Earlier this year, the OU Advocacy Center, in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and congressional allies, secured a $13 million allocation in the FY2014 federal budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)—a $3 million increase from last year’s budget. The NSGP delivers federal financial aid to nonprofits to upgrade the physical security of their facilities. Since its creation, OU Advocacy and our partners have secured more than $100 million in security grants—the majority of which has gone to Jewish community institutions.
Yesterday, DHS officially released their 2014 grant application for the NSGP. This year’s application is due on May 23rd, 2014 at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT. With less than 65 days to submit the applications your state Homeland Security offices, it is imperative that all interested synagogues and day schools prepare their applications immediately. Please note that there are some key changes to this year’s application. For example, in FY 2014 the number of Eligible Urban Areas has changed from 25 to 39, so please check the list below to see if your area is eligible and join on our webinar to get more information.
To help in this process, on March 25th at 12:00 p.m., the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center will host an interactive webinar on the NSGP application moderated by Jesse Hervitz, Associate Director for Congressional Affairs at OU Advocacy and featuring David Pollock, Associate Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. During the webinar, experts will explain the grant process and provide detailed descriptions on how each component of the investment justification should be answered. If you are unable to view the webinar or would like to review it, click here.
To RSVP for the 2014 OU Security Grant webinar, click here.
For any additional information on this year’s webinar, please contact Jesse Hervitz, Associate Director for Congressional Affairs at hervitzj@ou.org or call (202) 513-6484.
To download the 2014 NSGP Investment Justification table, click here.
To find your state DHS contact, click here.
FY 2014 NSGP UASI-Eligible Urban Areas State/Territory Urban Area
Arizona
Phoenix Area
California
Anaheim/Santa Ana Area Bay Area
Los Angeles/Long Beach Area
Riverside Area
Sacramento Area
San Diego Area
Colorado
Denver Area
District of Columbia National Capital Region
Florida
Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area Orlando Area Tampa Area
Georgia
Atlanta Area
Hawaii
Honolulu Area
Illinois
Chicago Area
Indiana
Indianapolis Area
Louisiana
New Orleans Area
Maryland
Baltimore Area
Massachusetts
Boston Area
Michigan
Detroit Area
Minnesota
Twin Cities Area
Missouri
Kansas City Area
St. Louis Area
Nevada
Las Vegas Area
New Jersey
Jersey City/Newark Area
New York
New York City Area
North Carolina
Charlotte Area
Ohio
Cincinnati Area
Cleveland Area
Columbus Area
Oregon
Portland Area
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Area
Pittsburgh Area
Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Area
Houston Area
San Antonio Area
Utah
Salt Lake City Area
Virginia
Hampton Roads Area
Washington
Seattle Area
In addition, prospective applicants should take the following steps now to ensure that their application is submitted in a timely fashion:
- You must submit the grant using your state’s specific interactive application template. If you require assistance locating your state’s interactive application, please contact Jesse Hervitz.
- Determine if your organization is eligible. You must be located within a designated “high risk urban area” and have 501(c) 3 status. Eligible areas can be found here.
- Find your organization’s Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), or get one by calling (866) 705-5711.
- Determine the parameters of your organization’s “high risk of terrorist attack”. Describe it in three concise categories:
- THREAT – what potential terrorist threats your organization faces,
- VULNERABILITY – based on the threats described, how vulnerable is your organization and why,
- CONSEQUENCE – if the threat described actually occurs, what impact would it have in terms of human casualties, property damage, and community impact.
- Propose a project that could mitigate the “risk” described above (within approximately $75,000). The project should directly address the threat, vulnerability or consequence described. Identify all costs and include a timeline for implementation. The proposed costs must meet the requirements described in FEMA’s Authorized Equipment List (AEL).