Grants for Synagogues 2026: Security, Programs, Buildings

Synagogue source review, Grantsights, October 29, 2026: Grantsights checked FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program page (opens in a new tab), FEMA's NSGP application process page (opens in a new tab), IRS Publication 1828 (opens in a new tab) and 990-PF filings that name congregations. Where official sources stop: none of them says how a small congregation should pay for a security guard year after year once the cameras and doors are installed.

What Grants Will and Won't Pay For at a Synagogue

Funders separate the congregation's religious life from the services it offers the wider community. This table sums up the common pattern. Each funder has its own rules, so read them.

Keep a separate budget page for each program you'd ask a funder to support. List the staff time, supplies and space the program uses, and show what the congregation itself pays. A foundation reading a Hebrew school or food pantry budget wants to see that its gift pays for that program, not the rabbi's salary or the High Holiday services. That separation also makes reporting simpler once a grant arrives, since you can show exactly where the money went.

If the program serves the whole community, describe it that way. A food pantry open to anyone in the neighborhood is a human services program that happens to be run by a congregation, and the grants for food pantries guide applies to it. A weekly community meal fits the grants for soup kitchens guide, and a teen lounge open to local young people can draw on grants for youth centers.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program: $300 Million in FY2026

According to FEMA's NSGP page, the program funds facility hardening and other physical security enhancements for nonprofits at high risk of terrorist attack. The page includes a resource on funding for community organizations, including places of worship, and a testimonial from a Hindu temple that received a grant.

FEMA's page says FY2026 awards were announced on September 28, 2026. If your synagogue missed this round, the next one depends on the FY2027 appropriation and notice.

How much you can ask for

FEMA's FY2026 Key Changes document sets these limits:

• Up to $200,000 per site (location, physical site or address) in each Investment Justification.
• Up to 3 sites in each funding stream, Urban Area and State.
• A maximum of $600,000 per organization per state or territory.
• Organizations that have never received NSGP money get 15 points added to their project score.

That last change helps a synagogue applying for the first time, and it's a reason not to wait for a bigger project before you apply. It doesn't guarantee an award, since states and FEMA still score every application.

How you apply

According to FEMA's application process page, nonprofits apply as subapplicants through their State Administrative Agency (SAA), which is the primary applicant. The SAA sets its own deadline, and that deadline is earlier than the one printed in the federal notice. States also ask for a vulnerability assessment of each site and an Investment Justification that ties each item you request to a risk the assessment found.

The practical steps:

1. Find your SAA and join its mailing list so you see the state's deadline.
2. Get a vulnerability assessment of each building. Ask your SAA what kind of assessment it accepts and who can do it.
3. Write the Investment Justification in plain language. Tie every camera, door or lock to a specific finding.
4. Plan for the reimbursement and reporting that come with a federal award.

Grantsights' church security grants guide walks through the same program from a church's view, and most of it applies to a synagogue.

Tax Status: What IRS Publication 1828 Says

According to IRS Publication 1828, which uses the word church to include synagogues, churches that meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3) are automatically considered tax exempt and aren't required to apply. The same publication lists churches among the organizations not required to file Form 990.

Two practical effects follow. First, a synagogue won't appear in the IRS's public 990 data the way most charities do, so some funders will ask you for documents instead. Second, many foundations and some grant programs still ask for an IRS determination letter. Congregations that plan to apply for many grants sometimes request one to save explaining. Publication 1828 is dated August 2015, so check irs.gov for any updates before you rely on it.

Which Foundations Give to Synagogues: What 990-PF Filings Show

Private foundations list each grant on IRS Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab). Grantsights analysis of about 4,050 large named grants across 8 cause files found 4 made directly to a synagogue or Chabad center. That's a small number, and the sample holds only each state's largest grants, so smaller gifts to congregations won't show up. The same sample shows far more money going to Jewish community centers and family service agencies than to synagogues themselves.

Grants to synagogues and Chabad centers

One organization in Evansville, Indiana, Temple Adath B'nai Israel, received $70,650 for educational and cultural purposes. That's the most common framing: the foundation funds what the congregation teaches and shares, not the worship service.

Grants to Jewish community agencies

The same samples show much larger gifts to Jewish community centers and family service agencies. These are tax year 2025 grants:

For a synagogue, these agencies are partners as much as rivals. A congregation that hosts a family service agency's food program or a community center's senior lunch can share the cost and the reporting.

