Nearly a dozen faith-based organizations across Bucks County, including one each in Doylestown and Warrington, are set to receive state funding aimed at strengthening security and protecting against hate crimes, part of a $10.8 million grant program announced last week.
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency awarded funding to 191 nonprofits statewide through its Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which supports security planning, staff training, and technology upgrades at vulnerable institutions. The program serves a wide range of faith-based organizations, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim congregations.
In Bucks County, recipients include Salem United Church of Christ in Doylestown, awarded $45,500, and Congregation Tiferes Boruch in Warrington, which will receive $16,000.
Additional grants include $56,390 for St. James Church in Langhorne, the Zubaida Foundation in Yardley, awarded $107,500, and the United American Muslim Association of New York in Levittown, which will receive $75,000. Shir Ami Bucks County Jewish Congregation in Newtown also secured $75,000, while Kol Emet Yardley Reconstructionist Congregation in Lower Makefield was awarded $60,000.
Smaller awards were issued to Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope ($25,000), and Temple Judea of Bucks County in Furlong ($24,894).
The grant program was created in response to the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Since its inception, the initiative has distributed $35 million to more than 600 organizations statewide, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who chairs the commission, said the continued demand for funding underscores the ongoing need for security investments at community institutions.
State officials said annual funding for the program has more than doubled over the past three years, with this year’s allocation supplemented by unused funds from previous cycles. The investments are estimated to benefit roughly seven million people based on attendance at funded facilities, according to the governor’s office.
