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The indispensable and transforming work of faith-based and other charitable service groups must be encouraged. Government cannot be replaced by charities, but it can and should welcome them as partners. We must heed the growing consensus across America that successful government social programs work in fruitful partnership with community-serving and faith-based organizations
- President George W. Bush
Faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) have a long tradition of helping Americans in need and together represent an integral part of our nation's social service network. Yet, all too often, the complicated rules and regulations of the federal government have made it difficult for FBCOs to compete for funds on an equal footing with other organizations. President Bush and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) believe that, besides being inherently unfair, such an approach to funding can waste taxpayer dollars and cut off those in need from successful programs. Federal funds should be awarded to the most effective organizations - public or private, large or small, faith-based or secular - and all organizations must be able to compete on a level playing field.
OVW encourages applicants to include faith-based organizations in developing coordinated community responses to violence against women. OVW has a history of supporting faith-based programs that provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and also provides funding for education and training programs for clergy in local communities and chaplains on military bases. We welcome additional applications for this purpose.
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White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
President Bush created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives as well as individual centers within ten federal agencies to strengthen and expand the role of FBCOs in providing social services. The federal government has worked to accomplish this mission through an array of regulatory and policy reforms, legislative efforts, and public outreach to FBCOs. By making information about federal grants more accessible and the application process less burdensome, the Initiative has empowered FBCOs to compete more effectively for funds. The ultimate beneficiaries are those Americans in need, who are best served when the federal government's partners are the organizations most capable of providing critical services to their communities.
U.S. Department of Justice Taskforce on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Justice Taskforce on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives coordinates efforts within DOJ to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social services. Working with various components of DOJ, the Taskforce is able to provide assistance in identifying resources and training to faith-based and other community organizations.
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Grant Catalog
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Grant Catalog provides some basic information about the federal grants process, and also lists over 160 grant programs that may interest your organization. Grant programs are organized into general categories, ranging from programs for elders and the homeless, to those that serve at-risk youth and people making the transition from welfare to work.
Accessing Resources for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
To support the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) launched a national training and technical assistance effort directed at providing grants writing and capacity building to faith, community, and small non-profit organizations.
Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal Government
The guiding principle behind President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative is that faith-based charities should be able to compete for public dollars on an equal footing with other organizations in order to provide public services. President Bush believes that the federal government, within the constitutional framework of church-state guidelines, should encourage faith-based charities to reach out compassionately to help people in need. This document addresses frequently asked questions and other issues surrounding faith-based organizations and their funding by government money.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is the single access point for over 1000 grant programs offered by the 26 federal grant-making agencies that award over $400 billion in grants each year. The grant community - including state, local, and tribal governments, academia and research institutions, and non-profits - need only visit one website, Grants.gov, to access electronically the annual grant funds available across the federal government.
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Consistent with President George W. Bush's Executive Order 13279 and 28 C.F.R. Part 38, it is OVW policy that faith-based and community organizations that statutorily qualify as eligible applicants under OVW grant programs are invited and encouraged to apply for assistance. Faith-based and community organizations will be considered for awards on the same basis as other eligible applicants and, should they receive assistance awards, will be treated on an equal basis with all other grantees in the administration of such awards. No eligible applicant or grantee will be discriminated against on the basis of its religious character or affiliation, religious name, or the religious composition of its board of directors or persons working in the organization. Faith-based organizations receiving OVW grant awards retain their independence and do not have to modify their religious identity (e.g., removing religious symbols) to receive financial assistance. OVW grant funds, however, may not be used to fund any inherently religious activity such as prayer or worship. Inherently religious activity is permissible, but cannot occur during an activity funded with OVW grant funds; rather, such religious activity must be separate in time or place from the OVW funded program. Further, participation in such activity by individuals receiving services must be voluntary. Programs funded by OVW are not permitted to discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of a beneficiary's religion.
Executive Order 13279: Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations
Memo from Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum Concerning the Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations and How to Establish 501(c)(3) Status
Civil Rights Compliance
All recipients of federal grant funds are required to comply with nondiscrimination requirements contained in various federal laws. In the event that a court or administrative agency makes a finding of discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or age against a recipient of funds after a due process hearing, the recipient must agree to forward a copy of the finding to the Office of Justice Programs, Office for Civil Rights. All applicants should consult the assurances required with the application funds to understand the applicable legal and administrative requirements.
Services to Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Persons
National origin discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of limited English proficiency (LEP). To ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, recipients are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that LEP persons have meaningful access to their programs. Meaningful access may entail providing language assistance services, including interpretation and translation services where necessary. Grantees are encouraged to consider the need for language services for LEP persons served or encountered both in developing their proposals and budgets and in conducting their programs and activities. Reasonable costs associated with providing meaningful access for LEP individuals are considered allowable program costs. The U.S. Department of Justice has issued guidance for grantees to assist them in complying with Title VI requirements. The guidance document can be accessed on the internet at www.lep.gov or by contacting the Office of Justice Program's Office for Civil Rights:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office for Civil Rights
810 7th Street, N.W., 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20531
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President's Family Justice Center Initiative
In October of 2003, President George W. Bush announced the President's Family Justice Center Initiative (PFJCI), which is administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The PFJCI is a pilot program that has awarded more than $20 million to 15 communities across the country for the planning, development, and establishment of comprehensive domestic violence victim service and support centers. The goal of the PFJCI is to make a victim's search for help and justice more efficient and effective by bringing professionals who provide an array of services together under one roof. The 15 PFJCI sites bring together advocates from non-profit groups, victim services organizations, law enforcement officers, probation officers, governmental victim assistants, forensic medical professionals, attorneys, chaplains, and representatives from community-based organizations into one centralized location. OVW, the Attorney General, and the Administration support this most critical initiative and continue to work toward the goal of eradicating violence against women.
Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Grant Program Special Initiative: Faith-Based and Community Organization Pilot Program
Faith-based and community organizations have a long history in bringing aid to victims of domestic violence and their families. More often than not, victims of domestic violence seek the comfort, guidance, and assistance of faith-based and community organizations, as these organizations are trusted members of the communities in which they live. Recognizing the value of the trust and familiarity vested in these organizations, OVW established the Rural Faith-Based and Community Organization Pilot Program to promote greater and more equitable participation of faith-based and community organizations in the provision of social services, while simultaneously increasing and improving the services provided to rural victims of domestic violence. OVW has awarded funding, through cooperative agreements, to three intermediary organizations that (1) support the activities of small, grass roots faith-based and community organizations in serving rural victims of domestic violence through the management of competitive sub-awards and (2) provide technical assistance to sub-award recipients to develop their capacity to provide services to rural victims of domestic violence. Grantees of this program are organizations that have experience working with small faith-based and community organizations, expertise in providing services to victims of domestic violence, and a demonstrable capacity to reach and train a broad network of small, grass roots faith-based and community organizations.
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Each year, OVW enlists the help of violence against women experts across the country to assist in the peer review portion of the grant application process. Individuals who are qualified and selected to assist in this process read, critique, and score eligible grant applications. The peer review process helps OVW determine which applications adhere to the purpose of the grant programs and which organizations and projects will best serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking under the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
If you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer for OVW grant programs, please call or fax:
Faith-Based Peer Review Contact
U.S. Department of Justice
Office on Violence Against Women
Phone: (202) 307-6026
Fax: (202) 307-3911
Please include first and last name, title, organization, contact information, and a resume in order to be considered.
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