Lt. Governor Miller Announces $15.9 Million in Security Grants to Faith and Nonprofit Organizations to Prevent Hate Crimes
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today, the Moore-Miller Administration announced more than $15.9 million will be awarded in part through the Maryland Department of Emergency Management to 118 faith-based and nonprofit organizations across the state, through the United States Department of Homeland Security 2023 Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Grant funds will help strengthen communities against hate crimes and violence and can be used by organizations to bolster resiliency and security measures, including personnel, security equipment, and security-related planning, exercises, training.
Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller highlighted the announcement at a press conference today in Baltimore, alongside Maryland Department of Emergency Management Secretary Russ Strickland, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and faith and nonprofit leaders from across the state, whose congregations are grant recipients.
“Keeping Marylanders safe is a responsibility we share, and it’s on all of us to call out hate wherever we see it, and to fight against it together,” said Lt. Gov. Miller. “This record-breaking grant funding secured through collective partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to building a safer, more inclusive Maryland. ”
This is the largest dollar amount Maryland has received in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding to date.
“We are very pleased that, in conjunction with these Maryland organizations, we have been awarded funds which will have a profound impact on improving their security and the security of the state,” said Maryland Department of Emergency Management Sec. Russ Strickland. “This funding provides much needed financial support to nonprofit groups, which are part of the fabric of American life and provide important services during times of need. These groups have been the target of violence in the past, and these grants will help them prevent or minimize the consequences of those attacks.”
The grants add to a series of administration initiatives to prevent hate crimes, including $6.3 million in previously announced funding to protect against hate crimes and to enhance local police recruitment and retention efforts through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services.
A complete list of grantees and awards for both the Protecting Against Hate Crimes program and Police Recruitment and Retention grant is available here.