Nassau County, NY – Nassau County Executive Laura Curran is encouraging religious groups, cultural centers and other eligible nonprofit organizations to apply for New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ (DHSES) Securing Communities Against Hate grant program. The grant program is designed to boost safety and security for organizations at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission.
“We cannot look away from the fact that anti-Semitism is on the rise, along with other forms of bigotry and hate. My main priority is to ensure the safety of all our residents, which is why I am encouraging all religious and cultural institutions to apply for the DHSES grant that can help equip these facilities with state -of -the art security and technology as a way to protect against hateful acts and combat bigotry and intolerance,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
The Securing Communities Against Hate program is offering a total of $45 million in grants statewide. Twenty five million dollars is designated for Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program for nonpublic nonprofit schools, nonprofit day care centers, nonprofit community centers, nonprofit cultural museums and nonprofit residential camps. And $20 million for the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program for Nonpublic Schools and Day Camps for nonpublic nonprofit schools and nonprofit day camps.
The grant will provide up to $50,000 in funding to enhance security and safety at the eligible facilities. Qualified spending includes additional security training for personnel, purchasing of perimeter lights, installation of alarm systems, camera-based security systems and lockdown systems, installation of perimeter fencing, door hardening and state of the art technology upgrades.
Eligible organizations may submit up to five applications for separate facilities for a maximum total request of $250,000. Please note that a separate application must be submitted for each requested facility. The grant application requires each organization to complete a self-vulnerability assessment of each facility, available on the website.
Applications are due by February 27 at 5:00 p.m. Complete qualifications, requirements and applications can be found at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/grants/nonprofit/hate-crimes.cfm