The Department of Justice is offering more than $7.7 million to boost security at religious facilities after a nationwide increase in active shooters and other threats against them.Faith-based institutions and police agencies can apply for up to $150,000 or $200,000 each for varying expenses related to protecting worshippers, according to the DOJ’s Wednesday funding notice. Three active shooters in the U.S. targeted such institutions in 2025 during a spike in deadly incidents by more than double since 2024, WBAL-TV reported in April, citing data from the Violence Prevention Project.
One category of the federal funding supports training and supplies for professional-grade security cameras, which will then be hooked up to real-time law enforcement systems, the DOJ said. “Video evidence is essential for proving the ‘bias motivation’ element required in hate crime cases, significantly increasing conviction rates and ensuring perpetrators face appropriate charges rather than having charges dismissed or reduced,” the department wrote.
The second category “will fund overtime costs for state and local law enforcement officers to provide visible, uniformed security presence” at religious facilities, the DOJ explained. “The visible deterrent effect of professional law enforcement presence has proven effective in preventing attacks on houses of worship.”Violence on sacred grounds
