Pascrell Announces Over $9.5 Million in Nonprofit Security Grant Funding for New Jersey

Major federal award will help protect religious institutions, nonprofit organizations from growing threat of domestic extremism

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today announced the awarding of $9,594,806 in federal security grants to New Jersey through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Urban Area (NSGP-UA) and Nonprofit Security Grant Program State (NSGP-S), of which $1,089,000 will go to the Ninth Congressional District. New Jersey received the second largest amount of federal funds given to a state this year through these programs, and it comes as a direct result of Rep. Pascrell’s nearly decade-long advocacy for this funding this program in the House Appropriations Committee. New Jersey received 7,202,890 in NSGP-UA and $2,391,916 in NSGP-S funds.

With Rep. Pascrell’s support, the following organizations located within the Ninth Congressional District are set to receive NSGP-UA funding:

• Chabad of the Meadowlands – Rutherford – $100,000
• Congregation Shaare Tefillah of Teaneck – Teaneck – $100,000
• Daughters of Miriam Center – Clifton – $100,000
• Mesivta of Clifton – Clifton – $100,000
• Congregation Keter Torah – Teaneck – $100,000
• Sephardic Congregation Shaarai Orah – Teaneck – $100,000
• St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Clifton – $100,000
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Englewood – $100,000
• Talmudic Research Center of Northern NJ – Passaic – $100,000
• Temple Beth Sholom – Teaneck – $89,000
• Young Israel of Passaic Clifton – Passaic – $100,000

“Let’s not bury the lead. New Jersey received over $9.5 million, the second largest for any state, because we’ve fought every day to get the funds we need. This massive federal investment in New Jersey will help safeguard our nonprofit institutions amid the recent spike in hatred, bigotry, and anti-Semitism,” said Rep. Pascrell, the foremost champion of NSGP funding in the Congress. “These awards will improve the safety of nonprofits and go a long way towards giving peace of mind to those across our state. Too many communities in North Jersey remain a target for people who would seek to do harm because of someone’s beliefs. I have pushed my colleagues for nearly a decade to increase funds for this program and will continue to do so as these threats show no sign of abating. New Jersey is getting its fair share of federal funds because of this advocacy.”

In January of this year, Rep. Pascrell helped lead legislation, the Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act (H.R.2476), that was signed into law, which officially authorized the Nonprofit Security Grant Programs. While the NSGP was funded through annual appropriations, most recently at $90 million for Fiscal Year 2020 as requested by Rep. Pascrell, the program had never been officially authorized. Rep. Pascrell served an original cosponsor of the bipartisan measure with Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS-02), and Reps. Peter King (R-NY-02), Max Rose (D-NY-11), Steve Stivers (R-OH-15), and Troy Balderson (R-OH-12).

In May, Pascrell led a letter requesting the NSGP be funded at $240 million for FY 2021. In December 2019, Reps. Pascrell and Peter King (R-NY-02) led a letter calling for the NSGP to be funded at $90 million for FY 2020, citing “the rise of hate groups in our nation, the record of threats facing members of our community, and the FBIs continued concern about domestic violent extremism” as evidence that NSGP resources must be increased. One week after their letter, the requested funding was passed by the House. Last April, Pascrell led 139 members of Congress in support of increased NSGP funding. In August 2018, Pascrell helped secure $8.7 million in NSGP funding for New Jersey. In March 2018, Pascrell led a bipartisan letter of 106 House members calling on the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to maintain funding for the UASI Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Last February’s budget deal also provided the exact level of robust funding Pascrell and his colleagues requested. In December 2015, Pascrell helped obtain $20 million in increased funding for the NSGP. In August 2014, Pascrell secured $225,000 in Nonprofit Security Grants for Hawthorne, Englewood, and Teaneck. For Fiscal Year 2019, Rep. Pascrell helped secure more than $7.3 million in NSGP funding for New Jersey.

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