Security Action for Education (SAFE) Grant

The Security Action for Education (SAFE) Grant was established in 2022. This fund supports school security and safety improvements for K-12 schools throughout New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Department of Education is pleased to announce that the application process for the $10 million Security Action for Education (SAFE) grant, Round Three opens on October 30, 2023 at 10:00 am. This grant is funded by Public School Infrastructure money and is available to district and chartered public schools.

SAFE GRANT Round Three 

Here’s what you need to know about the SAFE Grant Round Three:

  • Application link goes live at 10:00 am on October 30, 2023 in the HSEM grant application portal. 
  • Schools that did not receive an award in Round 1 or Round 2 but submit a new eligible application in Round Three, will be prioritized.
  • Applications will be awarded on a first-in-first-out basis.
  • We will be accepting new applications only. Unfunded applications remaining from Round 1 and Round 2 will not be considered, however a school may submit a new application for the same project.
  • Applicants are required to submit an application for each school that covers only one project “category”. The categories are: Access Control, Emergency Alerting, and Surveillance. For example, if you have a district-wide need for replacing door locks, you will need to enter an application for each school. This also means that if you have one school that needs door locks (access control) and notification beacons (emergency altering), you will need to fill out two applications, one for each project category at that school.
  • Grant window closes end of day on November 30 (see more on the award process below).
  • Applicants may submit more than one project per school.
  • The maximum award to any one school location will be $100,000 regardless of number of projects.  The selection process is on a first-in-first-out basis, therefore applicants submitting multiple applications, should submit them in order of their priority.
  • Awards will be finalized after approval by the Legislative Fiscal Committee and Governor and Council Approval.
  • Awards will be managed in the NHED’s Grant Management System (see GMS tips below).

Tips for GMS:

  • When filling in your project information in GMS, please remember to select a Category (Access Control, Emergency Alerting, or Surveillance) from the Category drop-down menu. Your category must match the category you entered on your application. 
  • Under "Priorities," please enter your project description. Your project description must be entered exactly as you wrote in your application. You will find the description in your answer to number 8 on the application. 
  • It is important that your project description in GMS is exactly the same as your description in number 8 of the application since that answer was approved for funding. If you write something different, there is no guarantee that it is approved or reimbursable and your application will be returned for correction. 
  • Email Chris Armatys with any questions or concerns at Krzysztof.J.Armatys@doe.nh.gov.

History of security grant funding:

  • Public School Infrastructure Commission has been established in FY18.
  • Subsequently, in FY18 and FY19, $28.7 million of state funds from the Public School Infrastructure Fund became available to K-12 public district schools and chartered public schools.
  • Round 1 was funded in FY22 and FY23 with unspent FY18 and FY19 funds, as well as an additional $2 million state appropriation, for a total of $3.9 million from the Public School Infrastructure Fund. This grant was available to K-12 public district schools and chartered public schools. A list of the recipients may be found at SAFE Grant Awards – Round One (Early Decision)   
  • Round 2 was funded in FY23 with $10 million of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) with though the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR). This grant was available to K-12 public district schools, chartered public schools, and nonpublic schools. A list of the recipients may be found at SAFE Grant Awards – Round Two
  • Round 3 will be funded in FY24 with $10 million of state funds from the Public School Infrastructure Fund (RSA 198:15-y). This grant will be available to K-12 public district schools and chartered public schools.
  • In addition, an extra $4.6 million in grants were awarded in FY24 to 21 public school districts as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections grant program. 
  • The timeline of NHED/HSEM Security Grants Timeline may be viewed at NHED/HSEM Security Grants Timeline.

Questions:

Other Resources: