Wolf Announces $270K To Protect Bucks Co. Orgs From Hate Crimes

HARRISBURG, PA — Governor Tom Wolf announced $270,850 in funding on Thursday to Bucks County churches, synagogues, temples, and schools, in an effort to improve the facilities' security and protect from hate crimes.

The funding is part of a $5.23 million package aimed at accomplishing the same security goal at organizations "which serve diverse communities" around the commonwealth.

“This is an investment in the safety and security of the diverse communities that are the tapestry of Pennsylvania,” Wolf said. “It’s unfortunate that hate continues to surface here, hurting Pennsylvanians and tearing apart our communities. I will continue to stand with and support these communities in any way I can.”

The Bucks County awardees are:

• St. Robert Bellarmine Church - Archdiocese of Philadelphia:$24,832
• Ohev Shalom of Bucks County: $24,800
• George School: $150,000
• Salem United Church of Christ: $25,000
• Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha - Northeast Inc.: $24,978
• Congregation Tifereth Israel of Lower Bucks County: $21,240

The Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program, administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, was established to provide grants to nonprofit organizations who principally serve individuals, groups or institutions that are included within a bias motivation category for single bias hate crime incidents as identified by the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics publication. The bias categories include race/ethnicity/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity.

In January, Gov. Wolf announced an additional $4.5 million being allocated to the program from Pennsylvania’s American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The awardees were eligible to apply for grant awards ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 for security enhancements designed to protect the safety and security of their membership. Funding can be used for safety and security planning, safety and security equipment and technology, training, building upgrades, vulnerability and threat assessments, and other security enhancements.

The commission on crime and delinquency has issued two previous Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program solicitations in 2020 and 2021. A total of $5 million in funding was awarded to each cohort, for a total of 243 awards announced.

Collectively, these funds have impacted more than one million people who are associated with these organizations, Wolf's office said.

A full list of nonprofits receiving the funding is available here.

More information about the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program and the application process can be found online.

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