Jewish Federations strongly endorse a new bipartisan bill that is being introduced today by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Ranking Member John Kato (R-NY) that will provide critical increases and expanded support to the important Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

"The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is critically important to the safety and security of faith communities and others," said Jewish Federations Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Elana Broitman. "The Jewish Federations would like to thank Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Katko for this smart, comprehensive bill that will strengthen the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, enhance administration and oversight, and advance opportunities for more nonprofit institutions in need to obtain critical funding." 

The “Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2022” adopts Jewish Federations’ recommendations to address the shortcomings of the current program. Some of the measures the bill would provide include: establishing a dedicated NSGP office at the Department of Homeland Security, providing support mechanisms to eligible nonprofit organizations, simplifying and streamlining the application process, increasing congressional oversight of the program, including mechanisms for data collection, and broadening the definition of security threats in order to advance equity for members of underserved communities, among other things.

The bill also increased the program's authorization amounts, offering support for a higher spending level.

The bill is the culmination of over a year of Jewish Federation advocacy, highlighted by the recent testimony before House and State Homeland Security committees by CEO and President of Jewish Federations of North America Eric Fingerhut.  

Jewish Federations urge Members of Congress to support the bill toward a swift passage.