The Public Safety Office (PSO) is soliciting applications for projects that support physical security enhancements and other security activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack based on the nonprofit organization's ideology, beliefs or mission.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) seeks to integrate the preparedness activities of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack with broader state and local preparedness efforts. The NSGP also serves to promote emergency preparedness coordination and collaboration activities between public and private entities.
Federal funds are authorized under Section 2003 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (Pub. L. No. 107-296) (6 U.S.C. § 604). NSGP funds are made available through a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated federal funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Applications may be submitted by nonprofit corporations. Eligible nonprofit corporations are limited to those:
Applicants must access the PSO’s eGrants grant management website at https://eGrants.gov.texas.gov to register and apply for funding. For more instructions and information, see eGrants User Guide to Creating an Application, available here.
Applicants will respond to this funding announcement by creating, submitting and certifying an application in eGrants (https://eGrants.gov.texas.gov) by the deadline stated within this RFA.
*Note: The PSO will require each applicant to complete and upload these documents by a specific deadline. The PSO will contact each applicant to communicate the deadline date for these documents after the federal 2023 NSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is released by DHS/FEMA.
Projects selected for funding must begin on or after September 1, 2023, and expire on or before February 28, 2026. Upon acceptance of the award, grantees should begin completing the actions required to satisfy any conditions of funding which have been placed on the awards prior to conducting any other project-related activities.
Minimum: None
Maximum*: $150,000
Match Requirement: None
*Note: Funding levels may change upon release of the NSGP federal NOFO. If the NSGP NOFO allows for a higher maximum, applicants may submit requests (budgets) up to the maximum amount.
Grantees must comply with standards applicable to this fund source cited in the Texas Grant Management Standards (TxGMS), Federal Uniform Grant Guidance, and all statutes, requirements, and guidelines applicable to this funding.
NSGP funds may be used for:
The investments or projects described within eGrants must:
All NSGP projects will have an EHP hold placed on their grant award if funded. Grantees may not commence any activities until EHP compliance has been documented and the hold on the project has been lifted by the PSO. Applicants proposing projects that have the potential to impact the environment, including but not limited to modification or renovation of existing buildings, structures and facilities, or new construction including replacement of facilities must participate in the DHS/FEMA EHP review process. The EHP review process involves the submission of a detailed project description that explains the goals and objectives of the proposed project along with supporting documentation so that DHS/FEMA may determine whether the proposed project has the potential to impact environmental resources and/or historic properties.
Failure to comply with program eligibility requirements may cause funds to be withheld and/or suspension or termination of grant funds.
Grant funds may not be used to support the unallowable costs listed in the Guide to Grants or any of the following unallowable costs:
Application Screening: The Office of the Governor will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement. NSGP applications will be reviewed through a two-phased 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.
State Review: The Office of the Governor will review applications to understand the overall demand for the program and for significant variations in costs per item. After this review, the Office of the Governor will determine if all eligible applications can be funded based on funds available, if there are cost-effectiveness benefits to normalizing or setting limits on the range of costs, and if other fair-share cuts may allow for broader distribution and a higher number of projects while still maintaining effectiveness.
Federal Review: The federal NSGP evaluation criteria in prior years has been as follows:
For complete information on the process used last year to review and score IJs at the state and federal levels, please refer to the FY 2022 FEMA Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – Review and Selection Process section located at the following link: Nonprofit Security Grant Program - Notices of Funding Opportunity. A copy of the previous Investment Justification can be located at the following link: NSGP Investment Justification Template.
Final Decisions: After FEMA makes final funding decisions, each applicant will receive either an unfunded notice or a preliminary decision notification from the PSO. Then, the PSO will issue award notices to grant recipients within 45 days of receipt of the federal NSGP award to the State of Texas. The award notice will provide all of the conditions and requirements of the grant. Release of final grant awards are always contingent on the PSO’s receipt of the federal grant award under which the program is funded and the PSO cannot release or guarantee funding to any applicant until that award is received, acceptance is processed, and a determination is made that adequate funding is available.