Heighten awareness, register for nonprofit grant seminar

May 02, 2011
  • Jewish organizations should have heightened awareness in light of the current situation.
  • Start your Nonprofit Security Grant application now, the application period is likely to be shortened.
  • Grant training webinar scheduled for Thursday, May 12th.
Get more info at: https://jcrcny2022.wpengine.com/securitygrants
Law enforcement and Homeland Security officials are counseling that Americans should heighten their awareness regarding possible terrorist activity. All organizations should do so. For more information on basic security click here.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security  (DHS) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) offers a competitive grant to eligible nonprofit organizations planning to install hardware and conduct training to support target hardening and counter-surveillance.

The program this year was delayed (along with many other allocations) by the budget battle and details  about the grant program have not yet been released. For the latest suggestions on how to put together a successful application reserve here for the online JCRC webinar (see below) on May 12th at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

The following includes the current available information:

  1. Announcement of details. DHS tentatively scheduled the release of their guidance to the state agencies on May 9th. Those agencies, including the NY Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) will prepare their Request for Applications as soon as they reasonably can. 
  2. A shortened application period is likely. DHS will not announce when the states’ applications will be due until they release their guidance. However, many have speculated that the application period will be shortened, possibly to 30 days. Nonprofits wishing to apply for FY2011 Nonprofit Security Grants should start working on their application immediately.
  3. The Investment Justification.  DHS indicates that the core of the application, the Investment Justification, will not be significantly different from last year’s. Download the Investment Justification from last year and begin to prepare answers to those questions ASAP. This year the Investment Justification will be in a MS Excel format. You will be able to paste your answers into the new DHS template.
  4. Non-recipients will have an advantage. The most significant change this coming year is that preference will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior years’ funding. That doesn’t mean that past grantees cannot apply. However, they will be at a competitive disadvantage.
  5. JCRC grant trainings.The JCRC has sponsored trainings annually and those following the JCRC suggestions have a high success rate. The information provided will include tips on how to complete the Investment Justification and an introduction to the New York application process.
Based on input from past participants, we are offering this session exclusively over the internet. Information applicable to all eligible applicants will be presented at the beginning of the webinar, followed by NY specific guidance.

For further information contact Dov Horwitz at horwitzd@jcrcny.org.

Note that all of this information is tentative. The JCRC webpage (www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants) will have ongoing guidance.

More info on Nonprofit Security Grant Program

April 15, 2011

Thanks to the great work of Rob Goldberg we have some preliminary information from DHS.

  1. DHS currently expects to release the guidance to the state on May 9th.  The DHSES staff (aka our friends in Albany) will then put out the Request For Applications just as soon as they reasonably can.
  2. The most significant change this coming year is that preference will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior years funding. That doesn’t mean that past grantees can not apply. However, they will be at a competitive disadvantage.
  3. We do not yet know when the applications will be due. We continue to advise you to download the Investment Justification from last year and to begin to prepare answers to those questions ASAP. This year the Investment Justification will be in MS Excel format. You will be able to paste your answers into the new DHS template.

Note that all of this information is tentative. The JCRC webpage (www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants) will have ongoing guidance. The JCRC plans to hold a webinar on the grant guidance soon after it is released.

Nonprofit Security Grant Update III

February 15, 2011
Rob Goldberg of the Washington Office of JFNA explains:

As many of you know, the President published his budget recommendations for the fiscal year 2012 budget cycle, which begins October 1st.  With this measure, Congress commences its consideration of the budget and appropriations processes for the session.  Meanwhile, Congress has not yet completed work on the current FY2011 appropriations, leaving the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in limbo (along with many other federally funded programs).

Consequently, the federal government, since October 1, 2010, has been operating under temporary spending measures called Continuing Resolutions (CRs).  The current CR expires on March 4th.  Ahead of this deadline, Republican leaders of the House of Representatives have drafted a long-term CR that they will bring to the floor for consideration this week.  The CR would fund the federal government for the remaining 7 months of the fiscal year at nearly $60 billion below actual FY2010 spending levels and at $100 billion below the President’s budget request for FY2011.  The draft CR, in conjunction with an earlier CR that expired in December 2010, would fund the Nonprofit Security Program at $19 million.  This is the same amount we were able to secure for the program in FY2010, and $5 million above the FY2009 funding level. 
The draft CR is expected to pass the House when it comes to a vote.  However, it is also believed that the measure will receive stiff opposition from the Democratic majority when it reaches the Senate body.  In the event that the Senate passes a widely disparate version of the CR that cannot be easily reconciled with the House body, or the Senate simply fails to pass the CR at all, Congress will face a significant dilemma.  It will have to agree to pass an additional short term CR that would provide more time for a consensus measure to be reached between the chambers, or it will face the possibility of allowing for a government shut down when the current CR expires on March 4th.  Often under such time pressures, Congress finds the comity necessary to achieve workable solutions.  In this case, the FY2011 funding impasse presents an early and potentially devastating challenge for the newly divided Congress to overcome.
So, the fate of the NSGP allocation for FY2011 remains tide to the overall resolution of the outstanding appropriations process for FY2011, under conditions where a showdown in Congress is expected in a matter of days. We will continue to work to ensure that the NSGP allocation remains in tact, in accordance with our significant efforts to protect federal social services funding streams of critical importance to the Federation movement.