Many of you are familiar with 2 main security grants that are available for yeshivas and day schools in any given year – SCAHC and NSGP. Since 2017, the New York State Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grants (SCAHC) has been a great source of funding for security improvements to your facilities. The Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) has been around for 2 decades and is also a key grant for institutions to improve their security. This article services to compare the two programs on a basic level and offer some insights on which grant may be best for your institution this year.
| SCAHC | NSGP | |
| Available Dollars | $200K per institution. $25-$60m allocated for the state, depending on pending NYS Budget | $150K (projected amount, based on highest awards ever made and last 3 years of awards), funding amount for the US and for NYS pending Federal legislative action |
| Range of Applicable Measures | Security Measures, Training, Cyber Security | Security Measures, Training, Security Personnel, Cyber Security
|
| Eligible Areas/Priority Areas | All NYS houses of worship, schools, day cares, camps, museums | 2 funding pots—1) NSGP-UASI–nonprofits in the UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative), including NYC City, Long Island, and Westchester and 2) NSGP—S–nonprofits in the entire state. The UASI pot of available dollars is much larger than the NSGP-S pot. |
| Ease of Application | Word document, no character limits, self-assessment allowed/required, formal assessment not required. | Excel document, character limits, formal assessment required |
Important to note: Once granted both grants have an involved procurement process that must be followed carefully to ensure that institutions receive their reimbursements for work done.
Insights: For an institution that is outside the UASI areas, the NYS SCAHC is your best shot to get security funding. The NSGP-S pot of dollars is divided amongst the 50 States; however, the division is not exactly equal. Further, the amount of grants funded through the NSGP-S stream is much smaller than the number of SCAHC grants. This year is also the first year where the funding ceiling per institution for SCAHC is $200K, in one fairly straightforward grant. We believe strongly the this is the first place that organizations should look for security funding.
The NSGP does carry some advantages over the state grant. The first is that you can use a portion of your funding for security personnel. In the tense environment we find ourselves in, applying for security guards is often a key determinant in whether an organization feels it’s worthwhile to pursue a grant. Also noteworthy is that the NSGP allows organizations to set aside a small portion of money to go towards the management and administration of the grant. This is often a much-needed slice of funding to help handle the costs of the procurement process.
Whether you’re interested in the state grant, the federal grant, or both, Teach NYS and Project Protect have you covered! To learn more about our grant services, please contact Rebekah Rybstein at rybsteinr@teachcoalition.org.