NSGP Grant
Up to $200,000 per site in federal funding.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program helps houses of worship, schools, and community nonprofits fund the physical security that protects their people — including AI gun detection — with no local cost match required.
Administered by DHS/FEMA, NSGP funds target hardening and other physical security enhancements for 501(c)(3) organizations at high risk of terrorist or other extremist attack.
The largest dedicated federal security fund for nonprofits.
The FY26 cycle made $300 million available across two funding streams. The application window has closed — which makes right now the best time to prepare for the next one. Use these figures to scope your project.
Made available in the FY26 cycle, split evenly between urban-area and state funding streams.
Maximum award per location, for physical security equipment, planning, training, and exercises.
Up to three sites per funding stream, capped at $600,000 per state. Organizations with locations in multiple states can apply in each state.
Unlike many federal grants, NSGP requires no local cash match. Awarded funds cover 100% of approved costs.
What NSGP funding can pay for.
NSGP supports security improvements that trace directly to the vulnerabilities identified in your facility's risk assessment.
Video analytics & detection
AI-based detection, including gun detection, layered onto the security cameras you already own.
Security cameras
Camera infrastructure and video systems — the foundation that AI gun detection builds on.
Access control & hardening
Reinforced doors, locks, fencing, bollards, lighting, and other target-hardening measures.
Planning, training & exercises
Security plans, threat assessments, staff training, and preparedness exercises.
Contracted security personnel
Contracted security services, subject to the limits in the current funding notice.
Cybersecurity
The FY26 guidance explicitly supports cybersecurity enhancements alongside physical security.
A short list of exclusions — and why it works in your favor.
The FY26 funding notice lists several project types and costs as unallowable. Nothing on that list touches AI gun detection on your existing cameras — but two items are worth planning around before you budget.
Operational costs
Organization costs, operational overtime, general use expenditures, and backfill.
Public safety hiring
Hiring public safety personnel directly. Off-duty law enforcement working as contract security is the one exception.
Assessment & grant-prep costs
Grant funds can’t pay for the vulnerability assessment itself or for developing your Investment Justification.
Studies & proof-of-concept
Technology development studies and proof-of-concept initiatives. NSGP funds proven, deployable security.
Federal-facing projects
Initiatives where federal agencies benefit or that enhance federal property.
Pass-through benefits
Direct or indirect pass-through of benefits to non-eligible entities.
ZeroEyes does not use facial recognition. It detects a visible firearm, not a person's identity — a privacy posture that's easier to explain to your board, your congregation, and your community. And because it layers onto cameras you already own, it's the kind of proven, deployable security NSGP is built to fund.
Eligibility at a glance.
Eligible organizations
- Houses of worship and religious institutions
- Private and religious schools
- Healthcare facilities and medical nonprofits
- Museums, community centers, senior centers, day camps, and other qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations
To qualify, an organization must be described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt under section 501(a), and must demonstrate through its application that it is at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack.
Not eligible
For-profit organizations, public educational institutions, and government bodies cannot apply. Public K-12 districts should look at COPS SVPP instead — we cover that program in depth.
Houses of worship are eligible even without a formal IRS determination letter — churches, mosques, and synagogues are treated as 501(c)(3) organizations by statute. Our funding team can help you confirm your status early.
You don't apply to FEMA. You apply through your state.
NSGP runs through each state's State Administrative Agency (SAA) — the office designated by the governor to manage federal preparedness grants. Your SAA collects, scores, and prioritizes nonprofit subapplications before submitting them to FEMA. That structure has two practical consequences:
AI gun detection, aligned to what NSGP rewards.
NSGP funds projects that close the capability gaps identified in your vulnerability assessment and strengthen the protection of soft targets and crowded places. The scoring math favors this audience: religious and other ideology-based organizations have their state score tripled, and first-time applicants get 15 bonus points. And in FY25, video assessment and security systems were the single most-funded equipment type in the program. ZeroEyes maps directly to what reviewers score.
Assessment-driven
Reviewers score how directly your request traces to your vulnerability assessment. AI gun detection on existing cameras addresses the detection-and-response gap nearly every assessment identifies.
Built for gathering places
Sanctuaries, classrooms, lobbies, and event spaces are exactly the soft targets NSGP prioritizes. ZeroEyes monitors the cameras already watching them.
Verified alerts in seconds
Every detection is reviewed by a trained analyst in the ZeroEyes Operations Center before an alert reaches staff and first responders — expedited notification without false-alarm fatigue.
The Only AI Gun Detection Platform
With a Human Safety Net.
ZeroEyes pairs cutting-edge computer vision with 24/7 analyst verification inside the ZeroEyes Operations Center. Every firearm detection is reviewed by a trained expert before an alert reaches first responders — exactly the kind of layered, response-focused security NSGP is designed to fund.
Start your applicationZeroEyes holds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation — independent federal validation that strengthens the compliance and procurement narrative of an NSGP application.
Images used to train our models to recognize firearms in any environment.
Video frames analyzed every second across all active deployments.
U.S. states where ZeroEyes protects schools, campuses, and facilities.
Trained analysts in the ZeroEyes Operations Center, around the clock.
Not sure where your project fits?
Our funding specialists help nonprofits identify eligible project components and align AI gun detection with NSGP priorities — before you write a single line of the Investment Justification.
The FY26 window has closed. The next cycle starts sooner than you think.
FEMA published the FY26 funding notice on June 24, 2026, and the federal deadline was July 24 — a window of about four weeks. Organizations that had their assessment and documents ready before the announcement were the ones that made it. Here's how to be one of them next cycle.
FEMA released the FY26 funding notice on Grants.gov.
SAA submissions to FEMA closed. State deadlines fell earlier.
Timing varies year to year. Join your SAA’s notification list now.
Find your SAA
Locate the State Administrative Agency for your state and join their NSGP mailing list. They set your real deadline, and building the relationship early strengthens your application.
Complete a vulnerability assessment
Your entire application traces back to this document. Free options exist, including assessments through CISA Protective Security Advisors — available in every state.
Register & document
Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at SAM.gov and prepare your mission statement. Registration delays are one of the most common reasons organizations miss the window.
Draft your Investment Justification
The IJ is the scored document. Connect every requested dollar to a vulnerability in your assessment. ZeroEyes funding specialists can walk you through program priorities and how AI gun detection maps to the gaps your assessment identifies.
Other funding worth exploring.
NSGP isn't the only path. Depending on your organization and state, several other programs can fund AI gun detection. Our team tracks them all.
State and local funding accessed through your County Emergency Management Agency and regional workgroup.
A growing number of states run their own nonprofit security grants that complement or extend the federal NSGP.
For religious and private schools, state programs may fund what federal streams don’t. Our funding specialists navigate yours.
Request grant assistance.
Preparing a federal application can feel overwhelming, especially the first time. Tell us about your facility and a ZeroEyes funding specialist will help you identify eligible components, align with NSGP priorities, and get ready before the next window opens.
