Nonprofit groups, including religious institutions, requested more than $1.3 billion in funding from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in 2025, around five times the $266 million that was ultimately available, a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson told Jewish Insider.

In total, more than 8,000 institutions applied for funding, and around 1,600 — roughly 20% — received it.” FEMA initially disclosed in a press release last week that state-level administrative agencies had forwarded 6,000 applications to FEMA for federal review, but the spokesperson told JI that the state level agencies had received more than 8,000 total applications.

“For the Fiscal Year 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program, states and territories received more than 8,000 applications from nonprofit institutions. The total amount requested was more than $1.3 billion dollars,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “This demand far exceeded the amount Congress appropriated to FEMA for the program.”

The total funding requested and number of applications were the highest of any year in recent memory. In 2024, the program received 7,584 applications requesting a total of $973 million in funding. Critics have consistently emphasized that funding provided by Capitol Hill for the program has failed to keep pace with the demand at a time of heightened threats to Jewish and other communities.

Advocates for the program on and off the Hill said that the severe funding shortfall demonstrates the need for a significant increase in funding, including by passing the Jewish American Security Act, which would authorize $1 billion annually for the program, though that funding would still have to be matched in the appropriations process each year.

“Our nation is facing an epidemic of antisemitism — increasing the fear in Jewish communities as we enter the fall and the High Holidays. We need funding to match the growing demand from synagogues and community centers to help keep them safe and secure,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) said in a statement to JI. “That’s why I introduced my bipartisan Jewish American Security Act to, among other things, authorize $1 billion for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program so we are able to meet the demand. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Senate to pass my bill.”

Rosen is a lead sponsor of JASA and also led a call with other senators for $750 million in funding for the NSGP in the 2027 Appropriations process.

“As we continue to see increased violence and hateful threats impacting nonprofits and religious institutions, we must increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. It is simply unacceptable that only 20% of groups seeking this mission critical grant have received funding,” Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) told JI. “I will continue to aggressively push to fund the NSGP at $1 billion so we can protect more communities so they can worship, gather, and support our neighbors without fear of harm.”

Amo helped lead a letter in the House urging $1 billion for the program in 2027.

“This demonstrates the need for increased funding for NSGP,” Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said. “Synagogues, churches, and other faiths’ institutions are making it crystal clear and Congress must provide more funding for NSGP. That’s what their constituents are demanding.”

Lauren Wolman, senior director of government relations and strategy for the Anti-Defamation League, told JI that the new data “underscores that the need for security has never been greater.” 

“More than 8,000 nonprofits sought $1.3 billion in security funding, yet only about 20 percent received grants. Demand continues to far outpace available resources,” Wolman said. “Congress should respond by passing the Jewish American Security Act, which would authorize the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $1 billion annually to better protect at-risk religious institutions and other at-risk nonprofits.”

Rachel Dembo, the director of policy and government relations for the Jewish Federations of North America, said that the new data “confirms what we are seeing in the Jewish community every day: the need for security funding is urgent. With current funding levels only able to cover 20% of the $1.3 billion in Nonprofit Security Grant Program requests, Congress must dramatically expand the appropriations for this life-saving program and pass the Jewish American Security Act.”

Rabbi A.D. Motzen, the national director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of America, reiterated concerns he expressed to JI last week.

“Every grant means another institution and community that is better prepared to prevent a terror attack,” Motzen said. “The fact that more than three quarters of grant applicants were turned away due to lack of funds, however, highlights the need for additional funding, especially with the terror attack at a West Bloomfield [Mich.] synagogue still fresh in our minds.

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.”

Rabbi A.D. Motzen, national director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of America, also expressed thanks for the grant announcement, while noting the significant shortfall in funding.

“Every grant means another institution and community that is better prepared to prevent a terror attack,” Motzen said in a statement. “The fact that nearly three quarters of grant applicants were turned away due to lack of funds, however, highlights the need for additional funding, especially with the terror attack at a West Bloomfield [Mich.] synagogue still fresh in our minds.”

A bipartisan group of 58 House members urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to extend the deadline for 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program applications, arguing that the current timeline gives states and institutions “insufficient time to complete the application process” and fulfill the program’s goals.

