342. 

8. Effects of Suspension and Termination 

The allowability of costs to the recipient or subrecipient resulting from financial obligations incurred by the recipient or subrecipient during a suspension or after the termination of a federal award are subject to 2 C.F.R. 200.343.

M. Best Practices

While not a requirement in the DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, as a best practice: Entities receiving funds through this program should ensure that cybersecurity is integrated into the design, development, operation, and maintenance of investments that impact information technology (IT) and/ or operational technology (OT) systems. Additionally, “The recipient and subrecipient must … take reasonable cybersecurity and other measures to safeguard information including protected personally identifiable information (PII) and other types of information.” 2 C.F.R. § 200.303(e). 

N. Payment Information

 

Recipients will submit payment requests in FEMA GO for FY25 awards under this program.

Instructions to Grant Recipients Pursuing Payments

FEMA reviews all grant payments and obligations to ensure allowability in accordance with 2 C.F.R.  § 200.305.  These measures ensure funds are disbursed appropriately while continuing to support and prioritize communities who rely on FEMA for assistance. Once a recipient submits a payment request, FEMA will review the request. If FEMA approves a payment, recipients will be notified by FEMA GO and the payment will be delivered pursuant to the recipients SAM.gov financial information. If FEMA disapproves a payment, FEMA will inform the recipient.  

Processing and Payment Timeline

FEMA must comply with regulations governing payments to grant recipients. See 2 C.F.R. § 200.305. For grant recipients other than States, 2 C.F.R. § 200.305(b)(3) stipulates that FEMA is to make payments on a reimbursement basis within 30 days after receipt of the payment request, unless FEMA reasonably believes the request to be improper. For state recipients, 2 C.F.R. § 200.305(a) instructs that federal grant payments are governed by Treasury-State Cash Management Improvement Act (CMIA) agreements ("Treasury-State agreement") and default procedures codified at 31 C.F.R. part 205 and Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) 4A-2000, "Overall Disbursing Rules for All Federal Agencies." See 2 C.F.R. § 200.305(a).

Treasury-State agreements generally apply to "major federal assistance programs” that are governed by 31 C.F.R. part 205, subpart A and are identified in the Treasury-State agreement. 31 C.F.R. §§ 205.2, 205.6. Where a federal  assistance (grant) program is not governed by subpart A, payment and funds transfers from FEMA to the state are subject to 31 C.F.R. part 205, subpart B. Subpart B requires FEMA to "limit a funds transfer to a state to the minimum amounts needed by the state and must time the disbursement to be in accord with the actual, immediate cash requirements of the state in carrying out a federal assistance program or project. The timing and amount of funds transfers must be as close as is administratively feasible to a state's actual cash outlay for direct program costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs." 31 C.F.R. § 205.33(a). Nearly all FEMA grants are not “major federal assistance programs.” As a result, payments to states for those grants are subject to the "default” rules of 31 C.F.R. part 205, subpart B.

If additional information is needed, a request for information will be issued by FEMA to the recipient; recipients are strongly encouraged to respond to any additional FEMA request for information inquiries within three business days. If an adequate response is not received, the request may be denied, and the entity may need to submit a new reimbursement request; this will re-start the 30-day timeline. 

Submission Process

All non-disaster grant program reimbursement requests must be reviewed and approved by FEMA prior to drawdowns.

For all non-disaster reimbursement requests (regardless of system), please ensure submittal of the following information:

1. Grant ID / Award Number
2. Total amount requested for drawdown
3. Purpose of drawdown and timeframe covered (must be within the award performance period)
4. Subrecipient Funding Details (if applicable).

• Is funding provided directly or indirectly to a subrecipient?
  • If no, include statement “This grant funding is not being directed to a subrecipient.”
• If yes, provide the following details:
  • The name, mission statement, and purpose of each subrecipient receiving funds, along with the amount allocated and the specific role or activity being reimbursed.
  • Whether the subrecipient’s work or mission involves supporting aliens, regardless of whether FEMA funds support such activities.
  • Whether the payment request includes an activity involving support to aliens.
  • Whether the subrecipient has any DEI practices.

5. Supporting documentation to demonstrate that expenses are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary under 2 CFR part 200 and in compliance with the grant’s NOFO, award terms, and applicable federal regulations.

O. Immigration Conditions 

1. Materiality of Pending Immigration Condition 

An immigration term and condition, including those in the DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, may be material to the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to make this grant award, and the Department of Homeland Security may take any remedy for noncompliance, including termination, if the state or territorial recipient or any local government subrecipient fails to comply with this term and condition. No final agency decision has been made as of the date of this publication. 

10. Other Information

24. Period of Performance Extension

Extensions to the period of performance areallowed. 

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on period of performance extensions. 

