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President George W. Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative represents a fresh start and
bold new approach to government's role in helping those in need. Too often the government has
ignored or impeded the efforts of faith-based and community organizations. Their compassionate
efforts to improve their communities have been needlessly and improperly inhibited by
bureaucratic red tape and restrictions placed on funding.
The White House Office and the Centers for the Faith-Based and Community Initiative --
located in seven Federal agencies -- are working to support the essential work of these important
organizations. Their goal is to make sure that grassroots leaders can compete on an equal footing
for federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face fewer bureaucratic barriers.
The Office focuses its efforts on the
following populations:
At-risk youth
Ex-offenders
Homeless
Hungry
Substance abusers
Those with HIV/AIDS
Welfare-to-work families
Browse through Federal programs serving these and other populations in our
grants catalog.
Download an overview of President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative
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Compassion in Action
President Bush announced nearly $189 million in Federal funding to support the work of organizations serving America's
needy. Many of these social service providers are faith-based and community organizations. $43 million was awarded
through the President's Compassion Capital Fund,
$45.6 million was awarded through the Mentoring
Children of Prisoners program, and $100 million through the Access to Recovery drug treatment
voucher program. To view the Fact Sheet, click here. To read the President's speech,
click here.
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Abstinence Grants
50 new grants were awarded, totaling more than $31 million, for abstinence-only education
programs through HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). For more information,
click here.
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State Liaisons
Several states have Liaisons or Offices for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. For more
information, click here.
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The Administration has eliminated regulatory and policy barriers that have kept faith-based
organizations from partnering with the Federal government to help Americans in need. It has also
worked to put into place regulations to ensure that faith-based organizations are able to compete on
an equal footing for Federal funding within constitutional guidelines, without impairing the religious
character of such organizations and without diminishing the religious freedom of beneficiaries.
OFBCI collected data on competitive non-formula grant awards to faith-based organizations in a select group of programs at the Departments of Housing
and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Education, Justice and Labor. To review the results, click
here.
Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal Government
This document contains valuable information on frequently asked questions about the
federal grant system, do's and don'ts for faith-based organizations, and more.
English Section-by-Section format
English entire document (PDF)
Spanish version
Religious Hiring Rights Booklet
The White House released a guidebook fully describing the Administration's belief
that faith-based groups have a Constitutionally-protected right to maintain their religious identity through hiring -- even
when Federal funds are involved.
Grants Catalog
Find Federal grant opportunities suitable for faith-based and community organizations in our grants catalog called "Federal
Funds for Organizations That Help Those in Need".
Developing Quality Grant Proposals
Develop a quality grant proposal with the help of this guide.
DUNS Number
All Federal grant applicants are required to have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B;) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.
Available Funding
FBCOs can apply now for several Federal grants. For more information,
click here.
Learn about training and technical assistance opportunities that help faith-based and community organizations improve
their grant-writing, expand their capacity, become effective partners, and more.
Miami Conference
FBCI is hosting a series of regional conferences on President Bush's Initiative in cities across the country. More than 17,000 faith-based and community leaders have already attended. The conferences are free but pre-registration is required. The next White House conference will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2004, in Miami, FL. Interested faith-based and community groups that want to learn more about the President's Initiative should attend.
Conference Videos
Watch videos of recent FBCI regional conference speakers.
Learn about the Centers for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives in the U.S. Departments of Justice,
Labor,
Health and Human Services,
Housing and Urban Development,
Education,
Agriculture;
and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Compassion Capital Fund
The President's Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) helps faith-based and community organizations
increase their effectiveness and enhance their ability to provide social services to serve
those most in need. Since its inception three years ago, CCF has provided $99.5 million in
grants to 197 organizations and sub-grants to over 1,700 grassroots organizations. CCF
administers two grant programs: the Demonstration Program and the Targeted Capacity
Building Program. For more information about CCF, click here. To view the FY2004 funding
announcement, click
here.
Access to Recovery
The President's Access to Recovery program (ATR) will give individuals seeking drug
treatment expanded access to effective providers through a new voucher program. In FY2004,
$100 million was awarded to 14 States and one tribal organization to extend drug treatment
to more Americans, allowing them a choice of providers that includes faith-based
organizations. The President has proposed to double this funding level in FY2005. For more
information about ATR, click here. To view the
FY2004 funding announcement, click
here.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners
In 2003, President Bush proposed a three-year, $150 million initiative focused on providing
100,000 new mentors for some of the two million children with one or more parents in
prison. Faith-based and community organizations that work with these children in a variety
of settings are eligible to apply for these funds. In FY2004, 169 new grants and 52
continuation grants totaling almost $46 million were awarded to organizations providing
these mentoring services. The President has requested $50 million for this initiative in
FY2005. For more information about the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program (MCP), click here. To view the FY2004 funding
announcement, click
here.
Prisoner Re-Entry
Initiative
In January 2004, President Bush proposed a four-year, $300 million initiative to reduce
recidivism and help returning inmates contribute to their communities. This year, more than
600,000 inmates will be released from prison, and studies show that approximately
two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release. The initiative will
harness the resources and experience of faith-based and community organizations in
providing newly released prisoners with job training and placement services, transitional
housing, and voluntary mentoring support. For more information about the
Prisoner
Re-Entry Initiative (PRI), click here.
The U.S. House and Senate both passed the Charity Aid, Recovery, and
Empowerment (CARE) Act with overwhelming bipartisan margins. The President
continues to urge Congressional action on the CARE Act, which would create
tax incentives for individual and corporate charitable giving.
Use the links below to learn about the President's commitment to America's armies of compassion and how you can get involved.
OFBCI offers several free publications as resources for FBCOs.
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