Maryland Delegation Announces Over $7 Million to Increase Safety and Security in Places of Worship

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) today announced $7,393,350 in federal funding to strengthen security at 50 churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious community centers across Maryland. The awards are provided through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which helps high-risk nonprofits, including faith-based institutions, obtain the resources required to support and integrate preparedness activities with broader state and local efforts. The lawmakers fought to fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $454.5 million through Fiscal Year 2024 annual appropriations, an increase from $305 million in Fiscal Year 2023.

“Religious freedom is protected under our Constitution, and every Marylander must be able to worship without fear for their safety,” said the lawmakers. “With threats and attacks against faith communities on the rise, we must not only speak out against those hateful actions – we also must invest in protecting these institutions that support communities across our state. Maryland families can trust that these federal grants will help ensure houses of worship have the resources they need to keep them safe.”

A full list of the recipients, selected by DHS, is below:

Western Maryland - $968,500

• $150,000.00 – Beth Sholom Congregation
• $150,000.00 – Chabad Lubavitch of Frederick         
• $150,000.00 – Crossroads Apostolic Church
• $150,000.00 – Heritage Academy, Inc.         
• $148,500.00 – Islamic Society of Frederick  
• $150,000.00 – Islamic Society of Western Maryland           
• $70,000.00 – LaVale Methodist Church       

Baltimore Area - $4,050,000

• $150,000.00 – Adamah, Inc. 
• $150,000.00 – Baldwin Memorial United Methodist Church           
• $150,000.00 – Berea Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church          
• $150,000.00 – Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church
• $150,000.00 – Cedar Grove Methodist Church         
• $150,000.00 – Chabad of West Pikesville     
• $150,000.00 – Chabad-Lubavitch of Maryland Inc. 
• $150,000.00 – Congregation Aish Kodesh, Inc.       
• $150,000.00 – Congregation Ariel Russian Community Synagogue, Inc.   
• $150,000.00 – Congregation Kneseth Israel 
• $150,000.00 – Grace Bible Baptist Church (Main Building)
• $150,000.00 – Greenspring Sephardic Synagogue, Inc.       
• $150,000.00 – Hope Center DC        
• $150,000.00 – Jewish Community Services  
• $150,000.00 – Keter Torah    
• $150,000.00 – Khosh Family Foundation     
• $150,000.00 – Mosdos Kehal Chassidim - Day Care
• $150,000.00 – Odenton Baptist Church and Odenton Christian School       
• $150,000.00 – Ohr Menachem Jewish Center Inc.   
• $150,000.00 – St. Ignatius Hickory Roman Catholic Congregation 
• $150,000.00 – St. Michael the Archangel, Overlea, Roman Catholic Congregation Inc.    
• $150,000.00 – St. Stephen Roman Catholic Congregation   
• $150,000.00 – The Greenspring Valley Synagogue and Center (Ner Tamid)          
• $150,000.00 – The Rector Wardens and Vestry St Anne's Parish of Annapolis, Inc. - Preschool   
• $150,000.00 – Third Space at Shaarei Tfiloh
• $150,000.00 – Union Memorial United Methodist Church  
• $150,000.00 – Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary for Girls, Inc.

National Capital Region - $2,239,850        

• $150,000.00 – Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah
• $150,000.00 – Chabad of Potomac Village       
• $150,000.00 – Congregation and Talmud Torah B'nai Israel
• $150,000.00 – Epworth United Methodist Church   
• $150,000.00 – Glenmont United Methodist Church 
• $150,000.00 – IMAAM Inc.   
• $149,850.00 – Lutif Ul Lahi (The Kindness and Praise of God)      
• $150,000.00 – Magen David Sephardic        
• $142,000.00 – Metropolitan Baptist Church 
• $150,000.00 – Murugan Temple of North America  
• $150,000.00 – Orthodox Congregation of Silver Spring       
• $150,000.00 – Torah School of Greater Washington
• $148,000.00 – Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ      
• $150,000.00 – Young Israel Shomrai Emunah of Greater Washington        
• $150,000.00 – Young Israel Shomrai Emunah of GW-Youth House

Southern Maryland - $135,000

• $135,000.00 – Living Hope First United Pentecostal Church           

The Department of Homeland Security awarded nearly $724 million in FY 2024 to help prepare against threats and natural disasters. The total amount for each grant program is set by Congress and the allocations are made by the Department.