New York handed out a record $70 million in security grants before Rosh Hashanah. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the awards September 8, 2026, under the state's Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program. Yeshiva World News ran the story under a headline about protecting shuls and schools.
The money went to 290 organizations, with grants of up to $250,000 each, the highest cap since 2017. By region:
New York City: 147 grants, $35.8 million
Mid-Hudson: 99 grants, $24.2 million
Long Island: 25 grants, $6.0 million
Since Hochul took office, the program has paid out more than $201 million for 2,035 projects.
The list that isn't public
The Division of Criminal Justice Services, which runs the program, does not publish who got the money. It says naming recipients would put them at risk.
That is a real concern. It also means taxpayers cannot see whether $24.2 million in the Mid-Hudson region, which includes Rockland and Orange counties, went where the need is. Nobody outside the agency can check whether any project was finished.
A separate $32 million in federal Nonprofit Security Grant money, run by the state's homeland security division, went to more than 150 groups about a month earlier.
Why it matters
NYPD numbers through August 30 counted 229 anti-Jewish hate crimes, up from 212, or 53.9% of all hate crimes in the city. Agudath Israel's Rabbi Yeruchim Silber and Teach Coalition's Sydney Altfield were among those quoted in the governor's release.
What we are checking
Kol America will ask DCJS whether any audit of completed projects exists, and whether the state Comptroller has ever reviewed the program. We found no such audit. We will also ask whether a list of recipients by county and type of institution, without names or addresses, can be released.
How we reported this: based on Yeshiva World News and the governor's September 8 release. Recipient names are withheld by the state. If your organization received a grant and wants to talk about the process, reach us at [email protected].