Applications for the program were announced on June 24 and are due to the federal government from state emergency management agencies by July 24. Those state agencies must set their own earlier deadlines for individual institutions to submit applications.

“It is essential that eligible applicants have a fair shot to apply for these funds and fully realize the program’s intended purpose,” the lawmakers, led by Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and David Joyce (R-OH), wrote in a letter to acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton. “The current timeline imposes significant administrative constraints on both applicants and [state administrative agencies], potentially limiting full and fair participation in this year’s grant cycle.”

The lawmakers argued that organizations would have a short amount of time — potentially just days — to review the program, obtain necessary assessments, develop proposals, gather documents and submit applications. The signatories noted that FEMA has historically provided as many as 80 days from the application announcement to the deadline.

The letter notes that the application period also overlaps state hate crimes grant program application periods in some states, “overburdening” institutions, particularly smaller ones that don’t have large teams to handle grant-writing.

FEMA’s continued delays in releasing 2025 NSGP awards create further issues, the lawmakers explained: “organizations will be applying without knowing their eligibility, creating additional complications since eligibility for this year’s grant is affected by the recipient’s status for last year’s grant.”

The letter urges FEMA to extend the 2026 application deadline, to give state agencies more time to review applications, nonprofits more time to prepare their applications and to guarantee “FEMA receives the strongest possible pool of eligible projects for consideration.”

The Jewish Federations of North America said it organized the letter and was the first to publicize it.

“At a time of rising threats against faith-based communal institutions, Congress has made clear that protecting vulnerable communities is a bipartisan priority,” JFNA CEO Eric Fingerhut said. “Giving state administrative agencies and nonprofit organizations adequate time to complete FEMA’s application process will help ensure these critical security resources reach those NSGP is designed to protect.”

Lauren Wolman, the senior director of government relations and strategy at the Anti-Defamation League, said that “a one-month application window presents significant challenges for the nonprofits that need this funding the most, particularly smaller organizations without dedicated grant writing staff.” 

Wolman added, “Extending the deadline would help ensure every eligible organization has a meaningful opportunity to secure the resources they need to protect their communities.”

Rabbi AD Motzen, the national director of government affairs at Agudath Israel of America, said, “Agudath Israel strongly supports the bipartisan Meng Joyce letter and the request for a longer application period. We have heard from nonprofits that are not sure if they were awarded  the grant from the previous year and have to make a rushed decision whether or not to apply for this year.”

Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said that the OU also agrees that an extension of the deadline would be “very helpful.”

Separately, 15 Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Fenton, raising concerns about the administration’s handling of various FEMA grant programs including NSGP, accusing them of including language in the application materials “that is confusing, impractical, incomplete, and potentially unlawful.”

The Democrats specifically accuse the administration of “deliberately slow processing” of 2025 NSGP applications, noting the continued delay in announcements of 2025 funding and calling for the outstanding grants to be issued “immediately.”

“At-risk nonprofits are forced to navigate overlapping application cycles without knowing if they even need to apply for the FY 2026 NSGP,” the letter reads. “With the FY 2026 application window already open and set to close in less than a month, FEMA’s internal delays and contradictory directives are creating unnecessary burdens for subrecipients.”

It also criticizes the administration for “conflicting instructions on required documentation” and requirements related to immigration and elections imposed on grant recipients. “Imposing these complex mandates on small, volunteer-run, nonprofit organizations, threatens to penalize the very institutions the program is designed to protect,” the Democrats wrote.

The Trump administration’s 2027 top-line budget request to Congress calls for significant funding increases for the Department of Defense, while pushing for cuts to certain programs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Justice.

The budget request affirms President Donald Trump’s previously stated desire for a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027 — a $441 billion increase over 2026 funding levels.

The request urges cuts of $1.3 billion to non-disaster grant programs at FEMA, a category which includes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which has been critical to protecting Jewish community institutions and for which both lawmakers and Jewish community groups have sought increased funding.

The request does not specifically spell out how NSGP funding would be impacted, but states broadly that the budget “reduces wasteful FEMA grant programs, refocusing the agency on sound emergency management while encouraging States and communities to build resilience and use their unique local knowledge and resources in disaster response.”

