Sponsors (50)
Official title: To establish a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and Houses of Worship within the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Grace Meng · Last progress September 30, 2025
The bill centralizes and standardizes federal safety, security, and grant information to help nonprofits and houses of worship strengthen preparedness and find funding, but it risks excluding non-501(c)(3) groups, imposes taxpayer and administrative costs, concentrates sensitive information, and could raise church–state concerns.
Nonprofits and houses of worship gain a centralized, vetted federal clearinghouse with safety and security best practices so they can adopt standardized guidance to reduce risks from natural disasters, attacks, and other threats.
Nonprofits and faith-based organizations get a consolidated, searchable index of federal grants (with links and application guidance), making it easier to find potential funding sources.
Nonprofit organizations benefit from evidence-based tiers and minimum criteria for prevention, response, and recovery practices, improving physical and online preparedness and resilience.
Nonprofits and houses of worship that do not have 501(c)(3) status could be excluded from Clearinghouse benefits, leaving some organizations without access to the resources the bill compiles.
DHS discretion to designate which 501(c)(3) organizations are 'at risk' could create uncertainty or result in eligible groups being overlooked or variably served.
Taxpayers and the federal budget face new near-term staffing and maintenance costs to establish and operate the Clearinghouse, and potential future increases if Congress expands related grant programs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a DHS Clearinghouse to publish evidence-based safety and security best practices and requires a GAO report on federal grants for nonprofits and houses of worship.
Creates a federal Clearinghouse within the Department of Homeland Security to collect, publish, and educate nonprofit and faith-based organizations (including houses of worship) about evidence-based physical and online safety and security best practices and available federal grants. Requires the Secretary to staff and run the Clearinghouse, develop tiers for evidence-based recommendations, and post a public point of contact. Directs the Government Accountability Office to produce a report for Congress evaluating federal grants, programs, and resources devoted to safety and security for nonprofit and faith-based organizations as of the report date.