The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Wednesday that 1,600 out of 6,000 applications received for the long-delayed 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program cycle were approved, meaning that under 27% of organizations that applied received any funding — a significant dip from previous years.

The grants were approved nearly a year after applications opened for the 2025 cycle on Aug. 13, 2025, and after applications for 2026 NSGP funding were already due last week. FEMA indicated that state agencies responsible for administering the grants on the state level and repeated Department of Homeland Security shutdowns relating to immigration enforcement disputes were responsible for the delays.

FEMA said it had provided initial allocations to state agencies in September of last year and subsequently received the applications from individual nonprofits from the state agencies, which the agency did not finish reviewing until earlier this month.

FEMA said that more than 60% of the grant funding had been provided to houses of worship, including Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jewish institutions.

The program was funded at $274.5 million in 2025, with $266 million of that being provided to nonprofit institutions. The grant awards represent a significant drop in application acceptances, as well as a moderate dip in applications received as compared to 2024. In 2024, 3,288 applications were approved, around 40% of the 7,584 applications received, with $454.5 million made available overall.

More applications were also approved in 2023 and 2022 than in this grant cycle. In 2023, with $305 million available, FEMA approved 2,201 applications out of 5,257, and in 2022, FEMA approved 1,821 applications out of 3,470, with $250 million available.

The administration distributed an additional $220 million in supplemental funding in two tranches last year, from emergency funding passed by Congress in 2024.

FEMA did not respond to a request for comment on how much total funding had been requested in 2025, nor how many Jewish institutions had received funding.

Lauren Wolman, senior director of government relations and strategy for the Anti-Defamation League, expressed gratitude that the grants had been released but emphasized that “many vulnerable organizations remain without the support they need.”

“Congress must pass the Jewish American Security Act, which would authorize $1 billion annually for this critical program,” Wolman continued. “We also hope future application timelines provide organizations with the opportunity to incorporate prior award decisions into their planning.”

The application period for 2026 grants closed before the administration announced the 2025 awards, which lawmakers and advocates said complicated the 2026 application process for institutions that did not yet know if they would be receiving funding under the previous year’s program.

“It was troubling that government disputes that led to shutdowns of DHS delayed the 2025 NSGP grants,” Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center said. “We are thankful for [Homeland Security] Sec. [Markwayne] Mullin and his team at DHS — as well as the White House Faith Office — working to get these funds finally awarded. “

Eric Fingerhut, the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said JFNA is “relieved and grateful” that the grants have been finalized.

“These grants will allow synagogues and Jewish institutions to get the vital security upgrades necessary to protect our community and support flourishing Jewish life,” Fingerhut said. “We also know the need continues to outpace the availability, which is why we continue to call on Congress to increase funding for this vital program and [pass] the Jewish American Security Act.”