The budget document does specifically lambast FEMA’s “Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention” program, which has support from some groups in the Jewish community, as having been “weaponized to target Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.”

At the DOJ, the administration again aims to eliminate the Community Relations Service, which has received support from some Jewish community groups in the past, charged with helping to mediate communal conflicts based on various forms of hatred and discrimination. It describes the program as a “woke [enterprise] that fails to serve the core function of the Department to fight crime and protect American communities.”

Lawmakers ultimately rejected efforts to fully defund CRS last year, though they did cut $4 million from the office’s budget.

“CRS has a long track record of supporting fringe leftist organizations such as Black Lives Matter and legitimizing riotous behavior that puts America’s police in the crosshairs,” the budget request continues.

The budget request also continues to push for the elimination of the Department of Education, though it doesn’t include a specific line item for the Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for addressing, among other issues, antisemitism on college campuses. The administration had sought significant cuts to that office in 2026.

The administration called for $2.7 billion in cuts to the U.S.’ funding for international organizations including the United Nations, particularly taking aim at the United Nations regular budget and U.N. peacekeeping missions.

It specifically criticizes anti-Israel bias at the U.N.: The budget document states that the U.N. Human Rights Council and its commission of inquiry on Israel “has failed to uphold any semblance of impartiality or conduct objective investigations.”

The administration requested $15.2 million in additional funding for the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, “making key investments in critical cyber capabilities, sanctions targeting, and combating illicit financial activity” — with a focus on countering cartels.

More specific line-item requests should be released in the coming days.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Tuesday pushing for additional information about Nonprofit Security Grant Program allocations, as well as criticizing the funding allocation proposed last week by Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“As I travel around Connecticut and hear from community leaders here and around the country, I am struck by the severely heightened anxiety and apprehension about physical threats to places of worship and community centers involving hate-based violence,” Blumenthal said. “One of the most important tools at our disposal to combat such hate and protect religious institutions and minority communities is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).”

Blumenthal said it is “critical for Congress to have fulsome data” about the program as it works to finalize 2026 government funding, and requested data on grant applications and acceptances, the reasons why FEMA has provided less funding than requested to some institutions and the resources FEMA provided to unsuccessful applicants for each year from 2023 to 2025.

He asked Noem to submit the data by Jan. 6, 2026.

Blumenthal also said he’s “disappointed” by the proposed funding level of $330 million for the program in 2026 offered by Senate Republicans, which falls “far short of my request and the program’s clear need, with reports indicating recipients requested approximately $1 billion from FEMA in 2024 alone.”

A source familiar with the legislation noted to Jewish Insider the Senate bill includes a 20 percent increase over its 2025 funding level, a greater increase than provided for other grant programs in the bill that generally saw increases of 11 percent to 15 percent. 

The explanatory report accompanying the Senate GOP bill also includes language requesting more specific data from FEMA about past grant applications and acceptances.

A group of more than 30 House Democrats wrote to leaders at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday criticizing their management of the 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program, saying that a lack of information provided by DHS is severely hampering applications to and implementation of the critical program.

The lawmakers criticized DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for publishing the application for the grants months behind schedule, and, they allege, failing to provide “basic information necessary to move the application process forward and to fruition,” including specific timelines for the grants and applications, which the Democrats said still have not been provided.

“States have repeatedly asked FEMA for this information, and they have received no response,” the lawmakers continued. “This has also created a chilling effect on faith-based and nonprofit organizations that are hesitant to participate in an opaque application process.”

The lawmakers stated that the delays in allocating 2025 funding are concerning given the ongoing spate of attacks on religious institutions across the country, including a Catholic church in Minneapolis, a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan and the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

They also said that FEMA has failed to engage in educational and outreach programs to prospective applicants about the grants and the application process — programs that are required under law.

“Because of FEMA’s delays and lack of coordination and communication with States, many States have already opened and closed the application period for nonprofit organizations, meaning that any outreach from FEMA at this point would be too late,” the letter continues. “Other States have not opened the application process and have not communicated with faith-based and nonprofit stakeholders, leaving the process and the potential applicants in limbo.”

