Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) introduced legislation to expand the scope of federal security funding for synagogues and other places of worship to cover guards and security staff.
“We must do far more to combat the scourge of antisemitism and to ensure that synagogues, temples and community centers have the resources to ensure that they are safe as hateful threats and violent actions metastasize in Colorado and across the country,” Neguse stated.
The Safe Spaces for All Act would amend the U.S. Department of Homeland Security program to allow grants to cover on-site security personnel and off-duty police, in addition to security measures and contracted security services already eligible for funding.
The legislation also would allow nonprofits to use up to 5% of a grant to pay personnel to prepare grant applications and administer the funding, a provision supporters say could help smaller organizations that lack dedicated grant-writing staff.
The bill comes as Jewish institutions face sharply rising security costs. The Jewish Federations of North America estimates that synagogues, schools, camps, community centers and other Jewish institutions spent more than $1 billion on security in 2025, a 33% increase from $765 million in 2024. Most of the spending went toward security personnel.
The Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Community Relations Council of JEWISHcolorado endorsed the legislation.
“Walk into most American synagogues today, and the first person you meet isn’t a rabbi; it’s a security guard. That is the reality of Jewish life in America,” stated Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO and National Director. “Cameras, reinforced doors and metal detectors are essential, but with threats continuing to evolve and escalate, so must our defenses.”
The federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program has $300 million available for fiscal year 2026, divided equally between grants for nonprofits in designated high-risk urban areas and those outside them.
The bill follows the introduction of the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which would authorize $1 billion for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and establish other federal measures to combat antisemitism. The Senate version, sponsored by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), was referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
