Public Assistance for Houses of Worship
Submit Insurance Claims as Soon as Possible
Public Assistance may cover insurance deductibles, uninsured or underinsured losses.
Application Process
- Attend the State, Tribal, or Territory Applicant Briefing.
- Submit a FEMA Request for Public Assistance online through Grants Portal within 30 days of a presidential declaration.
- If eligible, FEMA and the state will then coordinate a Recovery Scoping Meeting to determine reimbursable damages.
What You will Need to Provide
- Evidence of federal or state tax-exempt status or other documents indicating nonprofit status, such as bylaws or articles of incorporation. Pre-disaster evidence of incorporation/charter/bylaws.
- A Data Universal Number Systems number established with the government.
- Supporting documentation establishing lease or ownership of the building, proof of use, and proof of insurance.
If eligibility is granted, the following will need to be submitted: A list of sites damaged; “before and after” pictures; and information about any historic structures.
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The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is a competitive grant program appropriated annually through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It is intended to help nonprofit organizations increase their physical security posture against acts of terrorism or other extremist attacks. Eligible organizations are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits or otherwise are organizations as described under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and tax-exempt under section 501(a) of the IRC. For questions regarding the Homeland Security Grant Program, please contact FEMA Grants News (formerly ASKCsid) at FEMA-Grants-News@fema.dhs.gov. FEMA Grants News covers webinar and meeting invitations, funding notices, resources, and more. You can now sign up to receive announcements by grant topic at subscription links on fema.gov! Please add FEMA-Grants-News@fema.dhs.gov to your address book and put it on your safe senders list to make sure you never miss important grant news. You can still call ☎️ (800) 366-6498, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, with questions about FEMA grants. Learn more.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through FEMA, is accepting applications for $210 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds as the second tranche of additional funding that the Biden-Harris Administration secured to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks.
All applications need to go through a State Administrative Agency (SAA). In Pennsylvania that agent is the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which applies to FEMA on behalf of eligible nonprofit organizations (subapplicants) that are at high risk of terrorist or other extremist attacks. A consortium of nonprofit organizations is also an eligible subapplicant. A consortium application is an opportunity for an eligible nonprofit organization to act as a lead and apply for funding on behalf of itself and any number of other participating NSGP-NSS eligible nonprofit organizations.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity was published on Oct. 28. Supporting materials for stakeholders are available on the NSGP webpage: Nonprofit Security Grant Program | FEMA.gov.
Applications for the NSGP – National Security Supplemental (NSS) has opened for applications and will close promptly at 5 pm on Monday, December 16, 2024.
Please carefully review the IJ Download Instructions attachment to properly download the form and maintain its integrity.
Complete details, and the application submission instructions, can be found on PEMA’s website at www.pa.gov/en/services/pema/nonprofit-security-grant.html.
Download “NSGP IJ Download Instructions.pdf”
Download “NSGP-NSS_Investment Justification.pdf”
Download “NSGP_National Security Supplemental_NOFO_.pdf”
Download “NSS Key Changes.pdf”
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Recently Katie Howe, United Church of Christ Minister for Disaster Response and Recover, recorded 2 webinars on Disaster Preparedness –
Part 1 – Disaster Preparedness I: Building Community Connections Before Disaster Hits
In this webinar, Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery discussed how creating coalitions and community building during non-disaster times can create an environment that can help communities if they experience a disaster including climate-caused, human caused, technological or environmental disasters. She was joined by Rev. Dr. Becca Girrell from the United Community Church of Morrisville, VT. Rev. Girrell discussed her experience with building community connections prior to the significant repeated flooding in Morrisville, VT, and how that has had a positive impact on their community.
Part 2 – Disaster Preparedness II: Create an Emergency Preparedness Plan in Your Church
Katie Howe, Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery discussed how loving our neighbor starts with being prepared for disasters. There are some steps that all churches should be taking regardless of their financial or human resources. She discussed some of the main ideas in the newly revised Local Church Disaster Preparedness Workbook, and discuss the importance of having a well-structured preparedness plan. She was joined by Rev. Kelly Hansen, Conference Disaster Response Coordinator for the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference United Church of Christ who discussed their experience with disaster preparedness.