25. Other Information

a. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on EHP compliance. 

b. Procurement Integrity

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on procurement integrity.

c. Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure

 

1. Recipients and subrecipients must comply with FEMA’s implementation requirements of the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA), which was enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act §§ 70901-70927, Pub. L. No. 117-58 (2021); and Executive Order 14005, Ensuring the Future is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers. See also 2 C.F.R. Part 184, Buy America Preferences for Infrastructure Projects and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Memorandum M-24-02, Implementation Guidance on Application of Buy America Preference in Federal Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure.

None of the funds provided under this program may be used for a project for infrastructure unless the iron and steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in that infrastructure are produced in the United States. 

The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project.

To see whether a particular FEMA federal financial assistance program is considered an infrastructure program and thus required to implement FEMA’s Build America, Buy America requirements, please see Programs and Definitions: Build America, Buy America Act | FEMA.gov.

2. Waivers

When necessary, recipients (and subrecipients through their pass-through entity) may apply for, and FEMA may grant, a waiver from these requirements.

A waiver of the domestic content procurement preference may be granted by the agency awarding official if FEMA determines that:

• Applying the domestic content procurement preference would be inconsistent with the public interest; or
• The types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality; or
• The inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%.

The process for requesting a waiver from the Buy America preference requirements can be found on FEMA’s website at: "Buy America" Preference in FEMA Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure | FEMA.gov.

3. Definitions

For definitions of the key terms of the Build America, Buy America Act, please visit Programs and Definitions: Build America, Buy America Act | FEMA.gov.

d. Mandatory Disclosures

The non-Federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. (2 C.F.R. § 200.113)

5.  Adaptive Support

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on disability integration.

6. Record Retention

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on record retention.

7. Actions to Address Noncompliance

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on actions to address noncompliance.

8. Audits

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on audits.

j. Protecting Houses of Worship and Public Venues

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Center for Faith (DHS Center) fosters partnerships between government and faith-based organizations (FBOs) to increase the nation’s resilience by creating trust and developing relationships. The DHS Center seeks to build bridges across the whole community and to help overcome coordination challenges among FBOs, emergency managers and other stakeholders engaging a broad cross-section of FBOs in all stages of the disaster cycle. The DHS Center serves as a clearinghouse for information, connecting and coordinating with FBOs allowing information to be shared in both directions, informing decision-making at DHS by elevating concerns, ground truth and local situational awareness while providing feedback, updates and guidance to the faith community. Additional resources can be found at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/individuals-communities/faith Faith-Based and Volunteer Partnership Resources.

11. Appendix A: Allowable Costs

1. Planning

Planning costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice and the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Funding may be used for security or emergency planning expenses and the materials required to conduct planning activities. Planning must be related to the protection of the facility and the people within the facility and should include consideration of access and functional needs as well as those with limited English proficiency. Planning efforts can also include conducting risk and resilience assessments on increasingly connected cyber and physical systems, on which security depends, using the Resilience Planning Program | CISA and related Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) resources. Examples of planning activities allowable under this program include: 

1. Development and enhancement of security plans and protocols;
2. Development or further strengthening of security assessments;
3. Emergency contingency plans;
4. Evacuation/Shelter-in-place plans;
5. Coordination and information sharing with fusion centers; and
6. Other project planning activities with prior approval from FEMA. 

2. Organization 

Organization costs are not allowed under this program. 

3. Equipment

Equipment costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice and the Preparedness Grants Manual. 

Allowable costs are focused on facility hardening and physical security enhancements. Funding can be used for the acquisition and installation of security equipment on real property (including buildings and improvements) owned or leased by the nonprofit organization, specifically in prevention of and/or protection against the risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack. This equipment is limited to select items on the Authorized Equipment List (AEL). These items, including the item’s plain-language description specific to the NSGP, are as follows: 

Other dropdowns in the Section IV-B of IJ, while not part of the AEL, include the following:

Unless otherwise stated, equipment must meet all mandatory statutory, regulatory, and FEMA-adopted standards to be eligible for purchase using these funds, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, recipients will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary certifications and licenses for the requested equipment, whether with NSGP funding or other sources of funds (see the Maintenance and Sustainment section below for more information). 

Recipients and subrecipients may purchase equipment not listed on the AEL, but only if they first seek and obtain prior approval from FEMA. Note: Subapplicants should indicate in their budget narratives if a cost includes shipping and/or tax. It is not required to break the costs out as separate from the relevant purchase(s).

Applicants and subapplicants should analyze the cost benefits of purchasing versus leasing equipment, especially high-cost items and those subject to rapid technical advances. Large equipment purchases must be identified and explained. For more information regarding property management standards for equipment, please reference 2 C.F.R. Part 200, including but not limited to 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.310, 200.313, and 200.316. Also see 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.216, 200.471, and FEMA Policy #405-143-1 – Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or ServicesFEMA Policy #405-143-1, Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services, regarding prohibitions on covered telecommunications equipment or services. Additionally, recipients that are using NSGP funds to support emergency communications equipment activities must comply with the SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants, including provisions on technical standards that ensure and enhance interoperable communications. This SAFECOM Guidance can be found at the Funding and Sustainment page on CISA.govFunding Resources | CISA.