The Democrats criticized DHS for ignoring bipartisan requests from Congress to share the names of organizations awarded NSGP funding under a supplemental funding round earlier this year, which had been standard procedure in the past.

They also said DHS has added burdensome new requirements on state administrators for nonprofits that are seeking reimbursements for security costs from grants that have already been provided, slowing down reimbursements, increasing administrative costs and discouraging further applications.

The letter also raises concerns about language included in some NSGP materials suggesting that the grants could be conditioned on compliance with immigration enforcement efforts and alleges that DHS may be attempting to ban Muslim organizations from receiving security funding. The administration has already pulled funding from some Muslim groups with alleged ties to terrorism.

“FEMA must take immediate steps to get the FY 2025 NSGP back on track so that FY 2026 can proceed without the present delays, inconsistencies and uncertainties, and lack of uniformity and predictability that have previously been the hallmarks and guardrails for a program serving several thousand faith-based and nonprofit applicants each grant cycle,” the letter concludes.

The lawmakers urged DHS and FEMA to take immediate action to rectify the series of concerns they outlined and move the 2025 grant process ahead quickly. 

The letter was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and co-signed by Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Julie Johson (D-TX), Nellie Pou (D-NJ), Troy Carter (D-LA), Al Green (D-TX), James Walkinshaw (D-VA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ed Case (D-HI), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Andre Carson (D-IN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Laura Friedman (D-CA) and Dave Min (D-CA), and Dels. Pablo Hernandez (D-PR) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

“It is absolutely unacceptable that the Trump administration is dragging its feet on the awarding of these vital security grants,” Pou said in a separate statement. “As domestic extremism and terrorist threats to synagogues and other religious and community centers explode, Congress appropriated these grant funds to help support readiness. Americans have an unshakeable right to worship in peace and security. Congress deserves answers and our nation deserves action from this administration.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened applications on Monday for 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, months after the applications traditionally open and amid pressure from lawmakers and community stakeholders.

Applications for the funding round are due Aug. 11. This application round pertains to the $274.5 million in funding that Congress appropriated for the 2025 grant cycle.

An additional $126 million in funding for the NSGP remains outstanding from the national security supplemental bill Congress passed last year. Organizations have already applied for that funding tranche. FEMA did not respond to a request for comment on when that funding will be allocated.

Delays in opening the application had been a source of frustration among both Jewish groups and the program’s advocates on Capitol Hill. One Senate lawmaker told Jewish Insider last week that they had been pushing the administration to release the remaining security grant funding, calling the delays “dumb.”

A coalition of Jewish groups and other nonprofits also said earlier this month in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the funding would become unavailable on Sept. 30, at the end of the fiscal year, even if applications have not yet been released or evaluated by FEMA.

“The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a vital resource for faith-based and community institutions facing growing security threats,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who has been pressing the administration to release the funding, told Jewish Insider on Monday. “As Jewish communities have endured a surge in antisemitic threats and violence and now prepare for the High Holidays, this funding could not come at a more critical time.” 

“I’ve long been a strong advocate of this program and have worked closely with [the Department of Homeland Security] and [the Office of Management and Budget] to help ensure that this funding moves forward,” he said. “I’m glad to see the application window now open. These grants don’t just strengthen security, they protect lives and ensure that Americans can worship without fear.”

Lankford said last month that the funding had “already been held up too long.”

Lauren Wolman, the senior director of government relations and policy for the Anti-Defamation League, highlighted the need for the outstanding funds from the supplemental bill to be released.

“We appreciate the Administration’s release of $274.5 million in urgently needed Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds, which will help protect at-risk communities facing real threats. But the job isn’t done,” Wolman said in a statement. “FEMA must urgently release the NSGP supplemental funds Congress appropriated to meet overwhelming demand. Every day of delay puts lives at risk.”

Nathan Diament, executive director of public policy for the Orthodox Union, thanked the administration and congressional advocates for their advocacy.

“We [at Orthodox Union Advocacy] are very grateful to our allies in the Trump Administration — especially Amb.-Designate [Yehuda] Kaploun and the White House Faith Office — for working to get this critical funding released,” Diament said. “We also thank our allies in Congress — especially Senators [James] Lankford, [Katie] Britt and [Susan] Collins. At this time of heightened antisemitism the NSGP grants are essential to protect the American Jewish community.”

