Three years ago, in response to rising Antisemitism and threats, the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond made a significant investment in Community Security.
The RVA Secure Community Initiative was designed in partnership with the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula and the Secure Community Network (SCN) to launch the nation’s first Regional Jewish Community security program.
The program welcomed Dave Brackins as Regional Security Advisor in December of 2019 with JCFR raising $65,000/year to support the program along with significant additional matching funds from SCN.
The regional program includes UJC of the Virginia Peninsula and was recently joined by Tidewater Jewish Federation, each supporting a portion of the programs overall costs.
Along with training and security coordination, a lynchpin of the program is JCFR’s assistance and support of local partner institutions in applying for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), given out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The program allows houses of worship and other nonprofits or NGOs to apply for grants of up to $150,000 for each institution. The money can be used for security measures such as fencing, cameras, stronger doors and the hiring of security personnel.
Over $1.6 million Past Two Years
Prior to the Security Initiative being in place, Richmond Jewish institutions had received approximately $100,000 in grants. We are pleased to share that in 2020 and 2021, Richmond Jewish Institutions have received over $1.6 million in Security grants including $467,000 in fiscal 2020 and $1,302,111 in 2021.
This is a direct result of Dave Brackins and our Federations leadership, support, and guidance and demonstrates the impact of our Federation on this critical community need.
As we launch our 2022 Fundraising effort this is yet another example of our Federation’s impact and critical role in the community. We are grateful to the individual donors who supported the RVA Secure program and Annual Campaign, which makes this initiative possible. In 2022 we will seek to solidify long term funding to support the RVA Secure initiative for years to come.
To learn more about the program visit https://www.jewishrichmond.org/security
We look forward to sharing the complete list of grant recipients when available and thank you for your ongoing support and leadership!
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