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Healey awarding nearly $5 million in grants for nonprofits to protect themselves from hate crimes, terror attacks

“Our administration is committed to ensuring nonprofits and all who gather in these spaces are protected from hate and extremist violence.”

Gov. Maura Healey. Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg

January 8, 2025

1 minute to read

More than 100 nonprofits are set to receive state grants totaling nearly $5 million to help the organizations protect themselves from hate crimes and terror attacks, the office of Governor Maura Healey announced Wednesday.

Healey’s administration said the funding is part of a broader investment in security improvements for nonprofits that serve as the “heart” of communities in the state. A 2023 report found a 26.6 percent increase in the number of hate crimes reported between 2022 and 2023, with bias against race, ethnicity, or national origin accounting for about 45 percent of all incidents. Anti-Semitic incidents in particular rose from 70 in 2022 to 119 in 2023, according to the state.

In 2024, the state put $16.4 million toward investing in security improvements for nonprofits, according to Healey’s office.

“These organizations offer comfort, services, community and support to those they serve. Our administration is committed to ensuring nonprofits and all who gather in these spaces are protected from hate and extremist violence,” Healey said in a statement.

The nonprofits were awarded the funding through two different grant programs, the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program and the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Personnel Grant Program. Recipients range from religious organizations, such as synagogues, churches, and Islamic societies, to youth centers and educational institutions.

“Places of worship, schools, service providers and other nonprofits are at the center of daily life in our communities,” Kevin Stanton, executive director of the state’s Office of Grants and Research, said in a statement. “All who gather in these spaces or turn to them for services have the right to do so without fear.”