America Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) introduced that it’ll distribute $210 million in Nonprofit Safety Grant Program (NSGP) funds by the Federal Emergency Administration Company because the second tranche of further funding that the Biden-Harris Administration secured to guard faith-based establishments and nonprofit organizations in opposition to focused assaults.
The $210 million in further funds are a portion of the $390 million that had been included within the fiscal yr 2024 Nationwide Safety Supplemental, a key precedence of the Administration because it continues to accentuate its efforts to fight the dramatic enhance in hate crimes and different types of focused violence in opposition to faith-based establishments and nonprofit organizations. The primary tranche was made obtainable in June 2024. In complete for fiscal yr 2024, the Administration has secured $664 million for the NSGP, greater than double final yr’s $305 million appropriation.
“Now, after we proceed to reside in a heightened menace setting, the security-enhancing grant funds we offer to non-profit organizations are extra crucial than ever,” mentioned Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The extra Nonprofit Safety Grant Program funds we’re asserting in the present day will allow non-profit establishments, together with faith-based organizations which can be more and more focused, to equip themselves with the personnel, expertise, and different sources wanted to reinforce their safety and proceed to soundly contribute to their communities. We urge eligible establishments to use for these doubtlessly life-saving funds. We’re grateful to Congress for making them obtainable.”
The rise in hate crimes and different types of focused violence has elevated sharply because the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist assaults in opposition to Israel. In mild of the altering menace setting, the NSGP has change into an much more essential useful resource to faith-based establishments and nonprofit organizations to strengthen their safety posture. In 2024, over 3,200 faith-based and different nonprofit organizations had been awarded over $454 million in NSGP funding to buy safety cameras, further warning and alert programs, gates and lighting, entry management programs, and coaching packages for employees.
The distribution of grant funds is one ingredient of DHS’s multi-pronged technique to guard communities and their establishments from focused violence. DHS frequently communicates with over 2,000 state, native, tribal, territorial and campus regulation enforcement officers and with the management of all national-level regulation enforcement associations. The DHS Heart for Religion-Based mostly and Neighborhood Partnerships distributes safety sources to over 70,000 religion companions to share sources to reinforce security in native communities, together with faith-based communities.
Some examples of DHS work embrace:
- Releasing the “Sources and Data for Religion and Group Leaders Relating to the Israel – Hamas Battle” webpage in October 2023, which continues to be up to date with menace assessments pertaining to the homeland and all related sources to maintain faith-based communities and establishments protected;
- Distributing our Defending Locations of Worship on-line sources, which we offered to synagogues, non secular colleges, mosques, neighborhood facilities, and different nonprofits in partnership with the FBI;
- Offering Protecting Safety Advisors in each state to information and advise religion communities on find out how to most successfully safe their services with present sources;
- Releasing the Bodily Safety Efficiency Targets to assist homes of worship and different faith-based organizations improve their safety; and
- Tasking the Religion-Based mostly Safety Advisory Council with offering suggestions on bettering DHS grants and sources, and implementing these suggestions into the NSGP by the Defending Locations of Worship initiative, an effort co-led by DHS, the Division of Justice and the White Home Workplace of Religion-Based mostly and Neighborhood Partnerships.
- Offering digital workshops for religion and neighborhood sectors through the third annual Defending Locations of Worship Weeks of Motion in September 2024. DHS, DOJ and different federal companions devoted nationwide weeks of motion to encourage faith-based and neighborhood organizations to safeguard folks and locations of worship by partnerships with native emergency managers and first responders.
Funding of the Nonprofit Safety Grant Program has been a precedence for the Biden-Harris Administration. Traditionally, purposes to entry the aggressive program have far exceeded the funds obtainable. The Administration’s success in securing $390 million in supplemental funding – leading to complete funding for this system that’s greater than double final yr’s appropriation – will allow previously-unfunded but at-risk homes of worship, non secular colleges, and nonprofit organizations to implement new safety measures to guard their congregations, college students and academics, staff and members, and their broader communities throughout the nation.
Apply for funding from the Nonprofit Safety Grant Program right here.
Supply: Division of Homeland Safety
The previous press launch was offered by an organization unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed inside don’t immediately mirror the ideas or opinions of the workers of NonProfit PRO.
