California has committed to $80 million in annual funding to protect vulnerable sites, including Jewish congregations, schools and community centers, from extremist violence, ending the yearly budget fights over the state’s security grant program for nonprofits.
The commitment, included in the budget agreement that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on June 29, marks the first time the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program has permanent annual funding since it was created in 2015.
“This is a generational win,” said David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California, the statewide coalition of Jewish groups that pushed for the funding. “For the first time, our institutions have security funding they can rely on every single year, rather than a one-time appropriation we have to fight for from scratch. We are no longer starting at zero each year. We are building from a permanent foundation.”
Newsom and the state Legislature made the funding permanent despite heavy pressure on the state budget. The $352 billion spending plan for 2026-27 relies on an expected surge in tax revenue from the AI boom to close the multibillion dollar deficit the state faced.
Jewish California said the win is the result of an advocacy alliance with other ethnic and religious groups, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Hollywood Sikh Temple and the Hindu American Foundation.
The program funds security upgrades, such as cameras, fencing and trained guards, at nonprofits that are considered vulnerable to hate crimes, including Jewish institutions, houses of worship of all faiths, reproductive health clinics and LGTBQ centers. More than $300 million has been granted to some 1,600 nonprofits since the program’s inception, according to Jewish California.
The permanence of the funding will bring relief and certainty to Jewish leaders tasked with planning for their organization’s security needs, according to Rudy Granados, senior director of community security at Jewish Federation Bay Area.
“It helps with the anxiety for the organizations themselves, and it helps them plan out better what they’re going to need and where they can dedicate their resources,” Granados said.
Now, lawmakers with the California Legislative Jewish Caucus are seeking to expand the program.
AB 1836, authored by Jewish caucus chair Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and caucus member Chris Ward (D-San Diego), is making its way through the Senate. It seeks an additional $100 million for the program and to extend eligibility to security for offsite events.
The effort comes amid the continuing threat of antisemitic violence and as a parallel federal program for nonprofit security is resuming after a period of uncertainty and confusion. The federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program was stalled amid a wider political impasse in Congress that shut down the Department of Homeland Security from February through April. In late June, the federal grant program published a notice for 56 new awards totaling $300 million, with an application deadline on July 24.
At least one program related to fighting hate-related violence didn’t make it into California’s new budget. The state allowed funding to expire for a hotline to report hate crimes.
The California vs. Hate hotline, created in 2023, allowed callers to report hate crimes they experienced or witnessed and referred callers to trained professionals for assistance.
Since its launch in May 2023, the hotline responded to over 6,800 calls, nearly 1,000 of which were made in 2025, according to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), which housed the program. (As of July 1, the CRD was transferred to the California Housing and Homelessness Agency.)
The CRD confirmed it did not request new funding for the hotline this year but wouldn’t say why.
As of July 1, the hotline features a recorded message that also appears on its website: “The CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network is no longer operational due to funding constraints in the state budget. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are not in immediate danger and are seeking resources or referrals to service organizations in your area, call 211.”
Several Jewish groups worked with the state officials on the hotline program, including the Anti-Defamation League, which said it laments its loss.
The ADL worked with the hotline’s case managers to provide insights on antisemitism and trends of extremism, as well as tailored advice on how to respond to specific reports of antisemitic hate, according to ADL Central Pacific associate regional director Yuval Berenstein.
“I always felt, when I was working with them, that our issues, our community was heard, and they were actively trying to make sure that they can help our community,” he said. “Without California vs. Hate, everyone is going to be less served, and it’s really a shame.”