The U.S. House of Representatives, led by U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) and John Katko (R-NY), are requesting a significant increase in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding for Fiscal Year 2022. In a letter to the Homeland Security Subcommittee, the members requested that the NSGP program be funded at $360 million, to be split evenly among the NSGP’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP).

“The NSGP supports critical security investments, such as physical security enhancements, emergency preparedness planning, training and exercises, and enhanced engagement and collaboration between public and private community representatives as well as their state and local homeland security and emergency management government agencies,” the Members wrote. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recommended these types of investments to secure these targets within the faith-and community-based sector because DHS recognizes their vulnerability to attack is elevated and nonprofit institutions often lack the needed resources to invest in protective measures. In today’s quickly evolving threat environment, these investments are needed more than ever.”

The Members continued, “Today’s threat environment provides a compelling public interest in protecting against attacks on the nonprofit sector that would disrupt the vital health, human, social, cultural, religious, and other humanitarian services and practices they provide to communities, and which threaten the lives and well-being of millions of Americans who operate, utilize, live, and work in proximity to them. For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to strengthen the Nonprofit Security Grant Program by funding the UASI NSGP at $180 million and $180 million for the SHSGP NSGP.”