Remember, we warned that the application period will be abbreviated. Sorry.

The U.S. Department of  Homeland Security released its guidance on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program today. The NY Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will release the NY application package by the middle of April. Depending on the release and due date, applicants will probably have to submit their packages sometime during  the first  week of May (NY DHSES must review, process and submit the applications by May 19th). Most of the necessary 2015 forms and information can be found at www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants.

Sen. Charles Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the NY Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York will offer a grant webinar on Tuesday, April 14th at 10:30 AM. The webinar will feature representatives of the NY Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services discussing the application process and guidance from the JCRC-NY on how to complete the core of the application: the Investment Justification. Of course you can find detailed help at our Security Grants website: www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants.

1. Register for the webinar. Click here to register for the April 14th webinar. Instructions on how to sign on will be sent to all registrants by email prior to the webinar.
2. Subscribe. Click here to subscribe to the JCRC-NY Security and Emergency Preparedness Alert list. Subscribers will receive updates on the security grant program and other alerts.
3. Get started now. We expect that there will be few changes in the application process. See the graphic below the registration form, outlining the steps you can immediately take to start the New York process now:
   • Pre-qualify. Your application will not be accepted without a 2015 “Status Report” showing that your Document Vault is complete. Click here to go to the New York State Grants Gateway.
     • If you Pre-qualified last year, check your Document Vault to confirm that none of your documents need to be updated.
     • If you never Pre-qualified, register immediately and begin to collect your documents.
   • E-Grants. You must submit your application and documents through the NY DHSES E-Grants system. Click to the E-Grants page, download and fill out the simple application and e-mail to grants@dhses.ny.gov. You will receive information on how to sign on. If you already have an account, you’re OK. The E-Grants system is pretty straightforward and has an excellent tutorial.
   • Assessment. The application requires a “previously conducted risk assessment.” The assessment could be a crime prevention survey from your local police or other governmental sources, from private vendors or self -conducted. For more information see: www.jcrcny.org/securityresources#surveys
   • Investment Justification. This is the core of the application package. You can see this year’s template here. Get started. Transfer your completed questions onto the form provided in the New York application package.

Find detailed help at our Security Grants website: www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants. Here are the steps to get started:

Schumer, Gillibrand Secure Over $2.1 Million To Improve Emergency Preparedness For Religious Institutions & Organizations In-And-Around NYC; Grants Awarded To 30 At-Risk Jewish Schools & Congregations

Schumer and Gillibrand Secured Funding For Organizations Based in New York – Out of the Total $13 Million Granted to Awardees Across the Country
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that 30 New York Jewish organizations, including schools and congregations, and more have received a combined total of $2,188,517 for the 2014 fiscal year as Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Awardees. The program, run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), awards federal funds to nonprofit organizations that are at a high risk of a national terrorist attack to encourage preparedness efforts.

“Religious schools and congregations have been previously targeted for attacks and that’s why FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program is critical in making sure that high-risk organizations are safe and protected from terrorist attacks,” said Schumer. “It is especially important for organizations in and around New York City to receive this federal funding, which will go a long way to ensure that they are fully prepared for whatever may happen in the future.”

“These federal dollars will arm our non-profits with the resources they need to guard us from attacks and keep us safe,” Gillibrand said. “No New Yorker, or American, should ever have to live and worship in fear of being targeted because of who they are or what they believe. Federal funding will help equip New York City’s places of worship, schools, and community gatherings with the tools needed to protect New York families.”

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is run under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI). Only eligible nonprofit organizations, as described by the 501(c)(3) tax code of 1986, may apply for this grant. To be eligible, the nonprofit must be at high risk for an international terrorist attack and must be located in one of the designated urban areas throughout the country.

The 30 Jewish organizations that received funding from the New York City area are: the Hebrew Institute of University Heights DBA Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Park East Synagogue, Chabad Lubavitch of the Upper East Side, Shaare Zion Congregation Inc, Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Khal Ichud Chasidim, Bnos Square of Williamsburg, Solomon Schechter School of Westchester, Young Israel of White Plains, Trustees of the Congregation Shearith Israel, Rabbinical Academy Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin, The Center for Jewish Life, Yeshiva of Brooklyn , Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Congregation Machna Shalva, Gan Yisroel, Riverdale Jewish Center, Sephardic Community Center, Yeshivat Darche Eres, Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst, Temple Beth El, Yeshiva Ahavas Torah, Congregation B’nai Israel, Congregation Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, Reform Temple of Forest Hills, Be’er HaGolah Institutes, Westchester Day School, Ach Tov V’Chesed, and Phelps Memorial Hospital Center.