Eric Fingerhut, the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, linked the announcement to JFNA’s advocacy on the issue last month.

“This is an important step for our community’s safety, and it is the direct result of the collective advocacy work that we carried out in June during the United for Security mission and our presentation of the Six-Point Policy on Security Plan,” Fingerhut said. “We should all be proud to see that our work moved the Administration to act.”

Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, who said she had raised the issue at a meeting with House Homeland Security Committee members last week, said that the delays have “cost Jewish and other communities precious time at a dire moment for our security.”

“The funding allocated by Congress through the NGSP has a critical role to play in that process, and we’re glad that after an intensive advocacy push, our communities will finally have the opportunity to apply for these funds,” Spitalnick continued. “We also cannot simply barricade or prosecute our way out of this crisis of violent hate — and measures like this must go hand-in-hand with the broader policies aimed at building resiliency to hate and extremism in the first place.”

Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, said he is intent on eliminating what he called “the Jewish tax” in an address on Sunday to hundreds of Jewish college students gathered for the Israel on Campus Coalition’s three-day annual leadership summit held in Washington.

“For those who don’t know what the Jewish tax is — for you to have this convention, for you to walk your child to a synagogue down the street — you have to pay for extra security,” said Terrell, who heads the Department of Justice’s antisemitism task force. “It makes no sense. It’s unfair. It’s wrong. I find it offensive that it’s being allowed throughout this country. I’m doing everything I can to eliminate it.” 

Terrell’s comments came as the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced last month that it had awarded $94.4 million in security grant funding to a total of 512 Jewish organizations nationwide. 

Terrell, who wore a baseball cap embroidered with the name “Hadar Goldin,” an IDF soldier abducted and killed by Hamas in 2014 whose body remains held by the terrorist group, shared that he has faced “fights and arguments” with some colleagues over how to strategically address antisemitism. He said that some colleagues have called to “cut a deal, to move on,” an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s recent settlement with Columbia University following a monthslong battle over the Ivy League university’s record dealing with antisemitism. 

“I will not compromise,” Terrell said. “No, how can you ask a group [to] compromise freedom? There is no compromise on your equality, your freedom, you have the right to go to schools, to walk down the streets and not be worried and not be afraid.” 

Terrell, a former civil rights attorney and a conservative media personality, told the crowd that eradicating antisemitism is a “full-time commitment,” one that he’s decided to take on in part due to Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. 

“I’m not a Jewish American. I’m a Black American. I also understand the history of this great country. Before becoming a lawyer, I was a school teacher. I grew up in the ‘60s,” Terrell said. “I remember Jewish Americans walking hand in hand with Black Americans making sure they got their civil rights.” 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on Friday that it had awarded $94.4 million in security grant funding to a total of 512 Jewish organizations nationwide, around half of a long-delayed supplemental funding round.

Applications for this funding, provided as part of last year’s national security supplemental bill, opened in the fall of 2024, and grant awards were initially expected to be announced early this year. But they were delayed in a government-wide review of federal grant funding implemented by the Trump administration.

“DHS is working to put a stop to the deeply disturbing rise in antisemitic attacks across the United States,” Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary, said in a statement. “That this money is necessary at all is tragic. Antisemitic violence has no place in this country. However, under President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s leadership, we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that Jewish people in the United States can live free of the threat of violence and terrorism.”

The grant funding was open to all nonprofits, with a focus on organizations facing higher threats due to the war in Gaza.

But the funding round was expected to include the full $220 million in remaining NSGP funding from the national security supplemental legislation. It’s unclear at this point how and under what procedures FEMA plans to disburse that remaining $126 million.

The agency has yet to open applications for the 2025 full-year grant process.

Asked for comment on these issues, FEMA referred JI back to a press release on the funding grants and did not respond to a subsequent follow-up question.

“We welcome the Administration awarding $94 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding to help protect over 500 Jewish institutions amid the historic levels of antisemitic threats that ADL is tracking,” Lauren Wolman, director of federal policy and strategy at the Anti-Defamation League, said. “But the job isn’t done. DHS must urgently release the additional NSGP supplemental funds Congress appropriated to meet overwhelming demand and save lives. ADL will continue working with lawmakers and senior officials to underscore both the urgency of increasing funding and moving previously appropriated funding.”

