With heightened concerns about extremism and hate crimes throughout the U.S., Illinois officials said Thursday they have awarded $20 million in grants to synagogues, mosques and other religious and cultural institutions “deemed at high risk of a terrorist attack.”
The grants, which also were awarded to reproductive health centers, must be used for “target-hardening activities,” which include active shooter training, the purchase and installation of security equipment and the hiring of security guards, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office.
“This $20 million investment will provide grantees — from mosques and synagogues to education centers and cultural institutions — the resources they need to enhance safety measures amidst the rising tide of extremism,” Pritzker said in a news release.
The grants were made through the 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
The funding comes as the prevalence of hate crimes has become an increasing concern throughout the country.
In Chicago, reported hate crimes nearly doubled in 2022 from the previous year. According to Chicago police data, there were 202 reported hate crimes last year, up from 109 in 2021.
Those figures included a rise in alleged hate crimes committed with anti-Black and anti-Jewish bias. Acts motivated by bias against Asian people, white people, LGBTQ+ people and Latinos also were up substantially last year.
The data shows the most common hate crimes occurred in the form of assault, battery or criminal damage to property.
While many of the institutions receiving the money are in Chicago, others are in the suburbs and downstate cities including Peoria, Decatur and Galesburg.
Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel, a synagogue in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, will be receiving $148,500 through the grant program. In 2019, the synagogue was the target of an attempted arson.
“Though we have taken historic steps to make Illinois the most welcoming state in the nation, there has been a rise in antisemitism, anti-Asian American hate, anti-immigrant rhetoric and hate crimes,” state Sen. Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat whose district includes Jewish and Muslim communities, said in a statement. “We must stay vigilant and provide as many tools In the toolbox as possible to root out hate.”
Some of the other institutions awarded grants include the Bronzeville Black Chicagoan Historical Society on the city’s South Side, $142,000; the Chicago Islamic Center in southwest suburban Worth, $406,500; the CityLine Bible Church in north suburban Niles, $149,500; the Islamic Foundation of Peoria, $150,000; and the Fellowship Baptist Church in downstate Vienna, $90,250.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
