As part of its ongoing effort to protect Massachusetts faith-based nonprofits against the heightened risk of extremist terrorist attacks, six Worcester County institutions and community organizations have received a combined $527,252 in federal funding to boost security initiatives.
In total, 67 nonprofit grant recipients received $7.84 million through the state’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and administered in the state by the Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research, according to a joint press release Friday by the OGR and Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
“Protecting our communities means safeguarding the organizations that uplift, support, and inspire us daily. This funding reaffirms our commitment to protecting these essential community spaces, ensuring they remain safe havens where people of all backgrounds can gather and feel secure,” Terrence Reidy, public safety and security secretary, said in the release.
The six Central Massachusetts nonprofit grant recipients are:
- Worcester Natural History Society (the EcoTarium) in Worcester received $150,000
- Jewish Healthcare Center in Worcester received $149,698
- MetroWest Jewish Day School in Framingham received $92,000
- Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury received $87,334
- 2Life Communities in Framingham received $48,220
October’s grants come after the Nonprofit Security Grant Program awarded $513,113 to nine Central Massachusetts faith-based organizations in August.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
