ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced grant applications are now being accepted for the County’s Nonprofit and Faith-Based Security Grant Program. With $750,000 in grant funding available through American Rescue Plan Act funding, this one-time grant program is available to eligible nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations located within Howard County. Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $15,000, and grant applications are due by no later than 11:59 p.m., Friday, December 1st.
As I announced during my recent ‘State of the County’ address, no matter your faith, or where you reside in Howard County, every one of us should be able to worship freely and safely. This vital grant funding will deter potential acts of violence and hate crimes to ensure that our nonprofits, houses of worship, and all our residents are safe, feel safe and respected, and that Howard County continues to foster a welcome environment, full of compassion, love and empathy towards all.
The grants are intended to support costs associated with enhanced security operations and safety infrastructure for organizations experiencing heightened risk of hate crimes and threats of violence. The grant program will include two application categories: (1) Security Personnel, and (2) Security Infrastructure. Individual organizations may submit one application for Security Personnel and one application for Security Infrastructure.
Under the Security Personnel Grant program, each applicant organization may request funding of up to $15,000 to be used towards hiring security personnel or supplementing existing security personnel, paying for a security assessment or plan, conducting security training and developing and executing a security drill.
Whereas, under the Security Infrastructure Grant program, each applicant organization may request funding up to $10,000 to be used to purchase new security cameras for a facility owned by the applicant, pay for facility alarm systems, install door locks and improve cybersecurity.
For either grant program, a nonprofit organization may apply for one grant award on behalf of multiple organizations. If multiple organizations are included on one grant application, the maximum award of up to $10,000 for security infrastructure or $15,000 for security personnel per organization included on the application.
To be eligible, applicant organizations must meet the following criteria:
- The organization must have a Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be a religious organization that meets the requirements of a 501(c)(3);
- The organization must be experiencing threats or hate crimes, or be at significant risk of hate crimes based on its work, community or known threats to similar organizations or communities nationally;
- The organization must be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (applicants can verify their status by visiting https://egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch);
- Organizations must register with SAM.gov to comply with federal grant requirements by visiting https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration; and
- Proposed expenses must be for a new activity, expansion of existing activities or a combination of both.
Grant applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis while funds last. Grant funding will be awarded to organizations beginning in early December.
For additional information on program eligibility and the grant application, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/county-administration/security-grants-nonprofit-and-faith-based-organizations.