New York SCAHC Grant for Churches: 2026 Security Funding Guide

Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) is a New York State grant program, administered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), that funds physical and cybersecurity upgrades at nonprofits — including churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples — that face elevated risk because of their beliefs, ideology, or mission. It runs entirely separately from the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which means a New York congregation can pursue both in the same year.

This is one of the largest state-level security grant programs in the country, and it consistently gets less attention from churches than the federal NSGP simply because it's a state-specific line item that doesn't show up in national grant directories. If your congregation is anywhere in New York State, that's a gap worth closing.

What Is SCAHC?

SCAHC exists because New York recognized that a rise in hate crimes and threats against houses of worship and other identity-based organizations required a funding source that didn't wait on the federal appropriations cycle. The state created its own line item, administered directly by DCJS rather than through the SAA structure FEMA uses for NSGP.

The mechanics mirror the federal program in spirit — applicants describe their risk, propose specific security investments, and compete for a limited statewide pool — but SCAHC has its own Request for Applications (RFA), its own deadlines, and its own review process entirely independent of the federal cycle. An outcome on one program tells you nothing about your odds on the other.

The 2026 Funding Cycle: What Actually Happened

DCJS released its 2026 SCAHC Request for Applications allowing eligible organizations to request up to $250,000 per organization. That window closed on July 8, 2026. If your church missed it, you are not alone — a large share of eligible congregations miss SCAHC every year simply because they don't know it exists until after the deadline has passed.

What matters practically, whether you're reading this before or after a given cycle closes, is that SCAHC runs on a predictable annual rhythm: DCJS publishes an RFA, organizations submit through the state's grants system, review and scoring follow, and awarded organizations receive a performance period to complete the funded work. The single biggest lever a church has to improve its odds is not waiting for the RFA to appear before starting preparation — see the preparation checklist below.

Who's Eligible

SCAHC eligibility generally covers nonprofit organizations — including houses of worship, religious institutions, community centers, daycares, and cultural institutions — that are considered at risk because of their beliefs, ideology, or mission. In practice, synagogues, churches, mosques, and temples are consistently among the most-funded categories, alongside Jewish community centers and other identity-based nonprofits.

Being a house of worship doesn't waive the documentation requirements. DCJS still expects a coherent narrative connecting your organization to a credible risk factor, a description of your facility and current security posture, and evidence of your nonprofit standing. Congregations relying only on the IRS's automatic tax-exemption without a formal determination letter should read our 501(c)(3) grants for churches guide before applying — a determination letter removes friction that reviewers otherwise have to work around manually.

Grants Gateway Prequalification: Do This First

This is the step that catches the most churches off guard. Before any organization can submit an application for a grant administered by a New York state agency — DCJS included — it must be prequalified in New York's Grants Gateway system. Prequalification is a separate process from the grant application itself, and it requires submitting organizational documents, financial information, and internal policies for review.

Prequalification is not instant. It can take several weeks to move through review, and an incomplete submission gets kicked back for corrections — which restarts part of the clock. Congregations that wait until an RFA is open to start this process routinely miss the deadline before they've even reached the actual grant application. Complete or renew your Grants Gateway prequalification well before you expect the next SCAHC RFA, not after it's announced.

What SCAHC Actually Funds

SCAHC dollars fund exterior and interior security improvements at the facility level. Based on the categories DCJS has funded in recent cycles, typical eligible uses include:

• Access control and hardening: locks, reinforced doors, barriers, and shatter-resistant glass.
• Perimeter security: fencing and exterior lighting.
• Detection and alarm systems: intrusion alarms and duress/panic alert systems.
• Surveillance: security cameras and monitoring systems.
• Cybersecurity: measures to strengthen the organization's cybersecurity posture — one of the few state security grants that names this explicitly as an eligible use rather than leaving it implied. For the fuller national picture of how cybersecurity fits into security-grant budgets, see our cybersecurity grants for churches guide.

What it generally does not fund: general building maintenance unrelated to security, new construction, or the same specific expense already reimbursed through another grant. If your building's real problem is a failing roof or an outdated kitchen rather than security hardening, this isn't the program to stretch to cover it — see our church building repair grants guide instead.

SCAHC vs. the Federal NSGP

A New York congregation that clears NSGP's threshold requirements should treat SCAHC as a genuinely separate shot at funding the same underlying security project, not a backup plan to consider only after a federal rejection. Our broader state-by-state security grant guide covers how other states structure similar stacking opportunities if your congregation also operates a campus outside New York.

How to Prepare for the Next Cycle

Whether the current RFA is open or you're reading this between cycles, the preparation work is identical and best done early:

1. Start or renew Grants Gateway prequalification now. This is the single biggest bottleneck and the easiest one to fix months in advance.
2. Confirm your 501(c)(3) documentation is current. A missing or lapsed determination letter slows down every reviewer who touches your file.
3. Get a security vulnerability assessment done. DCJS reviewers, like FEMA reviewers, respond to specific, documented risk — not general statements that houses of worship are sometimes targeted.
4. Draft your budget narrative before the RFA drops. You won't know the exact cap for the next cycle, but you can have vendor quotes and a prioritized project list ready so you're not starting from a blank page once the window opens.
5. Watch the DCJS funding page directly. RFAs are sometimes announced with a shorter window than churches expect — bookmark criminaljustice.ny.gov/funding/securingcommunities.htm and check it on a recurring schedule rather than waiting to hear about it secondhand.

When SCAHC Isn't the Right Fit

• You're outside New York. SCAHC is state-specific. Congregations elsewhere should look at the federal NSGP and check whether their own state runs an equivalent program.
• You haven't completed Grants Gateway prequalification and the RFA just opened. Realistically, you will not finish prequalification and a competitive application in the same short window — use this cycle to prequalify and target the next RFA instead of rushing a weak submission.
• You don't have a documented, specific risk factor. A generic statement that houses of worship face risk nationally scores far weaker than a facility-specific vulnerability assessment.
• Your real need is a facility upgrade unrelated to security. Redirect that request to a program built for it rather than force-fitting it into a security grant application.

None of these are permanent — a congregation that isn't ready this cycle can prequalify, document a vulnerability assessment, and build a stronger case for the following year's RFA.

Frequently Asked Questions