OnePULSE Foundation Receives Grant From Homeland Security to Fight Hate

The funding is part of a program to fight online radicalization, violent extremism, and other hate-based calls to violence.

The onePULSE Foundation received $247,900 from the Department of Homeland Security as part of its Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant program.

The federal agency has awarded $20 million to 43 programs nationwide with the purpose of combating online radicalization, violent extremism, and other hate-based calls to violence.

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The organization was founded by Pulse nightclub owner, Barbara Poma, after 49 people were killed and 68 injured on June 12, 2016. Twenty-three of the victims were Puerto Rican.

The shooting is considered a hate crime because the gunman, Omar Mateen, pledged his allegiance to ISIS, a homophobic group that releases propaganda videos of gay men being thrown off buildings.

The onePULSE Foundation site said the funding will “support a memorial that opens hearts, a museum that opens minds, educational programs that open eyes, and legacy scholarships that open doors.” 

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“We are honored to receive the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant from the Department of Homeland Security as it will help us raise national awareness of our onePULSE Academy educational program that inspires, engages, and activates individuals, groups and communities to become more empowered to advocate for change,” onePULSE Foundation executive director Deborah Bowie wrote in a statement.

According to the announcement, the onePULSE Foundation’s educational program has been specifically selected for its focus on spreading a nationwide message of “Love not Hate.”