If your congregation has talked about locking down the side doors on Sunday morning, adding cameras to the parking lot, or training your greeters and safety team to respond to an emergency, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is worth a serious look. Run by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, NSGP helps nonprofits at risk of terrorist or other extremist attacks pay for physical security upgrades and preparedness, and houses of worship have long been among the organizations it was built to protect. For fiscal year 2026, FEMA made $300 million available nationwide.

Many churches assume a federal security grant is out of reach for a congregation of their size, or that it is only meant for large institutions with full time security staff. That is not the case. Churches, faith-based schools and academies, and community nonprofits of every size apply each year, and the application process rewards organizations that have done their homework on the risks their buildings face. The catch is timing. The application window is short, and the churches that do well are usually the ones that started preparing months before it opened. With the FY2027 cycle expected in 2027, now is the time to get ready.

What the Program Supports

NSGP is focused on protecting people and facilities. Under recent program guidance, allowable costs fall into a few broad categories:

• Facility hardening and security equipment, such as access control systems, cameras, alarms, impact resistant doors and glass, barriers, exterior lighting, and public notification systems, including installation
• Security planning, such as security plans, emergency and evacuation plans, and shelter in place procedures
• Training and exercises, such as active shooter response, first aid, and Stop the Bleed training for staff and volunteers
• Contracted security personnel

For a church, this often means the projects your safety team has been discussing for years finally have a funding path. A church with an attached K-8 academy, for example, might request controlled entry at the school wing, cameras covering drop off and pick up areas, and training for teachers and ushers alike.

It is just as important to know what NSGP does not cover. In the FY2026 cycle, construction and renovation, costs incurred before an award is made, and the cost of preparing the vulnerability assessment and application itself were not allowable. License plate readers and facial recognition software were also excluded. Planning around these limits from the start keeps your request clean and credible.

Who Can Apply

To be eligible, your organization must be a nonprofit described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must be able to show that it faces a heightened risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack. Churches are generally treated as 501(c)(3) organizations, though your state may ask for documentation, and faith-based schools, academies, and community nonprofits are all eligible as well.

This is the part that matters most for congregations: you do not apply to FEMA directly. Nonprofits apply as subapplicants through their State Administrative Agency, the state office that manages homeland security grants. In Indiana, that is the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. There are also two funding streams. NSGP-UA serves nonprofits located in designated high risk urban areas, and NSGP-S serves nonprofits outside those areas. Your physical address determines which stream you apply under, and applying under the wrong one can disqualify an otherwise strong application.

Each physical site needs its own application. In FY2026, nonprofits could request up to $200,000 per site and apply for up to three sites per funding stream, with no cost share or matching funds required. A multi-site church, or a church with a separate academy campus, should think about each location individually.

How and When to Apply

The application itself centers on a document called the Investment Justification, a standardized form that describes your organization, the threats and vulnerabilities your facility faces, the specific projects you want funded, and how those projects reduce your risk. It must be supported by a vulnerability assessment of the site, which states generally require to be recent. Depending on the state, that assessment may come from local law enforcement, a qualified security consultant, or a tool such as CISA's Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment.

Before you can apply, it helps to have a few things ready:

• An active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), renewed annually
• Login.gov and Grants.gov accounts and your organization's EIN
• A current vulnerability assessment for each site you plan to include
• Your mission statement on letterhead, and in some states, short bios for leadership and board members
• Documentation of any incidents, threats, or concerns your church has experienced, such as police reports, vandalism, or threatening messages

FEMA has not yet released the FY2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity, so final dates are not set. For reference, the FY2026 federal deadline was July 24, 2026, and states set their own internal deadlines well ahead of that, often with application windows lasting only a few weeks. Connecticut's subapplications were due July 15, and Maine's window ran roughly two weeks in July. SAM.gov registration and a quality vulnerability assessment can each take weeks on their own, so if your church waits for the announcement to start, you may run out of time.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee funding. NSGP is competitive, and states score each Investment Justification on the strength of its description of threats, vulnerabilities, potential consequences, and how well the proposed projects address them. A well-documented, clearly written application will stand out.

There is encouraging news for churches in how recent cycles have been scored. FEMA's final scoring has applied a multiplier that weights applications from ideology-based and religious organizations more heavily than other nonprofits, and first-time applicants that have never received NSGP funding have received bonus points. If your church has never applied, this is a real advantage worth taking seriously.

Finally, winning the award is only the beginning. NSGP funds come with federal reporting, procurement, and recordkeeping requirements across a period of performance that can run up to three years. Churches that plan for post-award administration from the start avoid compliance headaches later.

How Exousia Helps Churches Get Ready

This is exactly the kind of opportunity Exousia was built for. Founded by church leaders, for churches and faith-based nonprofits, Exousia serves three groups: churches and faith-based nonprofits, interfaith communities and secular nonprofits (with never a shared faith requirement), and small businesses and bi-vocational ministries. Many of these organizations are eligible for funding like NSGP but simply do not have the staff or infrastructure to research, apply for, and administer a federal grant on their own.

Rather than one-off, ad hoc grant-seeking, Exousia walks organizations through the full funding lifecycle in plain language:

• Readiness: getting your SAM.gov registration, documentation, and vulnerability assessment in order before the window opens
• Research: confirming your funding stream, your state's deadlines, and which of your sites and projects are the strongest fit
• Writing: building a clear, compelling Investment Justification that connects your real risks to specific, allowable projects
• Administration: helping you manage post-award reporting and compliance so the grant strengthens your ministry instead of burdening it

For multi-site churches, K-8 academies, and faith-based nonprofits with real budgets and real buildings to protect, that wrap-around support can be the difference between watching the deadline pass and walking into the next cycle prepared.

Tips for Strengthening a Church Application

Because states receive far more requests than they can fund, a little extra care in how you present your church can go a long way. A few things worth doing before you apply:

• Document your risk in concrete terms. Instead of saying your church "could be a target," record specific incidents, threats, or nearby events, and keep copies of police reports or other records.
• Tie every request to a vulnerability. Each camera, door, or training session should trace back to a weakness identified in your vulnerability assessment.
• Be specific about each site. Treat every building or campus as its own application, with its own assessment, projects, and costs.
• Build a realistic timeline. Reviewers look at milestones and project management, so show who will oversee the work and when each piece will be completed.
• Get quotes early. Real vendor estimates make your budget more credible than rough guesses.

Bottom Line

For churches, academies, and faith-based nonprofits concerned about the safety of the people who gather in their buildings, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program offers a legitimate and well established funding path, and being a house of worship is no barrier. What matters is that your organization can clearly show its risks and present a focused, allowable plan to address them.

Because the application window is short and the groundwork takes time, preparation matters more than anything else. Start by confirming your SAM.gov registration, scheduling a vulnerability assessment, and gathering your documentation now, well before FEMA releases the FY2027 guidance. If you would like help getting there, Exousia offers a free 20-minute fit conversation and a readiness assessment to show you exactly where your church stands. Call (765) 962-6581 or visit exousiagroup.com to take the next step in protecting your congregation and funding your mission.