California Commits $80 Million in Ongoing Annual Funding for Nonprofit Security – a Generational First

After a decade of annual budget fights, Governor Newsom's signature establishes a permanent funding floor for hundreds of houses of worship, schools, and community centers facing hate-motivated violence

SACRAMENTO, CA — Jewish California, the nation's largest statewide coalition of Jewish organizations, today celebrated a landmark commitment in the final three-party state budget agreement: $80 million in ongoing, annual funding for the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program (CSNSGP).

The commitment marks a structural turning point for the program. For years, the CSNSGP has been funded one budget cycle at a time, requiring Jewish California to advocate for new appropriations annually. By establishing ongoing funding, the budget agreement gives at-risk nonprofits – including synagogues and other houses of worship, LGBTQ+ and community centers, schools, and reproductive health centers across California – a reliable, guaranteed floor of security resources they can count on year after year.

“This is a generational win,” said David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California. “For the first time, our institutions have security funding they can rely on every single year, rather than a one-time appropriation we have to fight for from scratch. We are no longer starting at zero each year – we are building from a permanent foundation. That changes everything about how we protect our community.”

The program has grown dramatically over the past decade. Dedicated state security funding for California nonprofits has expanded by 15,900% – from $500,000 in 2018 to $80 million in ongoing annual funding today. Since the program's creation in 2015, more than $300 million has been allocated to 1,614 nonprofits and places of worship.

Jewish California credited the program's creation and growth to Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D–San Fernando Valley), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Assemblymember Gabriel first championed nonprofit security as a lay leader, authored the original legislation creating the CSNSGP, and has since authored two bills to expand the program, with another in development (AB 1386) to expand its reach. Jewish California has sponsored each of these bills and the annual funding requests.

“At a time of rising antisemitism, political violence, and hate targeting communities across the country, this ongoing funding marks a major milestone in California’s commitment to protecting vulnerable communities,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and author of the legislation that established the NSGP. “By making funding for this program permanent, California is providing long-term certainty to nonprofits that our state will continue to stand with communities targeted by hate-motivated violence. I want to thank David Bocarsly, Jewish California, and the broader interfaith community for making this historic investment possible and ensuring California remains the national leader in protecting vulnerable communities.”

In recent months, as the opportunity for permanent funding took shape, Jewish California partnered with a powerful inter-ethnic and interfaith network that recognized this fight as a shared one. Equality California, PICO California, Intercultural Networks Group (ING), African Methodist Episcopal Church, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Hollywood Sikh Temple, Hindu American Foundation (HAF), API Council, Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE), Korean Youth and Community Center (KYCC), and statewide Pride organizations all lobbied the Legislature for this ongoing funding allocation.

“For Jewish institutions, security is no longer optional – it is an essential part of keeping our schools, synagogues, community centers, and public events safe,” said Bocarsly. “The tragic attack at the Poway synagogue, the recent shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, Australia, and countless other acts of antisemitic violence remind us that these threats are real. By making this funding permanent, California is providing certainty to organizations that should never have to wonder whether they will have the resources needed to protect their communities. At the same time, this program strengthens security for churches, mosques, LGBTQ+ organizations, and many other nonprofits facing hate, demonstrating that protecting one community helps protect us all."

Jewish California also thanks Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate Budget Chair John Laird, and the Legislative Jewish Caucus for their sustained leadership in protecting our institutions from hate-motivated violence.