A federal program that provides funding to help vulnerable nonprofits meet their security needs has again begun reimbursing recipients, after a funding freeze at the Federal Emergency Management Agency left the fate of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in limbo. 

FEMA has resumed its ordinary processes for reviewing applications and reimbursing nonprofits that were already approved to receive federal NSGP grants, after the reimbursement process stopped at least two months ago amid an agency-wide review of FEMA grant programs by the Trump administration. 

The Jewish Federations of North America notified its membership of the change in an email sent to member organizations on Friday and obtained by Jewish Insider. 

“Following significant engagement with Congress and the administration, we have learned that FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are restarting the process for reimbursing Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds,” Karen Paikin Barall, JFNA vice president for government relations, said in the email. “This means that State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) can now move forward with payment requests from nonprofits — something many states had paused for a while.”

“This is an important step forward, and we’re hopeful it will help clear up delays many of you have been experiencing,” Barall added. A spokesperson for FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The resumption comes after public and private pressure from lawmakers and Jewish community groups.

“The NSGP grants are the biggest single resource the federal government provides to keep American Jews safe in the face of antisemitism,” Nathan Diament, executive director of public policy for the Orthodox Union, told JI on Friday. “We appreciate the partners in the administration and Congress who worked with us to ensure the release of these funds has resumed.”

The Secure Community Network, a nonprofit that provides security services to Jewish nonprofits and helps them apply for NSGP grants, is “encouraged that allocations are back on track,” a spokesperson told JI. The organization’s leadership was informed that the payment requests would be processed under the same procedures in place as before the freeze began.

“We are relieved that the government’s review process has concluded and that funds will now be released, allowing nonprofits to be reimbursed for critical security investments they’ve already made,” Barall told JI. “We are deeply grateful to both the administration and Congress for their partnership, and we appreciate the open lines of communication that made this outcome possible.”

Lauren Wolman, the director of federal policy and strategy at the Anti-Defamation League, told JI,  “The restarting of reimbursements for NSGP is long overdue, and something we fought hard to achieve. For months, ADL advocates have engaged with lawmakers and senior officials to underscore the urgency of moving NSGP funding forward, which is critical for providing life-saving resources to Jewish institutions and other at-risk communities. We thank the thousands of ADL volunteers who reached out to the Administration to lift the freeze and hope this continues to be prioritized.”

This week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers put forward their highest-ever request for NSGP funding, asking for $500 million for the program in fiscal year 2026. 

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.