Bennet Leads Colorado Democrats in Demanding DHS Implement the Law to Protect Religious Communities

Dec 12, 2025| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet led his Colorado Democratic colleagues - U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Brittany Pettersen, and Jason Crow - on a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem urging the DHS to protect religious communities in Colorado and across the country by implementing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act, legislation passed through the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill made necessary improvements to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which organizations use to deploy physical security enhancements and emergency preparedness capabilities. These improvements include expanding the eligible uses of grant funding and reauthorizing the NSGP at higher funding levels.

"The NSGP provides at-risk nonprofit organizations - like places of worship, schools, and community centers - with critical resources to bolster protections amid heightened risk of attack. The NSGP Improvement Act provided necessary funding and strengthened FEMA's ability to administer the program, directing FEMA to establish an office dedicated to overseeing the NSGP. That office would be responsible for publishing important information about grant applications, conducting outreach, and providing technical assistance to states and nonprofit organizations. To date, neither FEMA nor DHS has released information on the creation of this office," wrote the lawmakers.

Additionally, the letter urges DHS to allow organizations to use NSGP funds to pay permanent salaried employees or personnel expenses. The lawmakers emphasized that without this flexibility, nonprofits are forced to rely on security contractors who are unreliable and often hard to procure.

"In light of the recent surge in anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and other violent hate-based incidents in the United States, the importance of this program cannot be overstated. We urge DHS and FEMA to do more to ensure NSGP allows nonprofits and religious organizations to better protect the people they serve," concluded the lawmakers.

Bennet has long fought for greater funding for the NSGP. Earlier this year, he and Hickenlooper wrote to Senate leadership advocating for $500 million for the program in Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. Bennet also led the effort to pass the April 2024 national security supplemental, which included $400 million for the NGSP.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Noem,

We write to express our concern regarding the implementation of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2022, which was included in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This legislation made crucial improvements to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), such as expanding eligible uses of grant funding and reauthorizing the program at higher funding levels. We are concerned that the federal government has not implemented this legislation to its full congressional intent. Accordingly, we strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to take immediate steps to ensure the program is implemented effectively, particularly given the disturbing increase in anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and other hateful attacks across the country.

The NSGP provides at-risk nonprofit organizations - like places of worship, schools, and community centers - with critical resources to bolster protections amid heightened risk of attack. The NSGP Improvement Act provided necessary funding and strengthened FEMA's ability to administer the program, directing FEMA to establish an office dedicated to overseeing the NSGP. That office would be responsible for publishing important information about grant applications, conducting outreach, and providing technical assistance to states and nonprofit organizations. To date, neither FEMA nor DHS has released information on the creation of this office. We request that you confirm whether FEMA has established this office, and if so, to what extent it is appropriately staffed to carry out the duties outlined in the NSGP Improvement Act.

The NSGP Improvement Act also directed FEMA to publish grant guidelines and ensure that State Administrative Agencies (SAAs), the entities responsible for vetting and submitting applications to FEMA, do not close their application processes before the guidelines are published. We are concerned about the lack of standardization of application details or deadlines for SAAs. Implementing a standard deadline for all SAAs and a set list of required documents would make the process significantly more efficient and less confusing for the organizations applying. In addition, we believe there should be increased transparency between FEMA and SAAs. FEMA should provide uniform guidance and feedback regarding both successful and unsuccessful applications. This increased communication would allow unsuccessful organizations to improve their applications.

The legislation also expanded the eligible uses of grant funds to include payments to contracted security personnel and administrative expenses. While this has been helpful, at present, organizations cannot use funds from this program for permanent salaried employees or personnel expenses. This means that non-profits are reliant on contracting outside security vendors, which can be unpredictable and hard to hire when needed. We request that DHS and FEMA take steps to allow organizations to use NSGP grants to pay permanent security guards and other critical personnel.

In light of the recent surge in anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and other violent hate-based incidents in the United States, the importance of this program cannot be overstated. We urge DHS and FEMA to do more to ensure NSGP allows nonprofits and religious organizations to better protect the people they serve.

All Americans deserve to visit their places of worship, schools, and community centers freely and without fear.

We look forward to your response and stand ready to work with you.

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