Governor Polis Provides $1 Million in Non-Profit Grants to Help Protect Colorado’s Places of Worship from Targeted Violence

Keeping Coloradans of all faiths, ideologies, and beliefs safe

DENVER - Today, Governor Polis announced awards for one million dollars of additional Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding recently unanimously approved by the Joint Budget Committee for 30 non-profit organizations such as synagogues, mosques, and churches, to support physical security measures for organizations that are at high risk of attack due to their ideology, beliefs, or mission, often places of worship. This program was created when Governor Polis signed the Colorado Nonprofit Security Grant Program legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Iman Jodeh, and Senators Kevin Priola and Chris Hansen, on June 7, 2022. The Joint Budget Committee unanimously approved this additional $1 million in funding on Wednesday, Dec 20th.

“In Colorado, everyone should be safe to worship as they choose without fearing for the safety of their family, friends, or loved ones. I am thankful to the Joint Budget Committee for its partnership in supporting non-profit organizations that keep Coloradans of all faiths safe in these tumultuous times. These grants will help secure recipients from the risk of targeted violence and keep Coloradans safer, ensuring that Colorado is a place of safe religious expression not of narrow-minded hate,” said Governor Polis.

The Colorado NSGP program partially funded nine organizations for a total of $408,255 earlier this year. With this new $1,000,000.00 in funding, CDPS will be able to extend funding to an additional 21 applicants and fully fund the original nine awards.

“Since the horrifying Hamas attacks on October 7, we've seen a major uptick in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of violence and threats both here in Colorado and across the country," said Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City. “I am deeply worried about the safety of my community. This is why we passed this law, which is helping protect our communities from violence by providing critical grant funding to improve security at synagogues, churches, temples and mosques. I appreciate this additional funding, and am grateful to the JBC for prioritizing the security of Colorado's places of worship.”

“Every person in Colorado deserves to worship freely and safely, and these grants help make that possible for Coloradans of all faiths. With the rise in anti-Arab, Islamophobia, and antisemitism, this bill is more vital than ever. We passed this legislation to directly address the increased challenges that many houses of worship face, and I am proud to see this additional funding being awarded,” said Representative Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora.

"No one should feel unsafe in the place they worship, which is why we're taking the steps now to protect Coloradans," said JBC Chair, Shannon Bird, D-Westminster. "Through a partnership with local non-profits, we can protect and secure more houses of worship throughout Colorado. All places of worship should be sacred, and this program connects houses of worship with resources they need to ramp up security and keep Coloradans safe."

The NSGP funding can be used for:

security-related planning
exercises
training
contracted security personnel
and the acquisition and installation of security equipment on real property owned or leased by the nonprofit organization at the time of application.

A list of allowable security equipment can be found on FEMA’s Authorized Equipment List.

Governor Polis is committed to making Colorado a Top Ten Safest State in the US. Securing and protecting Colorado’s places of worship is an important step to meeting that goal. Governor Polis’s 2024-25 budget proposal included $1,004,607 for this grant program. These grants work in partnership with the Governor’s budget, which invests $39.6 million in evidence-based crime prevention, as well as critical interventions to disrupt crime where it is taking place, to keep our communities safe.

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