Building Safer Catholic Communities Through Grants and Generosity

Theresa Brandorff, archdiocesan grants director, and her team are hard at work to steward our Catholic communities and keep them safe, secure and welcoming. (Photo provided)

By Caitlin Burm

The Growing Need for Safety in Catholic Parishes and Schools

Catholic schools are more than educational institutions — they are centers of community, faith and formation where schoolchildren encounter Christ daily. But as unprovoked violence against students has risen in the United States in recent years, many families are likely wondering what they can do to help keep their children secure.

The Archdiocese of Denver is committed to keeping parishioners and students safe, even having hired a director of safety and security in 2024. Since then, significant efforts have been made to enhance security in archdiocesan parishes and schools, including the implementation of RedBag, a new school security program, and a recent workshop in partnership with the FBI. 

Beyond these efforts, it may come as a surprise to some parents that the archdiocesan grants team is also actively involved in this initiative. The archdiocese has implemented a comprehensive approach to safety, which includes federal and state-level grants that fund security measures.

How the Grants Team Supports Safety and Security

Theresa Brandorff, archdiocesan grants director, explained, “The Archdiocese supports the grants team in finding opportunities that will help increase the safety of our parishes and schools. The grants team seeks security grant opportunities, prepares proposals and, once awarded, manages and administers the awards.”

Brandorff said each grant application takes approximately 84 hours to complete because of the stringent requirements and numerous elements. For the latest grant cycle for one grant in particular, she and her team will file 20 applications for Catholic communities across Northern Colorado — a total investment of nearly 1,700 hours, equivalent to 42 work weeks. Once grant awards are announced, her team will begin implementation reporting, which requires an additional 80 hours per award.

The Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) has been particularly helpful, according to Brandorff, in enhancing the physical security of communities in the archdiocese since 2021. Brandorff said that these grants “help add fencing, gates, lighting, cameras, bollards, locks, window treatments and technology.”

However, safety grants may vary, with some, like NSGP, focusing on the physical security of a parish or school itself, while others focus on the environment to ensure that children can continue to grow, learn and pray without fear. When Catholic communities invest in safety and security, they not only protect their property but also safeguard the human dignity of their parishioners and school students.

Stewardship in Safety Efforts

The broad impact of these grants, and the dedicated work of the archdiocesan grants team, is clear: children and their families, educators and parishioners can all feel more confident and supported as they go about their daily lives.

When it comes to communities continuing to practice the stewardship of safety, Brandorff recommended that parishes, schools and communities ensure that all are on the same page when it comes to safety and security needs. Once they understand their vulnerabilities and circumstances, they can prioritize what needs to be done and assign resources to bolster security.

But many parishes and schools operate with limited resources, Brandorff said, which is why the archdiocesan grants team’s work of finding outside funding is so critical.

“Outside funding is crucial for sustaining and strengthening security and safety efforts, as most parishes and schools operate with very tight budgets and often prioritize funding their core mission areas by necessity. Security upgrades can be costly and, therefore, very difficult to fund internally,” Brandorff said.

Thanks to grants and other outside funding sources, resources are made available to these parishes and schools, but it is more than simply an investment in infrastructure — it is an act of stewardship that ensures future Catholic generations can thrive in their education and in their faith.

“Outside funding can provide access to experts for security vulnerability assessments, exercises, training, integrated equipment and technology,” she added. “Many schools, in particular, are already funding essential services with limited budgets and require outside support to strengthen the safety and security of their students, staff and leaders.”

With every grant awarded and every gift shared, the Archdiocese of Denver moves closer to a future where Catholic parish and school communities remain prepared and secure, ready to serve the faithful of Northern Colorado for many years to come.