Washington – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced a new bipartisan push to increase funding to protect nonprofit institutions that are at risk of being targeted for terror attacks.
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As the Senate considers funding priorities for the upcoming Fiscal Year, Gillibrand and Schumer are leading the bipartisan coalition of 33 senators to provide a total of $75 million in the 2020 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
This program provides essential funding for nonprofit institutions to install critical physical security enhancements and prevent attacks. The requested $75 million would increase total funding for the program by $15 million from last year’s level, strengthening the NSGP and helping to ensure that Congress is doing everything possible to protect communities from targeted terror attacks.
“Nobody should ever have to live in fear of being targeted for a terror attack. It is a tragedy that hate crimes are on the rise in our country, and one way Congress can help protect vulnerable communities is by increasing funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This program helps nonprofits pay for the tools they need to stay safe. I am proud to lead the fight every year in the Senate to shield against the people who would commit these horrific crimes. Congress must do everything possible to prevent any direct threats to our communities, and I urge my colleagues to include this vital funding in next year’s appropriations bill.”
“There have been far too many heartless and horrific hate crimes targeting places of worship throughout America recently and we must do all we can to help people of all faiths worship in security and safety,” said Senator Schumer. “This increase in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program will help protect all houses of worship and other nonprofits from these horrific acts. I will continue fighting to find ways to stop the spread of hate, protect all houses of worship, and address gun violence and this funding is a critical way to advance these efforts.”
“We applaud a third of the Senate who are calling for increased funding for the nonprofit security grant program,” said William Daroff of the Jewish Federations of North America, which helped organize the Senate letter and a similar letter in the House of Representatives. “Since September 11th, nonprofits generally, and Jewish communal institutions specifically, have been the victim of an alarming number of threats and attacks.
This program counters those threats by providing needed resources for target hardening, and the integration of nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts.” The Jewish Federations has played a critical part in advancing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program since its inception on 2004.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) helps nonprofits plan for and ready themselves against a terrorist attack by providing critical funding to support physical security enhancements to locations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. This program has improved efforts to keep at-risk nonprofit organizations safe by promoting emergency preparedness coordination and collaboration activities between public and private community representatives, as well as with state and local government agencies.
Every year, Congress must specifically allocate funding for the NSGP. Gillibrand leads the fight to secure this vital funding every year and is requesting $75 million for NSGP – an increase of $15 million – for the Fiscal Year 2020 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. This would specifically provide $50 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) NSGP and $25 million for the state-based NSGP.
This request for an increase in funding comes as recent attacks on places of worship highlight the unique vulnerabilities that communities face across the country.
The February 2019 FBI, DHS, and NCTC Joint Intelligence Bulletin (JIB) found that domestic extremists, perpetrators of hate crimes, homegrown violent extremists, and foreign terrorist organizations will continue to pose a lethal threat to faith-based communities, particularly against perceived soft targets such as religious and cultural facilities. Recent incidents targeting synagogues, churches, mosques, and other religious centers and nonprofit organizations include shooting and mass shooting, arson and fire bombing, attempted bombing, assault, death threats, hoaxes, vandalism, and property damage. These incidents illustrate the many credible threats against nonprofit institutions across the country and must be taken seriously.