The installation of certain equipment may trigger EHP requirements. Please reference the EHP sections in this NOFO and the Preparedness Grants Manual for more information. Additionally, some equipment installation may constitute construction or renovation. Please see the Construction and Renovation subsection for additional information.

4. Training and Exercises

Training and exercise costs are allowed under this program only as described in this funding notice and the Preparedness Grants Manual.  

Subrecipients may use NSGP funds for the following training-related costs:

1. Employed or volunteer security staff to attend security-related training within the United States;
2. Employed or volunteer staff to attend security-related training within the United States with the intent of training other employees or members/congregants upon completing the training (i.e., “train-the-trainer” type courses); and
3. Nonprofit organization’s employees, or members/congregants to receive on-site security training. 

Allowable training-related costs under the NSGP are limited to attendance fees for training and related expenses, such as materials, supplies, and/or equipment. Overtime, backfill, and travel expenses are not allowable costs. 

Allowable training topics are limited to the protection of critical infrastructure key resources, including physical and cybersecurity, facility hardening, and terrorism/other extremism awareness/employee preparedness such as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, indicators and behaviors indicative of terrorist/other extremist threats, Active Shooter training, and emergency first aid training. Additional examples of allowable training courses include: “Stop the Bleed” training, kits/equipment, and training aids; First Aid and other novice level “you are the help until help arrives” training, kits/equipment, and training aids; and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and AED/Basic Life Support training, kits/equipment, and training aids. 

Training conducted using NSGP funds must address a specific threat and/or vulnerability, as identified in the subapplicant’s IJ. Training should provide the opportunity to demonstrate and validate skills learned as well as to identify any gaps in these skills. Proposed attendance at training courses and all associated costs using the NSGP must be included in the subapplicant’s IJ.

Funding may be used to conduct security-related exercises. This includes costs related to planning, meeting space and other meeting costs, facilitation costs, materials and supplies, and documentation. Exercises afford organizations the opportunity to validate plans and procedures, evaluate capabilities, and assess progress toward meeting capability targets in a controlled, low risk setting. All shortcomings or gaps—including those identified for children and individuals with access and functional needs—should be identified in an improvement plan. Improvement plans should be dynamic documents with corrective actions continually monitored and implemented as part of improving preparedness through the exercise cycle. 

The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides a set of guiding principles for exercise programs, as well as a common approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning. For additional information on HSEEP, refer toHomeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program | FEMA.gov. In accordance with HSEEP guidance, subrecipients are reminded of the importance of implementing corrective actions iteratively throughout the progressive exercise cycle. This link provides access to a sample After Action Report (AAR)/Improvement Plan (IP) template: Improvement Planning – HSEEP Resources – Preparedness Toolkit (fema.gov). Recipients are encouraged to enter their exercise data and AAR/IP in the Preparedness Toolkit. 

5. Maintenance and Sustainment

Maintenance and sustainment costs, such as maintenance contracts, warranties, repair or replacement costs, upgrades, and user fees are allowable. For additional information, see the Preparedness Grants Manual.

6. Construction and Renovation

NSGP funding may not be used for construction and renovation projects without prior written approval from FEMA. In some cases, the installation of equipment may constitute construction and/or renovation. If you have any questions regarding whether an equipment installation project could be considered construction or renovation, please contact your Preparedness Officer. All recipients of NSGP funds must request and receive prior approval from FEMA before any NSGP funds are used for any construction or renovation. Additionally, recipients are required to submit a SF-424C Budget and budget detail citing the project costs and an SF-424D Form for standard assurances for the construction project. The total cost of any construction or renovation paid for using NSGP funds may not exceed the greater amount of $1 million or 15% of the NSGP award.  

7. Contracted Security Personnel

Contracted security personnel are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and must comply with guidance set forth in Information Bulletin 421b and Information Bulletin 441. NSGP funds may not be used to purchase equipment for contracted security.

12. Appendix B: FY 2025 NSGP-UA Eligible High-Risk Urban Areas Allocations

FY 2025 NSGP-UA Eligible High-Risk Urban Areas

13. Appendix C: FY 2025 NSGP-S Allocations

14. Appendix D: Evaluation Criteria and Scoring

SAA Reviewers will score applications based on specific criteria aligned to the NSGP’s intent. The table below details the specific criteria aligned to each of the IJ requirements, and the maximum number of points an application can receive for each criterion. The SAA Reviewers will score applications based on specific criteria aligned to the IJ requirements. Each question will be scored based on the complexity within the requirement.