Agudath Israel Endorses and Hails Committee Passage of Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act

Agudath Israel of America congratulates Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY) for introducing and advancing the bipartisan Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Improvement Act of 2022. The bill was recently reported favorably out of the House Homeland Security Committee and will next be considered by the full chamber.

The NSGP Improvement Act of 2022 will be a significant step forward in providing greater resources to help address the many complex security threats facing nonprofits. It will provide $500 million annually through 2028 to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. It will also establish a dedicated office within FEMA to administer the program, and to provide greater outreach, education, technical assistance, and support to the nonprofit community.

Agudath Israel played a key role in the creation of NSGP in 2004 and has made boosting its appropriation a high priority every year since. The program’s assistance is particularly sought after by Jewish institutions, where violent antisemitic incidents and hate crimes have risen in recent years.

"The violence we have seen against Jewish and other nonprofit targets is becoming a dominant feature of today’s domestic terrorism. In the Jewish community, synagogues, yeshivas and other charitable institutions live day to day under this darkening cloud," said Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel’s vice president for government affairs and Washington director. “As such, these threats needs a sharper and more specialized focus within our nation’s homeland security framework

"Moreover, as the number of vulnerable institutions increases, the need for greater protective resources increases," he continued. "At present, the demand for such protection far exceeds the supply of federal grants available for adequately hardening America’s at-risk targets. A greater, more realistic, infusion of funds is needed to make up this shortfall and more fully protect vulnerable entities."

No objection to the measure was raised in the Committee and supporters hope that bodes well for the future of the legislation when it reaches the House floor.