Harrisburg, PA − December 14, 2022 − Today, Senator Jay Costa and Representative Dan Frankel are proud to announce the Allegheny County recipients of Nonprofit Security Grant Funding. The program is funded by Act 83 of 2019 and administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). In the wake of the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, Sen. Costa and Rep. Frankel secured this grant funding so that nonprofits who could be targets of hate crimes could improve security measures and protect members from hate-based violence.
“All of us deserve the freedom to practice our faith and gather with community members safely, without fear of violence,” said Senator Jay Costa. “In order to deliver on that crucial freedom, I am proud to have worked so closely with Rep. Frankel and members of the Jewish community in Allegheny County to secure funding that will keep worshippers, families, and communities safe. It saddens me greatly that these funds are necessary, but as long as they are, I am proud to do what’s necessary to keep people of all ages, races, faiths, and backgrounds safe in the places they live and gather.”
“I look forward to a day when these grants will not be necessary – that Pennsylvanians can worship and be together with their communities without fear. While we continue to fight for that future, I am proud of the success we have had to direct resources toward every effort to ensure that our vulnerable constituents can feel safe and secure,” said Representative Dan Frankel.
The recipients of this round of grants based in Allegheny County are as follows:
- Chabad House on Campus, Inc.: $25,000
- Chabad of Squirrel Hill: $150,000
- Christ Temple Church of Pittsburgh: $10,000
- Community Day School: $25,000
- Jewish Family & Children’s Service $24,683
- Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh: $67,820
- The Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, Inc.: $150,000
- Tzohar Arts: $25,000
- Universal Education Foundation: $25,000
- Yeshivath Achel Tmimim of Pittsburgh: $25,000
The funding comes from Act 83 of 2019, which established a new program at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). Act 83 directs PCCD to administer grants to Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations who principally serve individuals, groups or institutions that are included within a bias motivation category for single bias hate crime incidents as identified by the FBI’s 2017 Hate Crime Statistics publication. The categories include race/ethnicity/ancestry; religion; sexual orientation; disability; gender; and gender identity.
Applicants were eligible for security enhancements designed to protect the safety and security of the users of a facility located in the Commonwealth that is owned or operated by the nonprofit organization. More information about the grant is accessible on the PCCD’s website.
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