The New Jersey Senate Law and Public Safety Committee has unanimously approved legislation that would significantly expand and broaden the New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Program by increasing funding levels and allowing nonprofit organizations to use grants for additional security purposes including training, planning, and intelligence analysis.

The bill would raise the maximum grant for security personnel and security-related training or planning from $10,000 to $50,000 per approved application. It also would increase the cap for target-hardening equipment and intelligence gathering and analysis from $50,000 to $150,000.

Under current law, nonprofits can apply for grants either for security personnel or for equipment each year. The legislation would allow organizations to seek funding for all eligible categories within the same funding cycle.

The proposal also expands the program’s authorized uses to include security-related training and planning, as well as intelligence gathering and analysis aimed at preparing against threats, attacks, domestic extremism, and other violent acts.

The measure would require the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to request at least $10 million annually for the program as part of its budget proposal, up from the current $2 million requirement.

The committee vote came the same day authorities were investigating a terror attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego in San Diego, underscoring ongoing concerns about threats targeting religious and nonprofit institutions nationwide.

The expansion comes amid broader calls for increased security assistance in the state. Earlier this year, Shlomo Schorr, Director of Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, urged lawmakers to increase security funding for nonpublic schools, warning that schools and houses of worship face an increasingly dangerous threat environment.

In testimony before the Assembly Budget Committee in March, Schorr noted that security funding has remained flat for several budget cycles even as costs and threats have increased.

Following the committee vote, Schorr praised the legislation and said the expanded grant program would help nonprofits respond to evolving threats.

“Nonprofits and religious institutions across New Jersey continue to face a heightened threat environment,” Schorr said. “This legislation recognizes that security today means more than cameras and doors. Training, intelligence analysis, and professional security personnel are all critical components of keeping our communities safe. We are grateful to the committee members for advancing this important bill.”

The New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Program was established in 2021 and provides funding to eligible nonprofit organizations considered at greatest risk of attack. Grants may be used to hire certain law enforcement officers or registered security personnel and to acquire equipment designed to strengthen facility security.

Under the bill, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness would continue evaluating applicants based on risk factors including terrorist threats, domestic extremism, and other violent acts. The legislation also maintains preferences for organizations that have not recently received comparable federal or state security grants.