In New York, Nonprofit Security Grant Program application packages are due by midnight, Friday, May 9th.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do I have to do? Use JCRC’s Checklist (download here) to double check yourself.  Remember, there are three separate sets of submissions:
  • Grants Gateway. Your document must be approved and your status report reflecting your approval must be downloaded.
  • Investment Justification. The Excel spreadsheet that is the critical part of the application. (When you open the spreadsheet remember to pay attention to the yellow bars at the top of the page, clicking on “Enable Editing” and “Enable Content”. MAC users, we don’t have a good answer on how to make this work on a MAC. Our advice: borrow a PC.
  • E-Grants. The administrative software used to upload your information and documents into the system.
• Why should I use the Scoring Worksheet? This is a transparent process. This is the form that the judges use to score your application. There are 40 possible points (plus a bonus for organizations that have never received a grant) and the trick is to “thoroughly” answer every question.
• You’ve seen a lot of submissions, what do people miss or get wrong?
  • Risk. The section has three elements, each worth 4 of the 40 point total. Many applicants smoosh them together. Threat includes the generalized threats to Jewish institutions (relating that to your institution); incidents, including plots, graffiti, bomb threats, letters, to your institution; and any conclusion from your risk assessment (e.g., This building is determined to be at high risk of a terrorist attack due …). Vulnerability includes the laundry list of shortcomings that need improvement. These can be physical, procedural or training gaps, e.g., ill-fitting doors and windows, lack of an access control policy. Consequences covers both destruction of your facility and/or the injury or death of your people. There are direct and indirect consequences. Think this through for a thorough answer.
  • Target hardening. The question has three parts. For every activity (e.g., installation of new doors, training) you have to describe the activity, how the activity will mitigate a specific vulnerability listed in the Risk section, the Authorized Equipment List code for the activity, and the basic cost of the activity. Make sure that you tell the judges how the activity will prevent or protect against a terrorist attack.
• Milestones. If you do everything right you probably won’t be able to start until January 1, 2015, because you need to have a signed contract. Most people have projects that require multiple activities. For example, doors and windows are usually special order items, which may take months to fabricate. You can’t complete the installation of an alarm system until the doors and windows are installed. Your milestones should reflect the differences between different activities and how they interrelate. Also, make this your own. For example, you should be giving progress reports to your board. Include that as a milestone.
• Project Management. People spend a lot of time on the qualifications of their staff, but they miss the governance element. How will your board supervise this major project? For example, you should have a building or security committee, what is their role? Are you using DHSES, police, JCRC or others as subject matter experts? How will do you relate with DHSES?
• Impact. Much is the answer is a rerun of the Target Hardening section, but make sure to relate it to the Coal Core Capabilities. See our post here.
• Bonus. If you’ve never received a grant, make sure that you fill in this section for a bonus point.
• Attachments. People have pressed “submit” in E-grants without attaching the required documents: Mission Statement, Vendor Responsibility Form, Investment Justification, Grants Gateway Status Report, and Risk/Vulnerability Assessment. This might disqualify your submission. Use the checklist.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its initial guidance today. The New York Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) hopes to have the necessary approvals and release their Request for Applications sometime next week. We’ve begun to update our webpage www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants with the 2014 material.

The application package for New York nonprofits will be due around the end of April, possibly as late as May 9th. DHS should announce the results at the end of July. The DHS materials are available here. Remember: The “applicants” referred to in the links on the DHS page are the state agencies. All organizations are bound by the requirements of and dates set by New York DHSES. The New York materials will be available at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/grants/nonprofit.cfm when they are approved.

The big change this year is that New York nonprofits must pre-qualify (see below), which may take several weeks (see below). While completing the pre-qualification process, organizations should assemble the materials for their Investification Justification (see here). Get started now!

New York’s new requirement: pre-qualification

Applications from New York nonprofit organizations that have not “pre-qualified” will not be considered, so we recommend that you start this process immediately. Your pre-qualification package cannot be approved overnight – don’t wait until the last minute.

See the Grants Gateway at http://grantsreform.ny.gov/.

