Senator Peters Announces More Than $14 Million in Security Grants for Faith-Based and Other Nonprofit Institutions Across Michigan
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced that more than $14 million in grant funding will be awarded to nonprofits and faith-based organizations across Michigan to help them protect their facilities against potential attacks. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which helps religious institutions, including synagogues, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, and other nonprofits, strengthen their security in the face of rising threats and attacks.
“As houses of worship in Michigan and across the country continue to face threats and attacks, it’s imperative that our communities have the resources they need to ensure people can worship safely and peacefully,” said Senator Peters. “This funding is essential and will help houses of worship throughout Michigan protect both their facilities and their congregations. I’ll keep fighting to secure increased funding to bolster this critical program, particularly as the number of hate crimes in our country continues to rise.”
The number of hate crimes in the United States in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, increased 7.2% over 2021, including more than 2,042 hate crimes categorized as anti-religious. Hate crimes motivated by religious bias comprised an increased proportion of hate crimes overall, up from 15.1% of total hate crimes in 2021 to 18.1% in 2022. Further, hate incidents against Jewish, Arab, and Muslim Americans have reached historic highs since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza. Funding from the NSGP can be used by religious and other nonprofit institutions for securing facilities, personnel training, and other activities to help protect against attacks.
Peters has been a champion for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Peters helped lead reauthorization of the program last Congress. He has also helped secure substantial funding increases for the program in recent years, including an increase of $400 million for NSGP in the national security supplemental package Peters helped pass into law earlier this year. This announcement also comes after Peters announced last year that Michigan received $7.5 million from the NSGP. As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters also convened a hearing with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas earlier this year to examine what resources and authorities DHS needs to address evolving and persistent security threats and domestic terrorism, where Peters emphasized the importance of providing resources specifically for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
In addition to securing this critical funding, Peters has also long worked to help secure American communities from domestic terrorist attacks. Last Congress, he released an investigative report that found the federal government is not adequately addressing the threat of domestic terrorism, including white supremacist violence. The report offered several recommended actions on how our nation can better counter the threat of domestic extremism. Peters also previously convened a two-part hearing with experts representing faith-based, civil rights, and academic and policy research organizations on the impacts of domestic extremism, including white supremacist and anti-government violence.
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