S 2947119th CongressIn Committee

Pray Safe Act of 2025

Introduced: Sep 30, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (D-New Hampshire)

Defense & National Security

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Pray Safe Act of 2025 would create a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and Houses of Worship within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Clearinghouse would serve as the government’s primary resource for educating and publishing online best practices for safety and security, and for guiding nonprofit and faith-based groups and houses of worship to relevant federal grant programs. It would also assemble a catalog of grant opportunities and related resources, and coordinate with other federal agencies and the White House faith-based partnerships office to support implementation and continuous improvement. Key features include a written, evidence-based framework for best practices (tiered by the strength of supporting evidence), a broad set of safety measures (planning, facility hardening, exercises, preparedness and recovery), a requirement to maintain grant information and performance metrics, ongoing training materials, and periodic updates to Congress (every three years). The act sunsets four years after enactment, and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report would assess federal grants and programs related to nonprofit safety and security.

Key Points

1Establishment and leadership: Creates a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and Houses of Worship within the Department of Homeland Security, to be stood up within 270 days of enactment, with coordination from the Attorney General, the White House faith-based partnerships office, and other appropriate agencies.
2Core purpose and content: The Clearinghouse will educate the public online, publish best practices, and provide information about federal grant programs available to nonprofits, faith-based groups, and houses of worship. It will maintain a user-friendly point of contact and ensure access to grant-related information.
3Evidence-based framework: Develops tiers for best practices and recommendations that prioritize rigorous evidence (experimental and quasi-experimental studies) and emphasize activities shown to improve safety and security, including event planning, facility hardening, tabletop exercises, and resilience measures.
4Grants and resources index: Maintains a comprehensive index of federal grant programs for eligible nonprofits and houses of worship, including performance metrics required by grant recipients, and aggregates information about state and federal resources for safety and security.
5Continuous improvement and reporting: Requires ongoing data collection, feedback, and evaluations to improve the Clearinghouse, with updates to the Clearinghouse at least annually and a formal report to Congress every three years on changes and improvements (and a GAO review as part of oversight).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations and houses of worship, by providing a centralized source of safety and security best practices and easier access to federal grant funding.Secondary group/area affected- Federal, state, and local security stakeholders (DHS components, DOJ, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, FBI JTTF, Fusion Centers, Cyber Security Advisors, Protective Security Advisors) who will participate in, and be notified about, Clearinghouse activities and grant opportunities.Additional impacts- State governments: States would be notified and may contribute information about state resources and programs; the Clearinghouse would identify state agencies responsible for safety and security and map grant options.- Grant administration and oversight: The Clearinghouse would link to grant applications, provide guidance on eligibility, and track performance metrics for grants used to implement best practices.- Oversight and reporting: The bill requires periodic updates to Congress and a GAO assessment, increasing federal scrutiny and accountability for safety-related funding and activities.- Civil rights and civil liberty considerations: The bill includes a rule of construction clarifying that nothing in the act creates or waives federal civil rights requirements (e.g., ADA, Civil Rights Act). The sunset provision means the program would end four years after enactment unless extended.The act is introduced with no specific funding authorization in the text, so implementation would depend on future appropriations.The “sunset” provision means the Clearinghouse would cease to be effective four years after enactment unless Congress acts to extend it.The "definition" sections cover what counts as a nonprofit, faith-based organization, and house of worship for the purposes of the Clearinghouse.

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