Grants
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security administers the following grant programs on behalf of the State of Tennessee: Statewide School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Grant, Houses of Worship State Security Grant Program, State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), and the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
Grant Programs
The Statewide School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Grant provides funding to local law enforcement entities to place one full-time, POST-certified SRO at every K-12 public and public charter school in Tennessee. Local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for funding not to exceed $75,000 per year, per SRO, per school for which they are responsible for providing SRO services. Read more...
The State of Tennessee’s Houses of Worship Security Grant is a competitive grant for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations intended to fund contracted security personnel for their religious institutions. This grant has a 12-month grant period and funds will be disbursed through a Tennessee cost reimbursement grant contract.
The SHSP is the core assistance program that provides funds to build capabilities at the state and local level. Activities implemented under SHSP must support terrorism preparedness by building or enhancing capabilities that relate to the prevention of, protection from, or response and recovery from terrorism activities – which also includes supporting the development and operation of fusion centers. It should also be noted that many capabilities which support terrorism preparedness simultaneously support preparedness for other hazards as identified in the State Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THRIA).
Law Enforcement Terrorist Prevention Activities (LETPA): LETPA focuses upon the prevention of terrorist attacks and provides law enforcement and public safety entities with funds to support intelligence gathering and information sharing. States are required to ensure that at least 25 percent of their SHSP award is dedicated towards law enforcement terrorism prevention-oriented planning, organization, training, exercise, and equipment activities. For more information on the LETPA and SHSP programs, contact Agent James Cotter.
The UASI program focuses on enhancing regional preparedness in major metropolitan areas. The UASI program directly supports the National Priority of expanding regional collaboration outlined in the National Preparedness Guidelines and is intended to assist participating jurisdictions in developing integrated regional systems for prevention, protection, response, and recovery. Consistent with the 9/11 Act, states are required to ensure that at least 25 percent of UASI appropriated funds are dedicated towards law enforcement terrorism prevention-oriented planning, organization, training, exercise, and equipment activities, including those activities which support the development and operation of fusion centers. For more information on the UASI program, contact Agent James Cotter.
The NSGP provides funding support to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack and integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts. Additionally, the program is designed to promote coordination and collaboration in emergency preparedness activities among public and private community representatives, state and local government agencies, and Citizen Corps Councils. For more information on the NSGP program, contact Agent James Cotter.
Grant Information
The State of Tennessee’s Houses of Worship Security Grant is a competitive grant for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations intended to fund contracted security personnel for their religious institutions. This grant has a 12-month grant period and funds are disbursed through a Tennessee cost reimbursement grant contract.
The application period for the 2023-2024 grant period closed on June 30, 2023. All funds for this period have been awarded, and applications are not being accepted at this time. For reference, the 2023-2024 application documents are included below.
- SF-1648 Houses of Worship Grant Application
- FA-0825 TN Department of Finance & Administration Supplier Direct Deposit Authorization form
- U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9
Information for future grant opportunities will be posted on this site as it becomes available. Please direct questions related to the Tennessee Houses of Worship Security Grant program to OHS.grants@tn.gov.
The State of Tennessee’s Houses of Worship Security Grant is a competitive grant for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations intended to fund contracted security personnel for their religious institutions.
The application period for the 2022-2023 grant period closed on July 31, 2022. All funds for this period have been awarded. For reference, the 2022-2023 application documents are included below.
On April 16, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) which includes funding for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
FY24 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) NEW
FY24 District & UASI Investment Justification NEW
For eligible organizations, please note the following timelines and requirements.
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all District Level Grant Investment Justifications must be completed and entered in to the EMGrants portal by 5 p.m. Central on June 7, 2024.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
On April 16, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP).
The Fiscal Year 2024 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) focus on enhancing the ability of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as nonprofits, to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
For more information and to see if your nonprofit is eligible, please review the following documents:
FY24 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) NEW
Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment NEW
FY24 NSGP on Grants.gov Application NEW
Note: Please type “NSGP” in the Keyword(s) to get to this year’s grant and then click “Related Documents”
to obtain the Investment Justification.
FY24 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Helpful Tips & FAQs
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all NSGP grant applications must be completed and returned to our office by Midnight CT on June 7, 2024 – applications received after Midnight June 7, 2024, will not be processed for funding.
