President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative
(for a PDF version of this Overview, click here)

Our country is blessed with a long tradition of and honorable commitment to assisting individuals, families, and communities who have not fully shared in America's prosperity. But despite efforts by the Federal and State governments to battle social distress, too many of our neighbors still suffer from poverty and despair. In every corner of America, people of all ages and walks of life are calling out for help.

• Approximately 13 million children under the age of 18 - almost a fifth of America's young people - go hungry or are at risk of being hungry
• Close to 2 million children have a parent in prison
• Last year, 22 million Americans had substance dependence or abuse problems
• There are 42 million people in the world living with HIV/AIDS and close to 900,000 of these people live in the United States

For years, faith-based and community groups have been assisting these people and others in need. They have transformed lives with their compassion and are America's unsung heroes - healing our country's ills one heart and one act of kindness at a time.

Unfortunately, the Federal government has often not been a willing partner to these faith-based and community groups. Instead, it has put in place complicated rules and regulations that hinder these groups from competing for Federal funds on an equal footing with other, larger charities. President Bush wants to change this. He believes that all groups - faith-based or secular, large or small - should compete on a level playing field, so long as they obey all legal requirements. That is the reason for the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative and why it is one of his top domestic priorities.

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Read the Executive Order that created the White House Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives on January 29, 2001 Read the Executive Order that created five Centers for Faith-Based & Community Initiatives on January 29, 2001 Read the Executive Order that created two Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives on December 12, 2002 Read the Executive Order from December 12, 2002, that requires equal protection for faith-based and community organizations

One of President Bush's first official acts as President was to create the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The Office was tasked at its inception with leading a "determined attack on need" by strengthening and expanding the role of faith-based and community organizations in addressing the nation's social problems. The President envisions a faith-friendly public square where faith-based organizations can compete equally with other groups to provide government or privately-funded services.

President Bush also created Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in seven cabinet departments - the United States Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education and the Agency for International Development - to promote the Initiative.

Activities of the White House Office

• Working legislatively to encourage the good works of faith-based and community organizations and give them the fullest opportunity permitted by law to compete for Federal funding
• Identifying and eliminating improper Federal barriers to the full participation of faith-based and community-serving programs in the provision of social services
• Encouraging greater corporate and philanthropic support for faith-based and community organizations through public education and outreach activities

• At-risk youth
• Ex-offenders
• Homeless and hungry
• Substance abusers
• Those with HIV/AIDS
• Welfare-to-work families

White House Conferences on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The White House Conferences on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives provide participants with information about the Federal funding process, available funding opportunities, the requirements that come with the receipt of Federal funds, and cutting-edge practices from other organizations. The White House is hosting the Conferences with support from the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education and the Agency for International Development.

Resources for Grassroots Groups Seeking Federal Funds
Every year, the Federal government spends billions of dollars for health and human service programs. There are thousands of faith-based and community organizations across the country that receive Federal funds. Although the use of government money by faith-based and community organizations is not new, there are many small grassroots organizations that still have questions about the Federal funding process. They wonder, "How can we find out about Federal funding opportunities?" They ask, "If we get money from the Federal government, what legal requirements will we have to follow?" The White House Office and the seven Agency Centers can help.

Internet Resources - The White House Office has put together a list of close to 200 Federal programs that your organization may be interested in. You can use this list, which is available at www.fbci.gov, as a starting point for learning more about specific programs. The Agency Centers' websites contain more information about specific initiatives and programs administered by their Departments.

Legal Guidance - The White House Office website also offers some guidelines on the legal requirements that can come along with Federal funding. These "dos and don'ts" answer some of the questions that faith-based and community groups most frequently ask.

Compassion Capital Fund - Assistance may also be available from one of over thirty organizations funded by the Department of Health and Human Services' Compassion Capital Fund. These intermediary organizations have received grants to provide training, technical assistance, and sub-awards to a diverse range of faith-based and community organizations seeking to increase their ability to provide social services to those in need. Technical assistance activities are offered free of charge and focus on strategic planning; financial management; board development; fundraising; and outcome measurement. You can learn more about the Compassion Capital Fund at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccf.

Important Contact Information

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Jim Towey, Director
The White House
Washington, DC 20502
(202) 456-6708 (phone)
(202) 456-7019 (fax)
www.fbci.gov

Agency Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Department of Justice
Patrick Purtill, Director
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 4413
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 514-2987 (phone)
(202) 616-9627 (fax)
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fbci

Department of Labor
Brent Orrell, Director
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 693-6450 (phone)
(202) 693-6146 (fax)
www.dol.gov/cfbci

Department of Health and Human Services
Bobby Polito, Director
200 Independence Avenue, SW Suite 118-F
Washington, DC 20201
(202) 358-3595 (phone)
(202) 401-3463 (fax)
www.hhs.gov/fbci

Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ryan Streeter, Director
451 7th Street SW, Room 10184
Washington, DC 20410
(202) 708-2404 (phone)
(202) 708-1160 (fax)
www.hud.gov/offices/fbci

Department of Education
John Porter, Director
555 New Jersey Avenue, NW,
Capital Place, Suite 410
Washington, DC 20208-8300
(202) 219-1741 (phone)
(202) 208-1689 (fax)
www.ed.gov/faithandcommunity

Department of Agriculture
Juliet McCarthy, Director
14th and Independence Avenue, SW
Office of the Secretary, Room 200-A
Washington, DC 20250
(202) 720-3631 (phone)
(202) 690-2119 (fax)
www.usda.gov/fbci

Agency for International Development (U.S. AID)
Michael Magan, Director
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20523
(202) 712-4080 (phone)
(202) 216-3351 (fax)
web site not yet available

Corporation for National and Community Service
David Caprara, Director
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20525
(202) 606-5000 (phone)
(202) 565-2784 (fax)
www.cns.gov