Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 09 November 2023

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

Due to the observance of Veteran’s Day on 10 November, there will not be regular reporting. The team will continue to monitor the threat landscape and will issue out of band reporting if necessary. Thank you to all Veterans for their service.

Readout of Justice Department Leadership’s Meetings with Law Enforcement and Community Leaders

This week, Justice Department leaders met with law enforcement and community leaders at a time of increased threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities across the country. The Department remains vigilant in combating threats against Americans based on their religion, race, color, ethnicity, or national origin.

Secretary Mayorkas Testimony to the Senate Committee on Appropriations

“In the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, we have seen an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities and institutions across our country, adding to a preexisting increase in the level of antisemitism in the United States and around the world. Our Department’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program requires additional support to meet this new mandate. The domestic supplemental funding request would do so, providing the program an additional $200 million and allowing us to help mitigate violent extremist and terrorist attacks.”

Analyst Comments:

The federal government is paying attention to the current threats to communities of faith. Faith-Based Organizations should consider applying for grants, including FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program. FEMA’s Fiscal Year 2023 Preparedness Grants Manual is an invaluable resource for those applying for a grant.

FEMA also provides Take these 4 Steps to Apply for a Nonprofit Security Grant. The post goes into detail on the following steps:

1. Find your State Administrative Agency (SAA) Contact.
2. Get a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number.
3. Prepare Subapplication Materials.
4. Submit your Subapplication.

Many states and local governments also provides grants for nonprofits and houses of worship. For example, Montgomery County, MD has a  FY24 Nonprofit Security Grants Application Platform.

WLRN reports that Florida’s House passed a bill to provide $45 million in grants to secure Jewish schools and institutions, as well as other places that could be vulnerable to hate crimes. The Senate still needs to act on the bill.

MassLive reports that a Massachusetts Christian high school received $147,650 and the parish school received $149,996. A total of $4,013,340 was awarded to 32 organizations throughout the state.