About
The Howard County Department of County Administration and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) are soliciting grant applications for the County’s Nonprofit and Faith-Based Security Grant Program. The County has allocated $750,000 to support this one-time grant program through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. 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.
Dates and Deadlines
Key dates for this program are:
- Application Opens: Thursday, November 9, 2023
- Application Closes: Friday, December 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM
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.
Questions about the application and grant program can be emailed to securitygrants@howardcountymd.gov.
Program Information
Target Populations
The target populations for this Grant Program are Howard County:
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Nonprofit Organizations: Tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, including religious organizations, at risk of hate crimes based on their work, community, or known threats experienced by their organization, facility, or similar organizations, facilities, or communities nationally.
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Faith-based Organizations: Religious organizations that meet the requirements of a 501(c)(3) organization, as required by the Internal Revenue Service, and are at risk of hate crimes based on their work, community, or known threats experienced by their facility or other facilities representing their faith group nationally.
Grant Categories
This grant program will include two application categories: Security Personnel and Security Infrastructure. Individual organizations may submit one application for Security Personnel and one application for Security Infrastructure. Grant funding must be expended by the organization by December 31, 2024.
Security Personnel Grants
These grants may be used to:
- Hire security personnel or supplement existing security personnel;
- Pay for a security assessment or plan;
- Conduct security training; and
- Develop and execute a security drill.
Each applicant organization may request funding up to $15,000 under the Security Personnel 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 is up to $15,000 per organization included on the application.
Security Infrastructure Grants
These grants may 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.
Each applicant organization may request funding up to $10,000 under the Security Infrastructure 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 is up to $10,000 per organization included on the application.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant organizations must meet all of 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 County and with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). Applicants can verify their status with SDAT by clicking here.
- Organizations must register with SAM.gov to comply with federal grant requirements. Please click here to register if you have not already done so.
- Proposed expenses must be for a new activity, expansion of existing activities, or a combination of both.