Jewish groups said on Monday that the House Appropriations Committee’s 2026 appropriations bill, which includes $305 million in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, fails to meet the need for the program.

The House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security voted on Monday evening to advance the bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, with an increase from 2025 of just over $30 million for NSGP funding. The full committee will debate and vote on the bill on Thursday morning.

Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said in a statement the House proposal is “a far cry from what is needed in the face of exploding antisemitism.”

“The pro-Hamas calls to ‘globalize the Intifada’ have arrived in America. Jewish communities are facing a real crisis with a real set of threats, and Congress must respond with real action,” Diament said. 

“Every synagogue, school, and community center denied funding is left vulnerable. Thoughts and prayers are not going to protect us. It’s time for Congress to step up with the resources needed to keep our communities safe,” he continued.

The Anti-Defamation League expressed a similar view.

“In the wake of the horrific antisemitic violence we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, our communities are living in fear. We appreciate the proposed increase to $305 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, but it is not enough,” Lauren Wolman, director of federal policy and strategy at the ADL, said in a separate statement. “Not when Jewish schools are forced to hire armed guards. Not when synagogues are receiving bomb threats during services.” 

Wolman continued, “This program is a lifeline, and the demand far exceeds what this funding level can provide. ADL is committed to working with bipartisan lawmakers to ensure more at-risk communities have the resources they need to feel safe. Words of support must be matched with action.”

The $305 million figure would restore the program to its 2023 funding levels, though it still falls short of what Jewish advocacy groups and lawmakers have called for. At the time, the $305 million funding level fell short of meeting demand. 

OU Advocacy, the public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, is one of many Jewish organizations that has called for at least $500 million in NSGP funding for the next fiscal year. 

Both the OU and the ADL signed onto a joint statement with other Jewish community groups following the Capital Jewish Museum shooting last month, urging federal officials to increase NSGP funding to $1 billion.

“OU Advocacy views the NSGP as severely underfunded, despite skyrocketing antisemitism. In 2023, the program received 5,257 applications for $679 million in funding, but only 42% were approved. In 2024, more than 7,500 organizations applied for nearly $1 billion in grants, but less than half, $454.5 million, was distributed,” the organization’s press release stated.

The Trump administration has requested $274.5 million for NSGP for FY 2026, keeping the program funded at FY 2025 levels. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) held a press conference with other New York Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Dan Goldman (D-NY), as well as communal Jewish leaders to push for $500 million for the program. He said that Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee, who will release their own draft bill, “seemed open to it.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for clarification on her department’s plans regarding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program — the funding of which is a key priority for the Jewish community — as the Trump administration considers cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages the program. 

Kim and Noem engaged on the issue while the latter was testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Kim, the top Democrat on the HSGAC subcommittee that oversees FEMA, urged Noem to ensure NSGP funding is not reduced or eliminated outright as part of President Donald Trump’s push to abolish FEMA, citing the program’s success in securing New Jersey synagogues amid rising antisemitism. 

“I think that there’s very strong bipartisanship here in Congress, especially the Senate, to protect the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. It is literally the best tool that people in New Jersey are telling me is needed to be able to counter antisemitism. I can’t tell you the number of synagogues and temples that are lined up to try to get this type of funding. In fact, you know, given the rise of antisemitism that we have in our country right now, we should be surging resources, not cutting,” Kim said. 

Noem replied that, “We definitely have seen the value in the program and are willing to discuss this with” senators interested in protecting NSGP funds. 

“I want to engage with you on this further because when we’re hearing this language about abolishing FEMA. One of the elements that people have raised the most concerns about is what does that mean for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. I really do urge you to work with me and this committee to have a declarative stance on that so people, especially those concerned about antisemitism, can have clarity on what comes next,” Kim then said. 

FEMA began reimbursing NSGP recipients earlier this month following a more than two-month funding freeze at the agency, which caused an extended pause on the review of applications and the reimbursement of nonprofits already approved. The Trump administration faced public and private pressure to resume that funding during that time from a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers and Jewish communal leaders.