A week before the tragic mass shooting on August 27 at Annunciation Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security allocated $110 million to over 600 faith-based organizations to strengthen their security.
This funding constitutes the final round of a total $210 million appropriated by Congress through the National Security Supplemental, with more than $100 million already distributed to over 500 Jewish faith-based organizations nationwide.
“Whether they pray in a church, a mosque or a synagogue, all Americans should be able to practice their religion without fear of terrorism and violence,” a senior DHS official said in a press statement announcing the award on Aug. 19.
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s leadership, DHS is laser-focused on ensuring the safety of the American people. Instead of using grant money to fund climate change initiatives and political pet projects, we are using this money to protect American communities — especially places where people gather in prayer.”
The DHS pointed out concerns about violent criminals and radical groups that aim to harm American communities.
The agency stated that the award, administered through FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, can be utilized by religious groups—including churches—for security improvements such as security cameras, warning and alert systems, gates, lighting, access control systems, and staff training programs.
However, the list of over 600 faith-based organizations that received security grants from the DHS has not been made public.
The Minnesota Catholic Conference recently disclosed that after two school shootings in other states in 2022 and 2023, they requested security funding from state lawmakers for local non-public schools but did not receive any assistance, according to the Catholic News Agency.
“We need to ensure that all our schools have the resources to respond to and prevent these attacks from happening to our schools,” Jason Adkins, MCC’s executive director, wrote in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, both of whom are Democrats, dated April 14, 2023.
While Walz’s office responded to the CNA, stating he “cares deeply about the safety of students” and has “signed into law millions in funding for school safety,” the publication confirmed that none of the previously signed funding bills apply to non-public schools.
