Jewish Federations of North America on Wednesday thanked members of the U.S. House of Representatives who voted to increase the size of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) from $305 million to $335 million for fiscal year 2025, helping to increase security and preparedness for Jewish synagogues and institutions facing ongoing safety threats. This is an important step towards the ultimate goal of $500 million in security funding.

“These  life-savings funds are as critical as ever, as antisemitic incidents move off of college campuses and across the United States,” said Karen Paikin-Barall, Vice President of Government Relations for Jewish Federations of North America. “What happened over the weekend at the Adas Torah temple is a clear indicator of just why this money is critical to protecting Jewish communities.”

Jewish Federations worked closely with Rep. Joseh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-9) and Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10) since the original appropriations amount of $305 million was released last month.

“Congressmen Pascrell and McCaul understood that the status quo wasn’t sufficient given the current antisemitic landscape across the country, and we thank them for their hard work in protecting Jewish communities,” Paikin-Barrall said.

Jewish Federations knows how important NSGP funding can be as it provided the physical security and training that saved lives in attacks against a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and a Jewish school in Memphis, Tennessee, among other incidents.

NSGP has gone hand-in-hand with Federations’ LiveSecure program, an unprecedented $130 million security campaign and initiative to ensure the security of Jewish communities. LiveSecure funding has allowed local federations to provide the training, tools, and resources needed to protect those inside Jewish Community Centers, synagogues, schools, summer camps, and other centers of Jewish life.