Funder lists for synagogue programs

Grantsights doesn't sell a synagogue funder list. Its church funder list is built from grants to churches, parishes and ministries, so it isn't the right tool for a congregation. For programs a synagogue runs for the wider community, the human services funder list (food, shelter and family services) and the youth funder list show free state previews of foundations that fund that work.

Building Campaigns: 3 Ways Congregations Pay for Repairs

Building needs are where many synagogues first look for grants, and they're also where grants disappoint most often. Grantsights found 1 capital gift to a Jewish community center in its sample ($500,000 in Rochester) and none labeled as a synagogue building project. Most congregations pay for buildings in 3 ways.

1. Member capital campaigns. Member pledges, often paid over several years, are the usual backbone of a congregation's building project. A lead gift from a family in the congregation often sets the pace.
2. Program-linked capital asks. A new kitchen that serves a community meal program, an accessible entrance for older members and visitors or a classroom wing for a preschool open to the neighborhood can each be framed as a program need. That framing opens doors with family and community foundations that won't fund a sanctuary.
3. Preservation money for historic buildings. An older synagogue listed on, or eligible for, a historic register may qualify for state or local preservation programs. Rules on active houses of worship differ by program, so ask the program officer before you apply.

Security work can be part of a building project too. If you're renovating an entrance anyway, line up the NSGP request so the new doors, lighting and cameras are paid for by the security grant and the rest by members.

Working With Your Federation and Community Foundation

In the 990-PF sample, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles received a $2,000,000 gift and the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation received 2 gifts totaling $278,955. Those are pass-throughs: donors give to a community foundation, which then makes grants or holds funds for local Jewish organizations.

For a synagogue, that means 2 things. First, a donor-advised fund at a Jewish community foundation can be a source of gifts from your own members and their families; ask donors whether they hold one. Second, many community foundations run open grant rounds for local groups, including congregations' community programs. Ask for the guidelines and the calendar, and introduce your programs before a deadline arrives.

What FEMA Doesn't Tell You About Synagogue Funding

These 4 points come from reading the FEMA and IRS pages next to the 990-PF samples.

1. Security grants pay for equipment, not peace of mind. NSGP pays for physical improvements and related security activities. The common mistake is forgetting the yearly cost of guards, monitoring and maintenance.
2. The state deadline is the real deadline. FEMA's notice lists the date the SAA must submit. Your state's date comes earlier.
3. Federations are a grant source. What most guides don't mention: in some cities the local Jewish federation runs grant rounds or security programs for congregations. Ask yours before you write to strangers.
4. Programs travel better than the congregation. Foundations fund a Hebrew school, a summer camp or a refugee program more readily than "the synagogue." Give each program its own budget page.

Grantsights checked these points against FEMA's current pages on October 29, 2026; program rules can change with each new notice.

Grantsights' honest take: apply for NSGP if your building has real security gaps, ask your federation about its grants, and build programs that serve the wider community. Don't expect grants to cover the core cost of running a congregation.

Common Mistakes in Synagogue Grant Requests

• Missing the state deadline. The SAA date, not the federal date, decides whether you're in.
• A vague vulnerability assessment. A red flag for state reviewers is a request for items the assessment never mentions.
• Asking foundations for clergy or worship costs. Most decline. Fund those from dues.
• Underestimating federal reporting. NSGP comes with federal record and reporting rules. Keep invoices and photos of every installed item.
• Asking far above a funder's usual gift. Learn how to read a 990-PF before you name an amount.

A 12-Month Synagogue Grants Calendar

The Grantsights grant database lists open federal and state notices, including security and community programs.

Related Guides for Congregations

Grantsights' grants for faith-based organizations guide explains the federal rules for religious groups running public programs. Congregations in older buildings should read grants for historic preservation. Youth programs and camps share funders with grants for summer camps.

FAQ: Common Questions

Can a synagogue get a federal grant? For security, through FEMA's NSGP and your state.

How much can a synagogue get from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program? Up to $200,000 per site and $600,000 per organization per state in FY2026.

Do private foundations give grants to synagogues? Some do, mostly for education, youth, culture and buildings.

Does a synagogue need an IRS determination letter to get grants? Not under tax law, but some funders ask for one.

Does Grantsights sell a list of foundations that fund synagogues? No; the church list isn't a synagogue list.

Sources

• FEMA NSGP application steps and State Administrative Agency contacts (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA NSGP funding totals and FY2026 documents (opens in a new tab)
• IRS Publication 1828: Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA, "Fiscal Year 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program Key Changes," June 2026, linked from the NSGP page