Newsom proposes $80M in security grants for faith groups after San Diego shooting
More than 300 nonprofits statewide will receive $76 million in state funds to shore up their security protocols to protect against hate-fueled attacks in the wake of last week’s shooting at a San Diego mosque.
The proposal, which Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office shared with The Sacramento Bee ahead of a planned announcement Thursday, is part of the current fiscal year 2025 budget. Some 228 of the 343 awardees are faith-based nonprofits ranging from mosques to Jewish synagogues, Catholic parishes to Sikh temples; 22 are based in the Sacramento area. Newsom is proposing including another $40 million in the May revised budget. Last year, 20 Sacramento-area groups received $43.4 million.
“Hate and violence have no place in California. By investing in critical security upgrades, we are leading the nation in protecting places of worship and high-risk communities, strengthening preparedness and ensuring every Californian can gather safely and without fear,” Newsom said in a statement.
The funding is through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’ nonprofit security grant program. Since 2015, the program has doled out funds to nonprofits that are considered high-risk targets for violence and hate crimes due to their ideology, beliefs or mission.
The current year grants, which range in Newsom’s proposal from $61,000 to $500,000, fund upgrades like security cameras, surveillance and alarm systems; emergency preparedness upgrades; and hardened physical barriers like reinforced doors, gates, access controls and lighting.
The grant news comes after the Islamic Center of San Diego shooting last week where two teenage boys shot and killed three people before turning their guns on themselves. Authorities are investigating it as a hate crime after finding evidence that the perpetrators had been radicalized online and wrote a manifesto full of Neo Nazi and racist beliefs.
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, is the chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and authored the law to establish the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
“At a moment of rising threats, we are doubling down on our commitment to protect our most vulnerable communities,” Gabriel said in statement. “We know that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a tested and effective tool and we applaud Governor Newsom’s for his leadership in securing this critically important funding.”
Sacramento-area recipients include the Cares Community Health 1500; First Baptist Church of Carmichael; Folsom Educational Academy; Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools; Horizon Community Church in Galt; the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of Sacramento; the Jain Center of Greater Sacramento; the Lord’s Church in Mather; the Muhajer Foundation in West Sacramento; the Muslim Community of Folsom; the Pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Elk Grove; Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary School; Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims; the Sacramento Food Bank; Congregation Beth Shalom in Carmichael; the Sacramento Youth Center; the Victory Outreach Church in South Sacramento and Warehouse Christian Ministries.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Newsom proposes $80M in security grants for faith groups after San Diego shooting."
