SCHNEIDER, TENNEY LEAD 36 LAWMAKERS URGING SECRETARY MULLIN TO DROP ONEROUS GRANT FUNDING RULES THAT LEAVE SYNAGOGUES, CHURCHES, AND MOSQUES LESS SAFE

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL - Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) led a bipartisan group of members calling for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to remove onerous guidelines that deter applicants from accepting Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, leaving synagogues, churches, mosques less safe.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a FEMA grant program that provides funding for physical security enhancements and activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack. It is designed to integrate and promote coordination and collaboration in emergency preparedness activities among public and private community representatives, as well as state and local government agencies.

"American religious groups, and especially Jewish communities, have seen record increases in violent incidents and hate-filled threats," said Schneider. "I'm grateful to partner with Rep. Tenney to push back against onerous new rules that make our synagogues, churches, and mosques less safe. We will continue to root out hate and discrimination in all forms, so everyone can observe their faith safely and without threat of harm."

"The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is an essential resource that helps faith-based organizations and nonprofit institutions protect the people they serve," said Tenney. "As threats against houses of worship and community organizations continue to rise, it is important that these institutions have confidence that the program will provide the support they were awarded. Our letter encourages DHS to provide that certainty by ensuring the program remains focused on its core mission of enhancing security for vulnerable communities."

"As antisemitism and threats against faith communities remain at historic levels, NSGP is more essential than ever to help at-risk communities protect themselves from threats," said Lauren Wolman, ADL's senior director of government relations and strategy. "We are grateful to Representatives Schneider and Tenney for their bipartisan leadership in championing this lifesaving program and ensuring organizations can access those resources quickly, with confidence, and without unnecessary delays."

Rep. Schneider led two letters calling for updated guidance for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program - one in January, as Co-Chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, and one in February as part of a larger bipartisan call for action. In response, the Department of Homeland Security stated they were "actively developing clarifying guidance." Such guidance has still not been put forward.

During Secretary Mullin's confirmation hearing, Mullin said he would work to "streamline the process" for grants, including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

View the full letter here and below.

Dear Secretary Mullin,

Thank you for your continued support for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides critical grants for the protection of at-risk faith-based and nonprofit organizations, including Jewish institutions and many others, facing a troubling rise in targeted violence and antisemitism. In recent years, attacks in San Diego, West Bloomfield, Jackson, Boulder, Washington, D.C. and other communities have shown that no faith tradition or religious institution is immune to violence or hate-motivated threats. According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2025 was one of the most violent years for American Jews, with 203 assaults, including 32 incidents involving a deadly weapon, the highest number ADL has ever recorded. Additionally, ADL recorded 1,129 antisemitic incidents at Jewish institutions in 2025. While incidents on college campuses decreased, they remained nearly three times higher than before October 7^th.

As representatives of communities that include vibrant religious institutions, we appreciate how important these grants are to ensuring that synagogues, churches, mosques, schools and other high-risk nonprofits, and the people they serve, are safe and secure.

On February 5, 2026, we wrote to then-DHS Secretary Noem to express our concern that the Standard Terms and Conditions promulgated by DHS on April 18, 2025, created new compliance requirements for NSGP recipients that were unrelated to the security of grant recipients and their communities. As we stated in our previous letter, these Standard Terms and Conditions would divert limited funds and burden the institutions the NSGP is meant to protect. At that time, we urged DHS to issue clarifying guidance and, where appropriate, waive any terms and conditions unrelated to the grant's core security purpose.
In DHS' response to us on February 27, 2026, then-DHS Secretary Noem stated that DHS and FEMA were "actively developing clarifying guidance tailored for the NSGP, including examples relevant to houses of worship and other faith-based nonprofits." Unfortunately, such guidance has not yet been put forth.

We are writing again today because the FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), as issued by FEMA on June 24, 2026, maintains these concerning new compliance requirements. Ascurrently structured, the FY 2026 NOFO carries forward the compliance requirements we previously identified and adds a new ground for termination not present in the FY 2025 terms: the authority to end an award "for convenience," upon a FEMA determination the award no longer advances the "national interest." This vague and expansive standard gives applicants little guidance about what is expected of them and raises concerns about mid-project terminations without warning. As NSGP requires organizations to front the costs of their security projects, the possibility of mid-award termination and, therefore, no reimbursement, may deter applicants from accepting the grant, leaving their institution vulnerable to attack.

We have always believed that NSGP should be as streamlined and effective as possible, with minimal red tape and compliance requirements focused squarely on security. You rightly expressed this same belief during your confirmation hearing. That is why we urge you to revise the FY 2026 NOFO and issue new guidance that removes or waives terms and conditions unrelated to the security of grant recipients, eliminates the new overly broad termination authority and ensures that the NSGP remains accessible to all eligible faith-based and community organizations.

In this time of rising antisemitic attacks and violence against diverse faith-based institutions, we believe it is crucial that NSGP remains a critical resource for all who seek to worship in safety and free from requirements unrelated to security.

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