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my.IowaHomelandSecurity.org
Grants Management System
The Grants Management System is the official online portal used to manage EM grants in Iowa.
NSGP Summary
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is a competitive federal grant administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It funds physical security enhancements and other eligible security activities for nonprofit organizations at high risk of a terrorist or extremist attack.
The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for NSGP and is the direct recipient of FEMA’s award. Nonprofits apply through the SAA, and HSEM then submits eligible applications to FEMA. FEMA makes the final funding decisions, and HSEM issues sub-awards to selected nonprofits.
NSGP is a reimbursement grant, so awarded organizations must pay eligible costs before requesting reimbursement. No matching funds are required for this grant.
Back to topApplication Status
The application period for fiscal year 2027 NSGP sub-grants is now OPEN.
Important Deadlines:
- Notice of Interest (NOI) - Friday, December 4, 2026.
- Application - Friday, January 15, 2027.
In times when the application periods are not open, review previous years’ objectives, priorities, and allowable costs by visiting FEMA’s website, specifically in the “Notice of Funding Opportunities and Supporting Documents” sections for each fiscal year listed. Visit FEMA’s NSGP page.
NSGP Information & Resources
About NSGP
- Nonprofit organizations described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such code are eligible;
- Nonprofit organization must be able to demonstrate, through application, that the organization is at high risk of a terrorist or extremist attack.
- NSGP-S: All of Iowa falls under this sub-program. It is for nonprofit organizations located outside of the specific year’s UASI-designated Urban areas.
- NSGP-UA: A sub-component of the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI). UASI Urban Areas are designated each year within the federal HSGP notice of funding opportunity. Iowa has no designated UASI Urban Areas.
- Always check the FEMA NOFO for allowable expenses as activities and costs allowed can change each year;
- Typical projects may include: security equipment such as cameras, access controls, alarms, lighting, barriers, or reinforced doors. Funding may also support certain security planning, training, exercises, cybersecurity improvements, or contracted security personnel.
- Each IJ form (building) can request up to $200,000.
- Each nonprofit can apply for three sites/buildings for a total of up to $600,000.
- This is a competitive grant;
- Historically, Iowa has been awarded just over 2 million dollars per year;
- On average we submit around 100 eligible applications to FEMA and have 10-15 projects awarded.
- POP stands for Period of Performance, and it is the time an awarded organization has to complete its approved NSGP project and incur eligible costs.
Preparing to Apply
- Applicants are encouraged to begin gathering application items such as the Threat & Vulnerability Assessment, UEI number documentation, 501(c)(3) documentation, budget preparation, Investment Justification form, a photo of the front of the building, and mission statement any time prior to applying;
- See Application Components section below for more information and contact the Grant Manager as needed with questions.
- Iowa chooses to open our state application process prior to the release of the Federal Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to allow time for interested nonprofit organizations to complete all requirements of the state and federal application process;
- By opening early HSEM is able to provide necessary reviews and provide technical assistance to applicants.
Please refer to the following links for more information:
- On the EMGrants login page before logging in you will see a link at the top right for Open Grants.
- Once open you will find general information on every open grant including periods of performance (POP) and deadlines.
- For purposes of preparing your NSGP application and budget you should only obtain rough estimates. You do not have to turn these in so verbal estimates are okay.
- You will need to provide some insight into what the project will include and how you came up with your budget estimate;
- You do not want to include bids/quotes that specify brands, models, etc. or applications that state a specific vendor has been selected;
- Attend a workshop hosted by HSEM or reach out to the Grant Manager for guidance.
Application Documents & Forms
- A complete checklist of items to submit will be available to you in EMGrants once your Notice of Interest is approved.
- Nonprofits must provide recognition of exemption under 501(c)(3) letter from the IRS;
- If the organization is under an exempt group additional documentation may be needed – Example A Catholic school / church / hospital under the Catholic Diocese will need to prove they are under that exemption;
- Generally, houses of worship are exempt and may not have the official recognition of exemption letter – having the documentation will expedite things.
- If you have more questions on IRS 501(c)(3) Tax Exemption here are some resources:
- UEI stands for Unique Entity Identifier. It is a number assigned through the System for Award Management that allows organizations to apply for and receive federal funding opportunities.
- A UEI number is required before an organization can receive an NSGP subaward;
- Iowa must validate the UEI and does this during their application phase so you must get the Unique Entity ID as soon as possible;
- Use the nonprofit’s legal name and physical address so the UEI can be validated and match application documents;
- Note – NSGP nonprofits do not have to complete or annually renew a full Sam.gov entity registration. When applying take the UEI-only option (“Get a Unique Entity ID” rather than “Register Entity”).
- Technically it is a Threat and Vulnerability Assessment that is conducted to document a review of the threats a facility may face, the security weaknesses that could leave it exposed to those threats, and improvements that could reduce the risk;
- Often shortened and abbreviated to VA;
- Applicants use it to explain why they are requesting specific security improvements and how those improvements address the identified risks in the Investment Justification (IJ) form;
- Required by FEMA to apply for the NSGP.
- Reviews are cleaner when a separate assessment document for each site/building you are applying for;
- If combined into one document, each location must be clearly separated and identified;
- The address/location must match the Investment Justification (IJ) form submitted.
- As long as the required information is included in the assessment you can go through HSEM’s Critical Infrastructure Team, your local Emergency Management Agency, Local law enforcement, a third party that specializes in these assessments, or a self-assessment using CISA’s approved self-assessment tool;
- Iowa requires a letter of concurrence from a law enforcement agency whenever HSEM or local law enforcement did not produce the assessment.
