A 30-day funding freeze enacted by the Trump administration at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has caused an immediate pause to the millions of dollars distributed to help vulnerable nonprofits, including many Jewish institutions, meet their security needs. 

Synagogues, Jewish day schools and other organizations that rely on the FEMA funding dispersed through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program have not received reimbursements allocated to them, according to representatives from the Secure Community Network, an organization that provides security services to Jewish nonprofits. NSGP funding has allowed Jewish institutions to purchase security enhancements like impact-resistance windows, security cameras and bollards. 

Dozens of security professionals from Jewish organizations gathered in a Zoom meeting Thursday afternoon to learn about how to apply for the grants from FEMA, an annual process that is usually straightforward. Instead, the call was used to acknowledge attendees’ fears about the federal funding freeze.  

On the call, which was organized by SCN and the Jewish Federations of North America, a SCN representative confirmed that a freeze is in effect and advised attendees that efforts are underway to gain clarity — but that limited information has been communicated from FEMA. FEMA and White House spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment.

Deborah Gottlieb, director of grants management at SCN, said she expects grantees to be reimbursed eventually “because there is a contractual obligation that you signed in your grant agreement,” but acknowledged she does not know when that will happen. Nothing is being processed by FEMA at this time, according to SCN.

As part of broad cost-cutting measures across the federal government, the Trump administration has reneged on or canceled other funding grants and contracts in other departments.

Additionally, more than $200 million in additional NSGP funding appropriated by the emergency national security funding bill Congress passed last April has yet to be awarded to applicants.

Applications for that funding round opened in October, but FEMA has not yet accepted or rejected those applications.

“Nonprofit security grants are vitally important to the safety and security of our community, and we are in touch with the administration to ensure that there are no serious interruptions for this life-saving program as they conduct their review,” Karen Paikin Barall, the vice president of government relations at JFNA, said in a statement, “This is especially important given that $210 million of critical supplemental funding have still not been dispersed.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, also emphasized the importance of maintaining security funding. “The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a lifeline for vulnerable institutions, and ensuring the swift and efficient disbursement of these funds is essential to safeguarding communities in the face of growing threats,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “As the Administration enhances oversight of FEMA grants, we urge them to remain acutely aware of the unprecedented levels of antisemitism and heightened security needs of at-risk communities,” he said.

Funding levels for the 2025 grant cycle are also likely to fall well below the levels Jewish groups say are necessary. Under the current full-year stopgap government funding bill that passed the House earlier this week and will soon be considered by the Senate, funding would remain at $274.5 million for the 2025 cycle, the same level Congress approved for the 2024 fiscal year.

Jewish groups and advocates for the program on Capitol Hill have been pushing for $500 million in annual funding for the program. In the 2024 cycle, when the program had $454.5 million available from a combination of regular and emergency funding legislation, less than half of all grant applications ultimately received funding.

It was not immediately clear when the 30-day funding freeze began.