The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Laurie Doran provided remarks to recognize recent Nonprofit Security Grant awardees during a U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer event in Glen Rock Nov. 13. Award recipients from the 5th Congressional District were on hand at the Glen Rock Jewish Center, where the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, local law enforcement and religious leaders discussed increased safety measures to protect the state’s houses of worship, students and communities against hate crimes. Dozens of 5th Congressional District nonprofits that demonstrated a high risk for a terror attack have and will receive more than $4 million in funding between the past two grant cycles. NJOHSP has awarded $300,000 to the Glen Rock Jewish Center and a Sikh Gurdwara during the latest cycle. Director Doran said the overall demand for NSGP funds is more than apparent as the agency received a record number of submissions in 2023. NJOHSP has administered $1.4 billion in State and federal nonprofit security grant funding since the programs' inceptions to help recipients purchase target-hardening equipment, hire security personnel and in the federal program's case, participate in training. “We have to remain vigilant and stand up in solidarity against any form of hate and violence,” Director Doran said. “After all, our common values outweigh our differences.” New Jersey ranks only second to New York in the nation in terms of funding levels from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA appropriates program funding and allots disbursements based on risk factors and qualified applicants. Director Doran noted that NJOHSP’s Interfaith Advisory Council has played an instrumental role in diversifying its grant application pool.

The application window for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, a federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is now open. The overall goal of the SLCGP is to improve the cybersecurity posture of State, local and territorial government organizations by providing assistance for managing and reducing systemic cyber risk. The SLCGP Planning Committee, DHS and FEMA had previously approved four resource areas for which funding provided by the SLCGP can be used. Visit the NJCCIC SLCGP web page for additional details on the four approved projects for federal fiscal year 2023 and for application instructions. New Jersey State and local government organizations interested in participating must complete and submit a Local Consent Agreement and an NJ SLCGP Application for Cybersecurity Resources form no later than Dec. 8.

Microsoft reportedly is partnering with a U.N. independent nonprofit organization to develop an AI-powered tool for detecting terrorist or violent extremist content online. Tech Against Terrorism, launched by the U.N. in 2016, will work with Microsoft to develop an AI-powered tool to detect potentially harmful content for future human review. The two organizations will use the new tool to strengthen Tech Against Terrorism’s Terrorist Content Analytics Platform, a storehouse of verified and classifiable terrorist content from designated terrorist and violent extremist organizations. They will then use the TCAP to improve the capabilities of Microsoft’s Azure AI Content Safety service in flagging potential terrorist content for further review. Tech Against Terrorism officials said it has archived more than 5,000 pieces of AI-generated content shared in terrorist and violent extremist spaces, logging an increase in activity each year. They have identified users exploiting generative AI tools to bolster the creation and dissemination of propaganda in support of both violent militant and neo-Nazi ideologies. If the pilot is successful, the two groups plan to make the tool available to smaller platforms and nonprofits.