Rather than submitting to an individual person as in the past, please submit your applications to OHS.Grants@tn.gov. Because our timeline is rather short, this email account is monitored by several staff members and will allow for a more efficient processing of applications.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
On February 27th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) which includes funding for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
FY23 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
FY23 District & UASI Investment Justification
For eligible organizations, please note the following timelines and requirements.
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all District Level Grant Investment Justifications must be completed and returned to our office by 5 PM CT on May 5, 2023. Please submit your applications to Special Agent James Cotter at james.cotter@tn.gov.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
On February 27th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal Year 2023 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP).
The Fiscal Year 2023 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) focus on enhancing the ability of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as nonprofits, to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
For more information and to see if your nonprofit is eligible, please review the following documents:
FY23 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment
FY23 NSGP Application (Note: Please type “NSGP” in the Keyword(s) to get to this year’s grant)
FY23 Nonprofit Investment Justification (IJ) Form (Note: If you have issues downloading or opening this document from Grants.gov – try using the Firefox browser. From the error message screen, save the file to the desktop. Open the file from the desktop, or right click on the file and use the "open with" option.)
FY23 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Helpful Tips & FAQs
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all NSGP grant applications must be completed and returned to our office by Midnight CT on May 1, 2023 – applications received after Midnight May 1, 2023, will not be processed for funding. Rather than submitting to an individual person as in the past, please submit your applications to Homeland.Security@tn.gov. Because our timeline is rather short, this email account is monitored by several staff members and will allow for a more efficient processing of applications.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
On May 13th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Fiscal Year 2022 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) which includes funding for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)
and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
FY22 HSGP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
FY22 District Investment Justification
For eligible organizations, please note the following timelines and requirements.
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all District Level Grant Investment Justifications must be completed and returned to our office by 5 PM CT on June 6, 2022. Please submit your
applications to Special Agent James Cotter at james.cotter@tn.gov.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
The Fiscal Year 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) focus on enhancing the ability of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as nonprofits, to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks.
On May 20, 2002, The Department of Safety and Homeland Security will host a MS Teams Meeting for prospective NSGP applicants to discuss this year’s grant. If you wish to receive an invite, please email Special Agent James Cotter requesting an invite. Please include the name of the organization you represent, provide your official email and phone number – if you do not provide these requested items, you will not receive an invite - james.cotter@tn.gov.
For more information and to see if your nonprofit is eligible, please review the following documents:
FY22 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment
FY22 NSGP Application can be downloaded here (Note: Please type “NSGP” in the Keyword(s) to get to this year’s grant).
FY22 Nonprofit Investment Justification (IJ) Form
Note: This form opens best with the Firefox browser. From the error message screen, save the file to the desktop. Open the file from the desktop, or right click on the file and use the "open with" option.
FY22 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Helpful Tips & FAQs
FY22 Nonprofit Grant Assistance Webinar Series
Fiscal Year 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Key Changes
To ensure successful completion and submission of the grant, all NSGP grant applications must be completed and returned to our office by Midnight CT on June 5, 2022 – applications received after Midnight June 5, 2022, will not be processed for funding. Rather than submitting to an individual person as in the past, please submit your applications to Homeland.Security@tn.gov. Because our timeline is rather short, this email account is monitored by several staff members and will allow for a more efficient processing of applications.
Please check back here for updates and new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the resources provided, please call our office at 615-532-7825.
**ATTENTION** Important safety tips regarding grants:
- The State will never call and offer to complete and/or process your grant application for a fee – this is a no cost process.
- The NSGP is a competitive grant – there are no guarantees of a maximum award amount.
- The HSGP is not competitive – if you are told otherwise, that is inaccurate information and likely a scam.
- Your caller ID might show a number for the State; however, computer software makes it easy to ‘spoof’ or give the appearance that the call is originating from somewhere that it is not.
- Email addresses are also commonly spoofed – if you receive an email soliciting services from the State or a Federal agency - do not respond to it, do not click on any link contained within the email. Instead, save the email and contact our office directly.
- Never give your personal information to anyone who contacts you unsolicited. Do not provide and/or confirm the last 4 digits of your SSN, credit card or banking account information, email, or cell phone information.
- Remember, if anyone instructs you to wire money, pay with a gift card, send cash, etc. – it is a likely a scam.
If you are ever suspicious about a phone call or email from someone who claims to be with the State or a Federal agency, call your local law enforcement agency for assistance, or look up that agency’s information and contact them directly – do not use any information given in suspicious emails or phone calls. Furthermore, if you receive this type of phone call or email, please report it here.