Millions in Pennsylvania state security grants awarded to nonprofits to prevent hate crimes
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grants are part of Act 83, passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in 2019, which provides up to $5 million in funds for security enhancements for nonprofits that were victims of hate crimes or hate crime threats, or serve a population susceptible to hate crimes.
The individual grants range from $5,000 to $150,000, and were awarded on a sliding, matching scale. Any funding awarded up to $25,000 is an outright grant, without any matching required; grants between $25,000 and $75,000 require a 33% match; grants between $75,000 and $150,000 require a 50% match by the organization.
The $5 million program, launched in the wake of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh worked with state Rep. Dan Frankel (District 23) and state Sen. Jay Costa (District 43) after the massacre at the Tree of Life building to develop the grant program, said Shawn Brokos, the Federation’s director of community security.
This year, many religious and non-religious nonprofits were awarded PCCD grants to upgrade security against hate crimes, including Jewish institutions and affiliated facilities, as well as LGBT organizations and community centers throughout the state. Across the state, 130 religious institutions and other nonprofit organizations received grants.
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