The three top candidates hoping to fill the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Nancy Pelosi affirmed their support at a forum Wednesday for a federal program that funds security for vulnerable nonprofits, including synagogues, and criticized restrictions placed on the program by the Trump administration.
At a previous public debate, the candidates for California’s 11th congressional district disagreed slightly on the U.S. relationship with Israel. But when it comes to the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, all were in agreement.
The program, run through the Department of Homeland Security, appropriates millions of dollars each year for security measures for at-risk nonprofits, including Jewish organizations like synagogues and day schools, as well as mosques, churches and LGBTQ centers.
A shutdown at DHS since mid-February has halted the review of funding applications, creating uncertainty for applicants, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Total funding for the program in fiscal year 2025 was $274.5 million. Established in 2004, it helps institutions pay for security guards, cameras, reinforced doors and other protections. It has become a vital tool for security planning for Jewish organizations.
Conditions that surfaced in April 2025 would require grant recipients to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recipients would also be compelled to terminate any diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“Those conditions are an abomination to a very important program,” state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-S.F.) said before a crowd of about 350 at the United Irish Cultural Center.
At the forum, produced by the San Francisco Independent Media Coalition, former political staffer and tech entrepreneur Saikat Chakrabarti, S.F. Supervisor Connie Chan and Wiener all vowed to push back against conditions on the grants and said they would vote to expand the total grant allocation.
In August 2025, dozens of Jewish nonprofits and congregations were among 70 progressive organizations and 130 leaders to sign an open letter announcing they would boycott the program if the DHS decided to enforce these conditions, JTA reported.
Wiener emphasized how other minority groups could find themselves more vulnerable if the security grant program is compromised.
“There are mosques that are targeted, LGBT nonprofits that are targeted, Latino organizations that are targeted,” he said. “It is tragic that we need the government to step in to help community organizations protect themselves with physical or other kinds of security, but that is where we are, and it is essential that that program be strong and very well funded.”
Chan also supported the removal of the conditions and called attention to the harm the Trump administration poses to nonprofits with active DEI programs.
“We can make sure that we remain a sanctuary city, that we provide all the necessary services for the people that deserve [them] in California, in San Francisco, frankly across the nation,” said Chan, who represents the Richmond District on the San Francisco board of supervisors. “This is a moment that Congress needs to stand up.”
Chakrabarti went beyond affirming his stance that nonprofits should not be required to cooperate with ICE, calling the agency “Trump’s personal paramilitary force.”
“In Congress, I’m going to make sure that we remove federal immunity from ICE agents,” he said. “I’m going to use my position to ensure that more nonprofits have access to that. I will use my power of congressional oversight to hold the administration accountable.”
The San Francisco Independent Media Coalition is a collaborative of neighborhood publications and ethnic media outlets that cover news in the city. J. is a founding member of the coalition, which was established in 2022. Since then, it has grown to include 14 member publications.