Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Friday that nearly $6 million in grant funding is being made available for religious institutions, chartered non-public schools, licensed preschools, and nonprofit organizations to help implement safety and security enhancements.

The press release stated that the funds could be used for security improvements that assist organizations in preventing, preparing for, or responding to acts of terrorism; to acquire or retain the services of a resource officer, special duty police officer, or licensed armed security guards; for the purchase of qualified equipment, including equipment for emergency and crisis communication, management, and response; and training costs to attend or to pay for instructors or training materials, supplies, and equipment.

Each application may request up to $100,000 in funding.

The grants are administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The deadline to apply for funding is Nov. 4. A webinar for interested applicants is scheduled for Oct. 19. Additional information on grants is available on the State of Ohio Security Grant webpage.

DeWine awarded $47 million to more than 1,000 K-12 schools in August, and $5 million will be awarded in the coming months as part of the latest round of the Ohio Campus Safety Grant Program for institutions of higher education.