For those of you who haven't heard, House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly authorized the Department of Public Safety and Ohio Emergency Management Agency to provide grant funding to nonprofit organizations, houses of worship, chartered nonpublic schools, and licensed preschools for eligible security improvements that assist the organization in preventing, preparing for, or responding to acts of terrorism.
The application period is now OPEN, with applications due no later than noon on November 3, 2023.
Important Notes
1. Application Webinars. Please click the link above for information regarding webinars to discuss the grant. Two webinars are scheduled (October 11 and 18), and pre-registration is required.
2. Application Instructions. This grant has a rigorous set of application instructions. There is an application checklist available at the grant link above. Vinson is available to help your school file for the grant if needed.
3. Vulnerability Assessment. As with prior security grants, this grant requires a vulnerability assessment. The Vulnerability Assessment must be unique to the site upon which the Investment Justification is based. The Vulnerability Assessment must be conducted by experienced security, law enforcement, or military personnel. The OSG Vulnerability Assessment Worksheet **MUST** be used and is available for download at the grant link above.
4. Investment Justification. As noted, you must complete and submit an Investment Justification Form in the format provided as an Excel worksheet. Do not alter or modify the IJ Form. No other format will be scored or considered for funding. Please do not attach any documents other than those specified in the instructions, as they will not be scored or considered for funding.
If you need help identifying what "best-practices" in school security systems look like, below is an outstanding guide from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). While it is a little dated (2022), the information is still on-point and extremely valuable to consider when working with your security professional in the completion of your Vulnerability Assessment.
CISA School Security Guide
Finally, if you think you qualify for this grant but don't have the time or resources to submit the required grant application materials, please don't hesitate to contact me or anyone from Vinson for assistance.
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