North Carolina Security Grants for Churches: NSGP Through NCEM (2026 Guide)

Short answer: North Carolina churches get security grant money mainly through the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM, part of NC Public Safety) runs for the state. In the FY2026 cycle, an eligible church could request up to $200,000 per site, for up to three sites ($600,000 total). Applications went through NCEM's Salesforce portal from July 2 to July 24, 2026, and that window is now closed. The grant pays by reimbursement, so the church spends the money first. Unlike Ohio, Pennsylvania or Tennessee, North Carolina has no separate state-funded security grant for houses of worship that we could find. Your realistic next steps are preparing for the FY2027 NSGP round and, in some years, the separate federal Justice Department program for houses of worship.

How Security Grant Money Reaches North Carolina Churches

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a Department of Homeland Security program run by FEMA. It pays for "target hardening" and other physical security work at nonprofits that are at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack. FEMA doesn't take applications from churches directly. Each state has a State Administrative Agency (SAA) that collects the applications, checks eligibility, scores and ranks them, and sends the ranked list to FEMA. In North Carolina, the SAA is the Preparedness Grants Management Branch of North Carolina Emergency Management, inside the NC Department of Public Safety.

NCEM's own grants portfolio describes NSGP as 100% pass-through to subrecipients with no non-federal cost share required. Your church doesn't put up matching dollars. The money is federal, and NCEM passes it on. That's different from the state-appropriated programs some other states run. Ohio's Ohio Security Grant and Tennessee's houses-of-worship grant come out of their own state budgets (see our Ohio guide and Tennessee guide). Our search of NCDPS, the NC Office of State Budget and Management's public-safety budget highlights, and other grant trackers in October 2026 turned up no equivalent North Carolina state program for houses of worship. North Carolina's recent state safety money has gone to school safety, not to congregations.

In practice, then, for a church in Raleigh, Greensboro, Asheville, Wilmington or a small town in between, "security grants" means NSGP first.

Charlotte (NSGP-UA) vs. the Rest of the State (NSGP-S)

NSGP has two funding streams, and your church's street address decides which one you apply under:

Both allocation figures come from NCEM's NSGP page. NCEM notes that North Carolina's FY2026 NSGP-S target was among the highest in the country, with only two states getting a larger one. That's good news for congregations in the Triangle, the Triad, the mountains and the coast. Nationally, FEMA made $300 million available for FY2026, split evenly: $150 million for NSGP-UA and $150 million for NSGP-S. FY2025 had $274.5 million and FY2024 had $454.5 million, a total that included a $180 million national security supplemental.

One practical note: NCEM requires a different PDF file name for each stream (FY2026_NSGP_UA_NC_Charlotte_… vs. FY2026_NSGP_S_NC_…). A wrong file name alone can get an application automatically denied. Confirm which stream your address falls in before you start the paperwork.

How Much a North Carolina Church Can Request

For FY2026, NCEM set the request limits like this:

• Up to $200,000 per site. Each physical address is its own application and is scored separately.
• Up to three sites per stream. A church with campuses both inside and outside the Charlotte Area could, in principle, apply for up to six sites (three NSGP-UA and three NSGP-S). The total for the organization still can't go over $600,000 in the state.
• Contract security up to 50% of the award. NCEM's webinar summary says contracted security guards are allowed up to half of the total award.
• Management and administration (M&A) up to 5% of the request.

Those caps are maximums, not what a typical church gets. NCEM doesn't publish an average award, and we won't guess one. Size the request to the specific vulnerabilities your assessment documents. A tightly justified $40,000 camera-and-access-control project may score better than a padded $200,000 wish list.

Who Is Eligible in North Carolina

Under the FY2026 rules on NCEM's page, a nonprofit must:

1. Be described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and be exempt from tax under section 501(a). NCEM's webinar summary describes applicants as "qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits or eligible religious organizations located in North Carolina." Churches are generally treated as 501(c)(3) organizations even without a separate IRS determination letter, but confirm your status before applying. Our 501(c)(3) guide for churches explains the details.
2. Be located in the right stream area: inside the Charlotte Area for NSGP-UA, outside it for NSGP-S.
3. Show, through the application itself, that the organization is at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack.

That third test is where most of the work is. You make the risk case with your vulnerability assessment, your mission statement and any incident records you have, such as police reports or photos of vandalism or threats at your address. A church doesn't need a history of attacks to apply. But an application that describes real, site-specific risk will read better than generic language about "the times we live in."

