Illinois Not-for-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP-IL)

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS)/Illinois Homeland Security Advisory Council announces the State Fiscal Year 2025 Illinois Not-for-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP-IL) $150,000 for security upgrades to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations located in Illinois who are deemed at high-risk of a threat, attack, or acts of terrorism. NSGP-IL seeks to integrate the preparedness activities of not-for-profit organizations with broader state and local preparedness efforts. The Agency shall not award grants to those entities whose primary purpose is to provide medical or mental health services.  [20 ILCS 3305/17.8]

Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded to eligible not-for-profit organizations through IEMA-OHS according to criteria that include:

• State verification that the not-for-profit organization is a 503(c)(3) is located within Illinois;
• The location of the Project, as identified by the Applicant during the application process, shall be in the State of Illinois and shall remain located in the State for a minimum of 5 years after the end of the grant performance period;
• Provide specific evidence and information identifying and substantiating a high-risk designation, including prior or current threats, attacks, or acts of terrorism against the not-for-profit organization.  The applicant may also include information regarding threats, attacks, or acts of terrorism against other similar organizations that have the same profile, ideology, mission, or beliefs that they believe helps substantiate the high-risk designation for their organization;
• Indicate the symbolic or strategic value of one or more of the applicant's sites that renders the project site a high risk for the target of a threat, attack, or act of terrorism;
• Submit a vulnerability assessment conducted by experienced security, law enforcement, or military personnel, or an agency-approved or federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program self-assessment tool within the last three years, or since the most recent security improvements if they occurred within the last three years.  If a self-assessment tool is used, provide a list of law enforcement officials or other subject matter experts consulted, if applicable;
• Describe the proposed projects and discuss potential consequences to the organization if the project site is damaged, destroyed, or disrupted by a threat, attack, or act of terrorism. 
• If the project affects leased property, provide a copy of a long-term lease agreement that extends a minimum of five years from the date of the application or provide a written attestation/commitment to remain at the leased property for this period of time;
• Integration of not-for-profit preparedness with broader state and local preparedness efforts;
• Complete and feasible application for each site that addresses an identified risk unique to that site, including the assessed threat, vulnerability, and consequence of the risk, and proposes building or sustaining a core capability;
• Proposed projects for the Grant Performance Period cannot be listed or claimed, in part or in whole, under any previous or current Federal grant or current grant application; and
• History of prior funding under Federal NSGP and State funded NSGP-IL.

NSGP-IL Maximum Award - Eligible applicants with one site may apply for up to $150,000 for that site. Applicants with multiple sites may apply for up to $150,000 per site, for up to three sites, for a maximum of $450,000 per applicant. If an applicant applies for projects at multiple sites, regardless of whether the projects are similar in nature, each site must have its own application and include an assessment of the vulnerability and risk unique to each site. Failure to do so may be cause for rejection of the application.

IEMA-OHS will issue these competitive grants to applicants that are approved by IEMA-OHS. The period of performance is 36 months.

NSGP-IL funds must be used for target-hardening activities, which can be accomplished through the purchase or installation of security equipment on real property (including buildings and improvements) owned or leased by the not-for-profit organization. Allowable equipment is limited to select items on the AEL Listing NSGP IL. Contract Security Personnel is also eligible. Equipment to support contracted security is not allowable.

Training costs are allowed under this program only as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.  Allowable training activities are active shooter training and evacuation and security training for employees.

Security enhancements must be for the locations that the not-for-profit occupies at the time of the application, and the projects must be fully completed during the three-year performance period. In addition, only one facility per Application is allowed and it must be for a physical address. P.O. Boxes not allowed. Also, each organization is limited to $450,000 (maximum of 3 applications) for the cumulative total of all Application submissions. 

Eligible applicants should download the funding announcements: SFY25 NSGP-IL Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), for more information. A completed grant application package must include the following six items:

1. NSGP-IL Application with AEL Numbers included in the Target Hardening section. Please save the Application with the title as: NSGP_IL_2025_NAME OF ORGANIZATION
2. Vulnerability Assessment (VA) The VA should be conducted by experienced security, law enforcement, or military personnel, or an agency-approved or federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program self-assessment tool within the last three years, or since the most recent security improvements if they occurred within the last three years. If a self-assessment tool is used, provide a list of law enforcement officials or other subject matter experts consulted. Attached vulnerability assessments must be word/PDF documents, or a document submitted by a professional organization. Charts which list the proposed projects or items for purchase aren’t considered to be vulnerability assessments and will be returned for revision.
3. Mission Statement – Must be on organization Letterhead
4. Attachment A Application Contact Information (Must include Zip + 4 digits)
5. IRS W-9 Form
6. Tax-Exempt Organization Statement

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Potential grantees are required to register and pre-qualify per the Grants Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) in order to be considered for an award from any State of Illinois grant making agency/department. Each organization will need to create an Illinois.gov authentication username and password to get into the system. The create account link will assist organizations in establishing a username and password for the system. The GATA Grantee Portal link will allow each organization to validate that its information is current as well as allow each organization to complete the required Internal Control Questionnaire (ICQ).

• Create Account
• GATA Grantee Portal

Please make sure your organization’s FEIN#, UEI#, and SAM.gov accounts are all current and up to date.

• SAM.gov

As always, IEMA-OHS is committed to assisting grantees through these GATA processes. If you have any questions or require any assistance, please email Tammy Porter at Tammy.D.Porter@Illinois.gov  or call 217-557-4831.

In order to submit items #1-6 (Application, Vulnerability Assessment, Mission Statement, Grantee Contact A-1 Spreadsheet, W-9 and Tax Exempt Statement) in the grant application package, please send an e-mail with those 6 attachments individually labeled as 6 separate attachments to EMA.ITTF.grants@illinois.gov. Only 1 complete application should be submitted per emailed submission.  If you have more than one application package, please submit 1 email for each application package.  Please title the subject line of the e-mail:

SFY 2025 NSGP-IL “Name of your Organization”

In accordance with program guidance, a review panel will evaluate all NSGP-IL Applications submitted, and in coordination with the subject matter experts, will develop a rank-ordered priority listing of sites based on criteria established by IEMA-OHS.

Application Training Dates: Monday April 7, 2025 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. and Wednesday April 23, 2025 from 10:00-11:00.  Both trainings will be identical.

• Sample Application