By FrumNews.com

Washington DC — The House of Representatives passed $300 million in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) within the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, which passed at the end of April. The passage by the House (after earlier passage by the Senate) follows months of stalemate in Congress and has since been signed into law by President Donald Trump.

NSGP funding has been essential for the Jewish community and other vulnerable institutions at a time of heightened threats and surging anti-semitism. 

The $300 million is a substantial increase over the $274.5 million provided for NSGP in fiscal year 2025. NSGP grants are awarded to synagogues, Jewish schools, and other at-risk institutions targeted by terrorist attacks to fund target hardening and personnel to help secure their facilities, including cameras, access controls, reinforced entryways, and contract security personnel.

Advocacy groups representing the frum community — Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA) and Agudath Israel of America — welcomed the inclusion of $300 million in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. However, in light of the rise in anti-Semitism, Agudath Israel and the OUA forewarn that the appropriation falls short of adequately addressing the security needs of vulnerable nonprofit institutions.

“This increase over last year’s funding level is an important and very welcome step,” said Nathan Diament, Executive Director of the OUA. “While sadly even more funding is needed for Jewish community security, this increased level of funding will surely help. We will continue working with members of Congress and our allies to fund NSGP at even higher levels in 2027 to meet demand.”

“Agudath Israel of America appreciates that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program was included in the DHS funding bill by Congress and even provided a slight increase, but at a time when anti-Semitism is surging, the security of Jewish institutions needs to be a top priority. The fact that a majority of grant applicants are turned away due to lack of funds is very concerning,” explained Rabbi A.D. Motzen, national director of government affairs for Agudath Israel. “We remain committed to working with our allies to secure more robust funding that meets the scale of the threat facing Jewish communities and other at-risk nonprofits nationwide.”

“Jewish Federations appreciate the appropriations committee’s $25 million proposed increase to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is critical for protecting Jews and other faith communities from violence. This increase is an important step in the right direction,” said Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut. “Still, threats to the Jewish community are more frequent, visible, and normalized than ever before, and while Federations invest heavily in our communal safety, the cost for securing our community alone stands at an estimated $775 million a year. We look forward to working with Congress to use any vehicle possible to further increase funding for this life-saving program.”

According to data released by the Anti-Defamation League or ADL, there were nearly 9,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2023 — the highest number on record since the ADL started tracking antisemitism in 1979. This included 5,200 incidents following October 7th — more than all of 2022 — and 830 incidents in New Jersey, specifically.

This NSGP is heavily oversubscribed: Applicants requested $679 million in funding this year for a program with only about $300 million available. In Marc

h, 148 Members of Congress requested $1 billion in federal funding — $700 million more than what ultimately was allocated — for the NSGP. In April, 20 nonprofit groups led by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) wrote a letter to the top leaders of each chamber.

In their letter, they note, “Houses of worship and faith-based institutions are cornerstones of their communities, serving as gathering places, schools and childcare centers, and providers of critical social services that offer much-needed assistance to the communities they serve. These institutions should be able to solely focus on serving and strengthening their communities, but in this heightened threat environment, they instead must also worry about the next attack and whether they have the resources to stay safe. Members of these communities should never be forced to weigh the risk of violence against the act of worship. Every American should be able to pray without fear for their safety.”