California extends its nonprofit security grants to marches, festivals and other events away from home
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Sept. 25. One lets the state's Nonprofit Security Grant Program pay to protect events such as Pride celebrations and religious festivals; the other creates a protected zone around houses of worship.
Los Angeles. Nonprofits that qualify for California's security grants will be able to use the money to protect events they hold away from their own buildings, under one of two bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Sept. 25.
Assembly Bill 1836, by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat from Encino, makes funding from the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program available for off-site events such as Pride celebrations, marches, and cultural and religious festivals. Assembly Bill 2664, by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from Orinda, creates a protected zone around houses of worship.
What the grants pay for
The program, run by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, pays for security at nonprofits that face a high risk of violent attacks and hate crimes because of their ideology, beliefs or mission. The money goes to reinforced doors and gates, high-intensity lighting, alarm systems, surveillance and access controls, and emergency preparedness.
Since 2015 it has helped protect 1,614 nonprofits and places of worship, according to the governor's office. Mr. Gabriel, who chairs the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, said its recipients include houses of worship, LGBTQ+ community centers and reproductive health clinics, and that an interfaith coalition secured $80 million a year in ongoing funding for the program this year.
Where the bills were signed
Both bills were priorities of the caucus. The governor signed them at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, which protesters vandalized in 2025 before entering the building to disrupt a gathering, the governor's office said.
Ms. Bauer-Kahan said one in four Jewish Americans now say they do not feel safe attending Jewish institutions.
“This bill creates a safe bubble zone around houses of worship so people of all faiths can worship with the dignity, peace, and security they deserve.”
About this story
501c3.help wrote this story from the sources listed with it, not from material an organization sent. Our editors approved it on Sept. 28, 2026. Stories in The Nonprofit Herald are free, and nothing is asked in return. Editorial rules.
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