You also need a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active SAM.gov registration to receive a subaward. NCEM says you don't need the UEI when you apply, but you must have it before money can be awarded. SAM.gov registration can take weeks, so start early. Our SAM.gov registration guide for churches walks through it.

What NSGP Pays For (and What It Won't)

NCEM lists these as examples of eligible target-hardening projects:

• Contracted private security guards (subject to the 50% cap)
• Physical security enhancements: fencing, gates, barriers
• CCTV and security cameras
• Access controls, card readers, and related hardware and software
• Screening equipment for people and bags
• Conducting or improving security risk assessments
• Writing security plans and protocols, emergency and contingency plans, and evacuation or shelter-in-place plans
• Active shooter training (including planning for people with disabilities), staff security training, public awareness campaigns and response exercises

NCEM lists these as ineligible: organization costs and operational overtime; hiring public safety personnel (except off-duty officers working as contract security); general-use expenses; overtime and backfill; paying for the risk or vulnerability assessment or the Investment Justification itself; projects that benefit federal property; technology studies and proof-of-concept projects; and pass-through benefits to ineligible entities. NCEM also says plainly that license plate readers and facial recognition software are not allowed under NSGP.

For a deeper line-by-line breakdown, see our NSGP eligible expenses guide.

The environmental and historic preservation (EHP) step

Many churches don't see this one coming. Any FEMA-funded project that could affect the environment or a historic property needs an EHP screening form. That includes new construction, changes to existing structures and ground-disturbing work, and it can apply to fences and cameras. NCEM says EHP approval must be received before work begins. Spending money before approval can make those costs non-reimbursable. If your sanctuary is old or listed as historic, plan for this review in your timeline. Our historic church preservation guide covers the preservation side.

How North Carolina NSGP Applications Are Scored

Scoring happens in two stages. First, NCEM checks each application for eligibility and completeness. It confirms which stream applies, scores the package with FEMA's NSGP scoring criteria (Appendix D of the FY2026 NOFO), checks the organization type you self-certified against your mission statement, and gives every application a unique rank. Then FEMA applies multipliers to the state score:

On top of that, organizations that have never received an NSGP award get 15 extra points from FEMA. A church that has never applied therefore has two structural advantages. It gets the triple weighting as a house of worship and the first-time bonus. Neither one makes up for a weak or incomplete application, but they're real reasons for small and mid-size congregations to try.

What the North Carolina Application Requires

NCEM accepts applications only through its Salesforce grants management portal. If your church doesn't have an account, request one well before the window opens. Each organization can have up to five contacts, and one must be a finance representative. For each site, the FY2026 package included:

1. The FY2026 Investment Justification (IJ). This fillable PDF is the actual application. NCEM warns that it isn't web-fillable. You have to download it, close the browser and complete it in Adobe Acrobat or a similar desktop PDF program. Scanned copies, prior-year forms and blank required fields all count as incomplete.
2. A site-specific vulnerability assessment. You can do it yourself or have law enforcement do it. It has to match the items you request. NCEM says there are no state-specific assessment guidelines beyond FEMA's NSGP Subapplicant Quick Start Guide. CISA's free Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment is a sensible starting point (more on that below). See also our church security risk assessment guide.
3. Your mission statement, plus any mission-related policies or practices that may raise your risk.
4. Short bios or resumes of leadership: entity type, leaders and board members with business addresses only. No personal phone numbers or home addresses. NCEM says these aren't scored.
5. Optional supporting documents, such as police reports, insurance claims, photos of incidents, or vendor quotes.

Two technical rules caused automatic denials in 2026. The budget you enter in Salesforce must match the IJ budget exactly, and a $0 budget triggers denial. The IJ PDF must also follow NCEM's naming convention for your stream.

NCEM's FY2026 page also flagged federal conditions that come with the money. Subrecipients may be asked whether their work involves supporting immigrants and whether they have diversity, equity and inclusion practices. DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis runs a security review of selected applicants (name and physical address only). NCEM encourages organizations to talk with legal counsel before accepting a subaward. Read the DHS standard terms and conditions before you apply, not after you win.

For writing help that applies to any state, see our 2026 NSGP complete guide and how to write a church grant proposal.

