ORTHODOX UNION APPLAUDS U.S. DEPT. OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW GRANT PROGRAM TO ENHANCE SECURITY AT HOUSES OF WORSHIP

New Initiative Spearheaded by Orthodox Union Advocacy In Partnership With Congressional Allies and Trump Administration 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the federal advocacy arm of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, applauds a new Department of Justice grant program—“Enhancing Security Measures for Houses of Worship.” This new program offers more than $7.7 million in grants to synagogues and other houses of worship as well as local police departments to improve security at and deter attacks against these and other faith-based organizations.

The “Notice of Funding Opportunity” was announced today by DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs. The creation of this new grant program was spearheaded by the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center in partnership with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) and key officials at the Department of Justice, including Asst. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

The new program will award funds to local law enforcement agencies to deploy on-duty police to houses of worship (or private security operating at the direction of local police) and coordinate training between local police and house of worship staff. The new program will also award grants to eligible houses of worship to install or upgrade “professional grade” surveillance systems and related technology and signage to both deter hostile incidents and provide evidence to law enforcement when incidents occur. 

“We thank the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration for making our idea for this important grant program a reality,” said Nathan Diament, Executive Director of OU Advocacy. “For too long, Jewish communities have been forced to pay out of pocket for extra security to keep synagogues, schools, and other Jewish communal institutions safe in the face of rising antisemitism. Christian churches and other faiths’ places of worship are also burdened with rising security needs and local police can’t seem to keep up. This new DOJ grant program will support local police and relieve the financial burden on our communities. It will also complement the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (administered by DHS) and make those funds go further.”

The deadline to apply for these grants is September 2, 2026. More information is available here.