• First steps.
  • Fill out the Registration Form for Administrator, have it notarized.
  • Create an organization chart that shows the head of your organization. The state has some samples here. JCRC-NY created a sample for religious schools here. Be sure to fill in the appropriate names in the boxes.
  • New applicants must request an SFS ID. Do so by completing a copy of Substitute W-9.
  • Mail the notarized Registration Form, Substitute W-9 and Organizational Chart to: Division of Budget – Grants Reform, Agency Building 1 – 5th Floor, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12224.
• Tutorial. Watch the video on completing the Pre-Qualification process here.
• Written resources. The Grants Gateway website contains the definitive information. Be sure to check the required list of documents at Documents and Questions. More information can be found at the FAQs About Prequalification and the full manual.
• Assistance. Any organization unsure about how to respond to the questions should contact the Statewide Grants Reform office at grantsgatewayhelp@budget.ny.gov or (518) 474-5595. While we try to learn as much as we can, the advice given by the Statewide Grants Reform office is definitive.
• Documents. The Grants Gateway website has lots of information. You should consider their requirements and answers as the final word. A short list of the documents that organizations are required to submit include:

1. Certificate of Incorporation or equivalent document.
2. IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. As long as your organization is seeking tax exempt status and can show that it
   has applied for a 501(c)(3) tax exemption from the IRS, then the uploading of a copy of your application form or a copy of the receipt letter from the IRS, is sufficient. They also recognize that some tax exempt organizations are not required to file for IRS 501(c)(3) recognition.Your organization will not be penalized if you do not submit its determination letter, if:
   • you are not required to have one; and
   • you write a letter attesting to the fact. For example, houses of worship and organizations incorporated pre-1969 are not required to file for 501(c)(3) recognition . Religious organizations need only provide a statement, including their official name, stating that they are a religious corporation and exempt from IRS recognition.
3. IRS 990.
   Houses of worship and some other religious corporations are not required to file an IRS 990. If your organization is not required to file an IRS 990, Religious organizations need only include a statement, including their official name, stating that you are a religious corporation and exempt from the requirement to file an IRS 990. If you do file, please include your latest IRS Form 990.
4. Audit/Reviews and Findings. In NY, organizations with revenues greater than $250,000 must provide an independently audited financial statement. Organizations with revenues of less than $250,000 but greater than $100,000, must provide a financial statement reviewed by a CPA. Organizations with revenues of less than $100,000 need only provide a copy of the most recent internal financial report.Prequalification Audit Change.
   • Previous Audit Requirement – CPA reviewed audit with management letter for organizations with revenues over $250K.
   • New Audit Requirement (3/25/2014) – Entities that are exempt by Executive Law § 172-a from submitting financial disclosure materials to the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau (such as religious organizations involved in exclusively non-secular activities) should, regardless of their annual revenue, provide their most recent internal financial report reviewed by the board.  This is the same financial disclosure requirement for prequalification that applies to organizations with revenues of less than $100,000.
5. NY State Attorney General Charities Bureau Form CHAR500 or CHAR410. Most not-for-profit organizations must file either a CHAR 410 (for newly formed entities within the first year of operations) or a recent CHAR500 with the NY State Charities Bureau. Religious organizations, as well as educational corporations that confine solicitations to their student body, alumni, faculty and trustees and their families; need only include a statement, including their official name, stating that they are a religious or an educational corporation and exempt from registration with the New York State Attorney General.
6. Board of Directors Profile. A sample profile template can be found here. This document should include board member names and affiliations, a list of the board
   committees and chairs, and a list of board officers.
7. Senior Leadership Resumes.
   Not-for-profits must upload the resumes or CV’s of their Senior Leadership team. The positions included should be Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Director, President, or other high ranking officials. Individuals should upload their own resume or CV.
8. Corporate Bylaws

There are also questions covering organizational policies supporting good governance, etc. The Grants Gateway (especially the manual) website has the rationale, samples and links to other sites with further information. If you have any questions about prequalification, please go to the Grants Reform website at http://www.grantsreform.ny.gov/Grantees or contact DHSES at 1-866-837-9133.

The Grant itself

Vulnerability assessment. We expect that the “Investment Justification” will again be based on a “previously conducted vulnerability assessment.” See Getting a vulnerability assessment for more details and suggestions.

• Read and understand the Investment Justification. Download the Investment Justification from last year here. There will be some changes, but they are usually minor. You can find JCRC-NY’s guidance on each section on the “Security Grants” webpage (and below). Note: many applicants lost points last year because they did not properly respond to the questions.
• Applicant Information
• Background
• Risk: Threats, Vulnerabilities & Potential Consequences
• Target Hardening
• Milestones
• Project Management
• Impact