- You must submit the mission statement as a standalone document – word, PDF, website screenshot will work.
- The federal application form that must be submitted for NSGP to FEMA;
- Use a separate IJ for each facility for which you request funding;
- The IJ form combines all information for the site into one document, ties the vulnerability assessment to the application ask, and provides a brief budget;
- Iowa opens prior to FEMA therefore we start with the previous year’s IJ form. When the new form becomes available you will be instructed to transfer information to the new form prior to submission or it will be ineligible.
- A fully functioning IJ form means that the fillable fields and dropdowns FEMA created all work as they should upon opening;
- Fields should remain functioning after saving for submission.
- The federal form is macro-enabled and cannot be opened via a web browser;
- You must download and save it with a new name to your desktop;
- Open with Adobe Reader for best results;
- It will be a fillable PDF with working dropdowns and must be submitted as such.
- Figuring out how to save a fully functioning IJ is best practice as you will need to make modifications throughout the review process and potentially even after awarded;
- FEMA will accept a completed IJ saved as a PDF even if its fields are no longer fillable. However, scanned IJ forms cannot be submitted and will be considered incomplete applications.
Applying & Award Selection
- Nonprofits must register and apply through Iowa’s online grant management system, EMGrants. This is a multi-step application process;
- The application must be submitted under the nonprofit name;
- Once registered and you have received your password, login to your home page and Apply for Grant;
- Start by submitting the Notice of Interest (NOI) to say you plan to apply for this grant and that you are a 501(c)(3);
- Once the NOI is approved you will have access to your online State of Iowa application and required documents that need to also be submitted;
- Guidance documents and workshops will become available once the application period opens.
- HSEM will have guidance documents available and FEMA resources;
- HSEM will host various webinars and training sessions related to the application process and Investment Justification form to assist applicants in being more competitive;
- During the application period HSEM will be conducting various reviews of submitted documents, providing feedback and, when time allows, a chance for the applicant to make revisions prior to scoring and submission to FEMA.
- You can find the Period of Performance information listed in EMGrants;
- Plan to have all approved work completed by the end of the state POP (may be listed as work deadline);
- HSEM has an earlier end date for subrecipients to allow for final reporting and issues that may arise;
- Use the state POP dates for setting up milestone dates in your application.
- HSEM reviews applications to determine eligibility and completeness;
- HSEM compares the Investment Justification form to the Threat & Vulnerability Assessment so that FEMA knows if the project fully aligns, partially aligns or does not align;
- HSEM scores the Investment Justification form using FEMA’s scoring tool to provide FEMA with a ranking;
- FEMA makes the final funding decisions.
- All applicants will be notified they were or were not selected for an award through the EMGrants system within approximately one week of the state receiving the official award letter;
- Generally, this information is received by September 30 so applicants should hear something by the second week of October.
Managing Your Award
- No, any work started prior to being award and the project opened by HSEM will be ineligible for reimbursement.
- The primary point of contact (POC) listed on your application will be sent documents to sign accepting the award and agreeing to the Grant Terms and Conditions (GTC);
- Once those are signed, the POC will begin working with the Grant Manager to get the EHP Application submitted and Holds removed.
- You can begin your project once all Holds are removed and your Notice to Proceed meeting with the Grant Manager has taken place;
- EMGrants will show your project as open.
- Projects can be on Hold for various reasons. Most often it is because FEMA needs clarification on your application or we are waiting for FEMA to approve the required EHP. These holds occur prior to the project being opened and no work may start until the Hold is released.
- If the project was previously opened and is now on Hold it likely means required reports need to be submitted to remove the Hold from your project. During this time no reimbursement payments can be processed.
- An Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) review checks whether a proposed NSGP project could affect the environment or historic properties and ensures it meets applicable federal requirements.
- All awarded NSGP projects that trigger the review must submit an EHP Review Application for approval.
- Risk Compliance Meeting – Scheduled by the HSEM Compliance Officer to discuss various award specifics and compliance expectations. It is generally held after the award documents have been signed.
- Notice to Proceed Meeting – Scheduled by the NSGP Grant Manager once holds have been removed and EHP approval has been received to officially open the project and remind subrecipients how to proceed. Project Officers assigned will also be introduced to the subrecipient.
- Check-in or Assistance Meetings – These meetings will occur periodically throughout the period of performance and may be scheduled by the Grant Manager, Project Officer or Sub-recipient anytime to discuss various project concerns.
- Once your project is opened a Project Officer is assigned to the project and will be your first point of contact throughout the period of performance to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.
- The start and end dates for your project will be listed in your subaward agreement from Iowa HSEM – utilize state dates not the federal period of performance;
- The POP can also be found in EMGrants – end date may show as work deadline;
- All approved work must be completed by the end of the state POP;
- HSEM has an earlier end date for subrecipients to allow for final reporting and issues that may arise.
- Refer to EMGrants and your Grant Terms & Conditions regarding reports and deadlines that may apply.
- All reimbursement requests will be submitted through EMGrants;
- Reach out to your Project Officer for guidance documents if you do not have them.
- If allowed, budget and scope changes must be pre-approved. Contact your Project Officer for guidance on how to proceed immediately.
- Subrecipients are required to keep HSEM apprised of any changes to staff involved in grant management and reporting;
- Reach out to your Project Officer or Grant Manager for documents that may need to be updated and signed and access changes to EMGrants.
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