Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $25 Million Available to Strengthen Security at Nonprofit Organizations
Governor Kathy Hochul today, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, announced the availability of an additional $25 million to help nonprofit organizations improve the security of their facilities to better protect those at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. Available to those organizations that have not previously received state funding for this purpose, the allocation builds on nearly $43 million awarded today to 362 nonprofit organizations to help boost security infrastructure and enhance preparedness against potential hate crime attacks.
“By their very nature, hate crimes strike at the heart of our democratic values and threaten to undermine the very tenets of our society,” Governor Hochul said. “By helping these nonprofit organizations protect themselves against these cowardly acts of violence, we continue to make public safety a top priority. Bigotry and hate have no place in our state, and we will do everything in our power to protect vulnerable people from those who would lash out against them due to their ideology, belief or mission.”
In total, the state funding will support 872 projects across the state. These projects will bolster security at community centers, schools, museums, and day camps.
Governor Hochul also announced today an expanded online reporting form that will allow New Yorkers to report bias and hate incidents occurring in New York State. The new online reporting form improves data collection capabilities and bolsters the state’s efforts to track and respond to acts of hate and discrimination.
The announcement comes as hate and bias incidents continue throughout the state, many targeting Jewish and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. While the number of hate crime incidents reported to police in the state represents a small fraction of total crime, these incidents are significant because they instill fear in the greater community of the victim.
This fall, the Division of Criminal Justice Services will seek proposals for the $25 million, which is expected to fund approximately 500 projects across the state. Nonprofit organizations that previously received grants may apply for a new grant to bolster security at different facilities.
DCJS will accept applications for up to $50,000 per facility; each eligible organization may submit up to three applications for a maximum of $150,000. In addition, individuals who have been the victims of hate crimes can receive direct services, such as counseling, civil legal assistance, safety planning, advocacy, emergency shelter and transportation, from a network of 212 victim assistance programs funded by the State Office of Victim Services.
The $43 million in funding awarded and announced today is administered by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Nearly $30 million will support 608 projects under the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program, and approximately $13 million will support 264 projects under the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program for Nonpublic Schools and Day Camps Program.
Created in 2017, the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Grant Program provides funding to strengthen security measures and prevent hate crimes against non-profit day care centers, community centers and cultural museums that may be vulnerable because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. Since the program’s inception, more than 500 such projects have been supported by $25 million in state funding.
New Yorkers who are the victims of hate or bias incidents or who witness such incidents can use the new online form to report detailed information about the incident to the New York State Hate Crimes Task Force. Submissions through the form are monitored by the New York State Police and the New York State Division of Human Rights, which may follow up to determine whether a crime or an act of discrimination in violation of the New York State Human Rights Law has occurred.
The updated form collects information about the location, time, and nature of the incident, as well as the suspected bias motivation. Individuals using the form also have the option to provide additional information, including photographs, videos, or documents relating to the incident. The old version of the Hate Crimes Task Force’s online reporting form did not collect a standardized set of data about each incident, and the new form will allow the Task Force to develop a more comprehensive picture of hate and bias incidents in New York State.
The new form is accessible on mobile devices and is available in English, as well as the ten languages covered by the recently expanded statewide language access policy: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Yiddish.
