PENNSYLVANIA — In a significant move towards enhancing community safety, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1772 on October 31, 2023, with a vote of 153-49. This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, effectively doubling the total funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program from $5 million to $10 million.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program was initiated by Senator Costa and Representative Dan Frankel following the tragic Tree of Life Massacre in 2018. The program has since been pivotal in implementing critical security upgrades in Allegheny County and across Pennsylvania, thereby protecting vulnerable communities.
Democratic Leader Jay Costa lauded the expansion of the program, stating, “I am extremely proud of the nonprofit security program, and I am glad we are expanding it to meet the overwhelming demand from the community.” He emphasized the role of the program in safeguarding marginalized people and their gathering places from potential threats.
The most recent round of Nonprofit Security Grant Awardees was announced in April 2023. Applications for the next funding cycle closed on October 30, 2023.
Act 83, signed into law in 2019, mandates the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to administer grants to nonprofit organizations that chiefly serve individuals, groups, or institutions identified within a bias motivation category for single-bias hate crime incidents, as per the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics publication.
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