2026 Timeline and What to Do Before FY2027

The FY2025 round was unusually slow. As of July 2, 2026, NCEM said FEMA hadn't yet named FY2025 subawardees, and FEMA's FY2025 allocation bulletin wasn't issued until July 7, 2026. Because a nonprofit can't be funded twice for the same project, NCEM told applicants to submit a different project for FY2026 than for FY2025. If an FY2025 award came through for the same project, the FY2026 application would be denied automatically. If your church applied in both years, check with NCEM (NSGP@ncdps.gov) on where each application stands before you plan FY2027.

FEMA hasn't published an FY2027 NOFO yet. The FY2026 window ran about three weeks in July, so you can't start from zero once it opens. Here's what to do now:

• Register or renew in SAM.gov and confirm your UEI.
• Request NCEM Salesforce access for your church and name a finance contact.
• Complete a site-specific vulnerability assessment for every campus you might include.
• Get vendor quotes that tie each line item to a vulnerability in the assessment.
• Collect incident records (police reports, photos, insurance claims) in one folder.
• Make a cash-flow plan, because NSGP is a reimbursement grant. The church pays vendors first and is repaid after it documents the spending.

Other Security Funding Options for North Carolina Churches

DOJ / BJA Enhancing Security Measures for Houses of Worship

For FY2026, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance opened a separate federal program, Enhancing Security Measures for Houses of Worship (Assistance Listing 16.047). Category 1 (Faith-Based Institution Security Camera and Evidence) was open to faith-based organizations directly. It funded professional-grade camera systems, cloud storage with law-enforcement access, integration with local real-time crime centers, staff training and signage, up to $200,000 over 24 months. BJA expected about $4 million in Category 1 funding across roughly 20 awards. Category 2 (up to $150,000 over 36 months) paid for law-enforcement overtime at houses of worship, but only state, local and tribal governments could apply, so a church's role there is to partner with its local police department or sheriff. Both FY2026 deadlines have passed (Grants.gov on September 2 and JustGrants on September 9, 2026). Check whether BJA offers the program again in FY2027. Note that its allowed uses differ from NSGP. For example, BJA's Category 1 list includes cameras with facial recognition, which NCEM says NSGP won't fund.

Free federal help from CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offers free tools for houses of worship: a Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment, the "Protecting Places of Worship: Six Steps" guide, Physical Security Performance Goals for faith-based communities, and training on active shooter preparedness, bomb threats and suspicious activity. CISA Protective Security Advisors work with communities across the country. None of this is a grant, but it can make your vulnerability assessment stronger and is useful even if you never apply.

Private and denominational sources

Some denominations and foundations fund building improvements that overlap with security, such as lighting, doors or accessible entrances. See our denominational grants guide and our broader church security grants guide. If your congregation is small, our security grants for small congregations page covers scaled-down options.

To see how North Carolina compares with states that have their own programs, see our 50-state security grants breakdown and the neighboring-state guides for Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.

Mistakes That Get North Carolina Applications Denied

• Using last year's IJ form. NCEM denies any FY2026 application submitted on an FY2025 or older IJ.
• Filling the IJ in a web browser. The form only works when downloaded and opened in a desktop PDF program.
• Mismatched budgets. The Salesforce budget must match the IJ exactly. A $0 budget is an automatic denial.
• Wrong file name or wrong stream. Check whether your county is in the Charlotte Area before you name and submit the PDF.
• One assessment for several campuses. Every physical address needs its own assessment and its own IJ.
• Resubmitting an FY2025 project without confirming its status with NCEM.
• Starting work before EHP approval, which can make those costs non-reimbursable.
• No cash plan. Winning a reimbursement grant you can't front the money for creates a new problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• NC DPS / NC Emergency Management: Non-Profit Security Grant Program (FY26 page, updated July 2026)
• NCEM Portfolio of Grants: NSGP-S pass-through and cost-share details
• FEMA: Nonprofit Security Grant Program (FY2022–FY2026 funding; FY2026 awards announced September 28, 2026)
• FEMA Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletins (IB 576 FY25 allocations; IB 579 FY26 extension; IB 585 FY26 allocations)
• BJA FY2026 Enhancing Security Measures for Houses of Worship NOFO (O-BJA-2026-172658)
• CISA: Protecting Houses of Worship
• NC Office of State Budget and Management: Keeping North Carolinians Safe budget highlights