SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Thursday announced $20 million in grants have been awarded to 116 non-profit organizations across the state through the 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

The funding will be used to help organizations strengthen efforts to protect against public safety and security threats. Many of the grantees are places of worship, reproductive health providers, cultural institutions, and education centers who were deemed at high-risk of a terrorist attack.

In our area, Fellowship Baptist Church in Vienna will receive $90,250 and the First United Methodist Church in Carterville will get $94,171.

Funds must be used for target-hardening activities, which include active shooter trainings, the purchase/installation of security equipment on property owned or leased by the not-for-profit organization, and the hiring of contracted security personnel. Security enhancements must be for the locations that the not-for-profit occupies at the time of the application, and the projects must be fully completed during the three-year (36 month) performance period.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the IEMA Office of Homeland Security will continue to identify all expanding threats and work collaboratively with partners to monitor all enhancements and document proven successes.

To learn more about this funding opportunity, visit IEMA’s website and download the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Fact Sheet. 

Additional information about the grant programs is also located on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.