Religious Leaders and Lawmakers Push for $1 Billion Expansion of House-of-Worship Security Grants

A coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders, joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, is urging Congress to increase the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) budget to $1 billion. The effort follows recent violent attacks on houses of worship and aims to broaden the program’s capacity to fund physical security upgrades and, potentially, on-site security personnel.

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The NSGP, created in 2005 and administered by FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security, provides grants for measures such as door locks, cameras and bollards. In March, a gunman entered Temple Israel in Michigan; rapid response by security staff prevented fatalities. Two days later, a shooting at a San Diego mosque killed three worshippers. A truck ramming a synagogue preschool 40 miles away reinforced concerns that existing protections are insufficient.

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Key advocates include Rabbi Jen Lader (West Bloomfield, MI), who is lobbying on behalf of more than 400 Jewish leaders; Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America; Fadi Hammami, co-president of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford; Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who heads a bipartisan congressional group; and Robert McCaw, government-affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

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For fiscal year 2024, roughly 33 % of the 12,000 NSGP applications were funded, awarding about 4,000 projects. Individual sites may request up to $200,000; multi-site nonprofits can receive up to $600,000 per state. FY 2025 appropriations totaled $274.5 million, but disbursement was delayed by a Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The proposed legislation would raise the ceiling to $1 billion, increase state-level grant administration resources, and require reimbursement processing within 90 days of congressional appropriations.

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Proponents argue that expanded funding would enable congregations to address both physical vulnerabilities and staffing gaps, reducing fear among worshippers. Concerns have also been raised that grant eligibility could be perceived as contingent on cooperation with immigration enforcement, potentially deterring some houses of worship from applying.

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FEMA’s Associate Administrator Victoria Barton emphasized that the agency is “working diligently … to get the money out of the door” and linked current delays to the recent DHS shutdown. Rep. Gottheimer noted that “religious leaders constantly calling me … saying, ‘I’m scared.’” Fingerhut highlighted the protective role of security guards at Temple Israel and the San Diego Islamic Center. CAIR’s letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin requested a briefing to ensure equal access, while a FEMA spokesperson affirmed that “the Department of Homeland Security is committed to protecting all Americans, no matter their faith.”

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Applicants cite a cumbersome, reimbursement-first process that forces nonprofits to front costs. Smaller Islamic centers lack the reserves to cover upfront expenses, and the multi-layered paperwork can extend project timelines by years, especially after recent DHS shutdowns.

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Some stakeholders worry that NSGP participation might expose institutions to ICE investigations, a concern not uniformly addressed in DHS guidance. Additionally, while the 2019 program expansion permits contracting off-duty law enforcement, current rules prohibit hiring full-time public-safety officers, prompting calls for legislative clarification.

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• “We are not asking Congress to just protect Jews – we are asking Congress to protect every community of Americans that gathers to pray. And we are asking with the full weight of what we have just lived through behind us,” — Rabbi Jen Lader, Rabbi

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• “If we had not had those resources and that funding, this would have been a really different story,” — Rabbi Jen Lader

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• “It's tragic that we have to be thinking about this in the same way that TSA protects airports and businesses protect their premises, but we have to,” — Eric Fingerhut, President & CEO, Jewish Federations of North America

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• “The security guards at Temple Israel and the Islamic Center in San Diego were the difference between saving lives and not,” — Eric Fingerhut

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• “Under prior administrations, CAIR worked with FEMA and DHS to issue guidance, clarifying to the Muslim community that applying to this grant program would not result in any hostile investigations,” — Robert McCaw, CAIR

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The House and Senate are reviewing the $1 billion funding bill, which also proposes a 90-day reimbursement deadline and expanded eligibility for security personnel. FEMA expects to announce FY 2025 award decisions in June, while the Department of Homeland Security is slated to issue updated guidance on immigration-enforcement concerns. Advocacy groups plan continued lobbying on Capitol Hill throughout the legislative session.

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