THE INTENT TO APPLY MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN THE APPLICATION DUE DATE OF JULY 12TH, 2024, AT 11:59PM.
A new Tennessee law allow houses of worship to apply for grant money that can be used to hire personnel to provide security during services.
Sheriff Nick Weems told the Review, "This grant funding will pay wages to trained armed security during services. I encourage all of our places of worship in Perry County to apply."
The first step in applying is to use this link:
https://bit.ly/SecurityFund, which will take you to a page where you will click on "2024-2025 House of Worship state grant program documents."
This first part of the application process, Sheriff Weems said, must be completed before midnight, Friday, July 12.
The online application is to the state, not the Perry County Sheriff's Office which has no role in awarding the grants or distributing of funds.
The Department of Safety and Homeland Security is offering this program to eligible 501 (c)(3) organizations that serve as houses of worship, including churches, synagogues, temples and mosques.
"Unfortunately, houses of worship can often be soft targets," said Department of Safety and Homeland Security Deputy Commissioner Greg Mays. "By their nature, these locations are easily accessible to large numbers of people and have limited security measures in place which can make them vulnerable to attack.
"With the House of Worship Security Grant, eligible organizations can hire trained security professionals who, in an emergency, can mitigate or prevent a tragedy," Mays said.
The 2024-2025 House of Worship Security Grant is competitive with a 12-month period, disbursed through a Tennessee cost reimbursement grant contract.
Organizations that want to apply must submit the required documents by July 12, 2024.
The State of Tennessee’s Houses of Worship Security Grant is a competitive grant for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations which serve as houses of worship. The program funding is available only for contracted security personnel. This grant contract has a 12-month grant period, and funds are dispersed through a Tennessee cost reimbursement grant contract.
The documents are available online at the Department of Safety and Homeland Security's website, https://tn.gov/safety/homeland-security/grants.html, reprinted below for your convenience:
THE INTENT TO APPLY MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN THE APPLICATION DUE DATE OF JULY 12TH, 2024, AT 11:59PM.
The 2024-2025 Houses of Worship Security Grant application period is open.
To apply for the 2024-2025 Houses of Worship Security Grant:
Step 1: Complete the 2024-2025 Houses of Worship Grant Intent to Apply with the organization’s information. Organizations should only complete this when they are also prepared to submit a completed SF-1648 Houses of Worship Grant Application and U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9. The Intent to Apply must be submitted no later than the application due date of July 12th, 2024, at 11:59pm.
Step 2: Complete the SF-1648 Houses of Worship Grant Application and U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 and e-mail both documents as PDF attachments to
Sheriff Weems said, "Any place of worship that needs any assistance during this process can reach out to my office at 931-589-8803, and we will try and help you."
