How California churches pay for security with NSGP and CSNSGP grants

Churches are the customers we work with most, and the grant question comes up on almost every campus walk. This guide pulls the rules from Cal OES's own program documents, linked at the bottom, and explains where an installer fits in. We are not grant writers. We are the people who turn your vulnerability assessment into a priced list of doors, readers and cameras, and then install it after you are awarded.

The two programs side by side

Figures from the most recent rounds as of November 3, 2026. Cal OES publishes new limits and dates with each round; always confirm them in the current notice.

You can apply to both programs, but not for the same equipment. The state RFP requires that the vulnerabilities in your application are not already being addressed by other funding. If you split a project, keep the two scopes clearly separate.

What the grants will pay for

Both programs are about target hardening: physical equipment installed on property your church owns or leases that protects people from attack. Cal OES's federal NSGP examples include access control systems, security cameras, fencing, security lighting, bollards and blast protection. The state program lists reinforced doors and gates, high-intensity lighting and alarms, inspection and screening systems, and access control.

For a typical church campus, that means:

• Card, fob or phone readers on exterior entrances, the office and the children's wing.
• Electric strikes, maglocks or electrified exit hardware so doors lock on a schedule and release for free egress.
• Controllers and cloud management so staff can lock every door from a phone. Our Foothills Church case study shows one-button lockdown on 20 doors.
• Cameras covering entrances, the parking lot and check-in areas. Cameras for license-plate reading or facial recognition are not allowable under NSGP.
• Door hardening: reinforced doors and frames, intercoms and video doorbells at a locked main entrance.

Installing equipment does not count as construction. Under the federal program, construction or renovation needs prior FEMA approval and is capped at 15% of the award; the state program caps it at $100,000. Neither program pays for the vulnerability assessment itself, staff time, or operating costs.

Step by step: from assessment to install

The vulnerability assessment: the whole application rests on it

Every application is built on a vulnerability assessment, recorded on Cal OES's VA Worksheet. It names the threats your congregation faces, the weak points of your campus, and what would happen if they were exploited. Reviewers fund equipment that fixes the vulnerabilities you documented, so a vague assessment produces a vague, low-scoring application.

• Who can do it. You can self-assess. Cal OES encourages using someone with a security, emergency services, military or law enforcement background, active or retired. CISA's houses of worship resources include a free self-assessment, and Cal OES's critical infrastructure unit can point you to help.
• Who should not. Cal OES's FY 2026 NSGP guidance says that if a security company prepares your assessment, it is prohibited from bidding on or contracting for the equipment installation. Keep the assessor and the installer separate. That is why we quote your scope but do not write your assessment.
• Reuse is allowed. A previous assessment can be used if it is still current, transferred onto the current worksheet version.

Where an installer's quote fits in

The federal application accepts only three documents: the Investment Justification, the VA Worksheet and the Mission Statement. The state application adds supporting documents. A vendor quote is not attached to either. What the quote gives you is the content for the sections that carry the most weight:

Get it in writing before the window opens. Most rounds give you four to eight weeks, and the churches that score well walk in with their assessment and scope already done. For typical numbers, see what church access control costs.

Mistakes that sink church applications

• Buying first. Pre-award purchases are not reimbursed. Wait for the award and the start of the period of performance.
• A wish list instead of a fix list. Every item has to answer a vulnerability in your assessment. "Cameras everywhere" without a documented risk scores poorly.
• Letting the installer write the assessment. It disqualifies that installer from the job under the federal program's competition rules.
• Formatting errors. Cal OES rejects scanned copies, combined files, zip files, old form versions and submissions sent to the wrong address. One location per email.
• Missing the window. Federal and state dates move from year to year; the federal round ran in November 2025 and again in July 2026. Sign up below and you will hear when the next one opens.
• Forgetting proof of occupancy. The state program asks for a deed, tax bill, utility bill or lease, plus a landlord letter if you lease, and a map or footprint of the building with square footage.

After you are awarded

You will need a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov for each funded site under the federal program; it is not needed to apply, only to accept the subaward. Install inside the period of performance, keep every invoice, and expect to pay ongoing software licensing from your operating budget once the grant period ends. We hold your scope and pricing so we can schedule the install quickly, and we work around your service calendar.

Sources

• Cal OES, FY 2026 NSGP Application Webinar
• Cal OES, FY 2025 CSNSGP Request for Proposal
• FEMA, Nonprofit Security Grant Program
• Cal OES, Oct 31, 2025 application announcement
• Office of the Governor, May 28, 2026 award announcement
• J. Weekly, July 6, 2026: California commits $80M a year

Action 1st is a security installer, not a grant writer, and is not affiliated with FEMA or Cal OES. This guide is general information, not legal or grant advice.