Following recent acts of violence and hate against houses of worship, U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng of Queens, New York secured a record amount of federal funding to help houses of worship and non-profits to improve security.
The surge in funding would be for the fiscal year 2021. It is $180 million, a $90 million increase – a doubling of the funding from the fiscal year 2020. Meng has made house of worship security a signature issue over the last several years.
A member of the House Appropriations Committee, Meng announced on Monday that the additional funds will be available through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program once the President signs the new omnibus spending package.
Meng represents as a Democrat the neighborhoods of Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, and Rego Park.
In July, Meng announced that facilities throughout her congressional district in Queens, New York received more than $1.7 million from the program. The Congresswoman also held a workshop in Queens last January to help local houses of worship and nonprofits learn about the program, and how they can successfully apply for funding.
Meng noted that in our current tense global situation that “We can never take a backseat to safety. It must remain our top priority, especially following recent acts of violence and hate that have occurred across our nation. I urge houses of worship and nonprofits in New York and across the country to apply for these important grants.”
The grants, which are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), cover target-hardening and other physical security enhancements such as barriers, gates, safety gear, surveillance equipment, and other safety measures.
The program is comprised of two streams of funds: the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) which consists of money for urban areas and the State Homeland Securities Program (SHSP) which consists of funding for non-urban areas. Under the funding increase, both have received $90 million each.
The House Appropriations Committee funds all U.S. government agencies, programs, and projects. In addition to serving on the full Appropriations Committee, Meng sits on the panel’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security which decides funding levels for the grants. Facilities may apply for up to $100,000.
