PENNSYLVANIA — On December 13, 2023, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), chaired by Lt. Governor Austin Davis, approved $19 million in various grants. These funds are set to benefit over 90 local nonprofits that are potential targets for hate crimes, with a total of $5 million allocated. Furthermore, 20 law enforcement agencies will receive more than $1 million in recruitment grants.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, PCCD Chair, emphasized the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety of all Pennsylvanians. He said, “These grants will provide critical support for safety and security improvements for local nonprofits across the Commonwealth. We also recognize the challenge many communities and organizations are facing with recruiting new law enforcement officers, and the grants approved today will address that challenge.”
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a significant part of the administration’s stance against hate, supporting nonprofit organizations serving individuals or groups identified within a bias motivation category for single bias hate crime incidents by the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics. This includes faith-based institutions, community centers, and other organizations.
The grant funding can be used for a range of eligible security enhancements, such as safety and security planning and training, purchase of safety and security equipment and technology, upgrades to existing structures that enhance safety and security, and vulnerability and threat assessments.
This approval marks the sixth cohort of Nonprofit Security Grant Program awards by PCCD. The newly announced organizations join 488 entities that have received nearly $20 million in total funding since 2020. It is estimated that approximately four million people across the Commonwealth have been impacted by this funding based on reported data of the number of visitors to these facilities.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.