Innovations in Compassion

THE WHITE HOUSE

DECEMBER 2008

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative:

A Final Report to the Armies of Compassion
2

HIV/AIDS

Prisoner Reentry

Veterans’ Services

Community Healthcare

Natural Disasters

Substance Abuse

Human Trafficking

“A determined attack

on need...”

–President George W. Bush

Hunger

Malaria

Vulnerable Youth

Economic Development

Homelessness

Immigrant Integration

Employment Services

Orphans

Hunger

Malaria

Vulnerable Youth

Economic Development

Homelessness

Immigrant Integration

Employment Services

Orphans

HIV/AIDS

Prisoner Reentry

Veterans’ Services

Community Healthcare

Natural Disasters

Substance Abuse

Human Trafficking
3

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON
i

I. Introduction .............................................................

II. Changing Lives ...........................................................

III. Transforming Government .....................................

IV. Strengthening Partners ..........................................

V. Volunteerism and Private Giving ............................

VI. Taking Root in the States and Cities .....................

VII. Looking Forward .....................................................

Federal Centers for Faith Based and Community Initiatives

Table of Contents

Contents
Executive Summary ii

This Final Report to the Armies of Compassion 

prepared by the White House Office of Faith-Based 

and Community Initiatives offers an account of 

President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative 

(FBCI or Initiative) to the dedicated faith-based and other 

community organizations (FBCOs) that have joined in the 

battles against poverty, disease, and other social ills.

The report emphasizes what matters most about the 

FBCI: measurable results achieved for millions in need 

across America and around the world through vibrant 

partnerships with the “armies of compassion” – the 

thousands of FBCOs that have partnered with government 

to serve their neighbors in need. It also offers a look at 

key government reforms and innovations that made these 

results possible. The report finishes with a glimpse toward 

the future of the FBCI and the foundation upon which the 

next generation of government and community leaders can 

build to achieve even greater good in the decades to come.

Changing Lives highlights twelve areas of critical human 

need that have been particularly affected through expanded 

Federal partnerships with faith-based and other frontline 

nonprofits. The chapter highlights key results across these 

wide-ranging areas of need and stories revealing the deeper 

impact of the FBCI for individual organizations and the 

people they serve.

Executive Summary

Transforming Government explains how reforms led 

by the FBCI have secured a level playing field for faithbased organizations and reduced barriers to help small 

FBCOs or those new to partnering with government 

compete for Federal funds. The chapter also highlights 

some of the innovative funding models advanced by the 

FBCI that enable more effective partnerships between 

government and grassroots nonprofits, such as vouchers, 

mini-grants, and intermediary model grants.

Strengthening Partners describes the Initiative’s 

diverse methods for building the capabilities of 

nonprofit organizations and the social entrepreneurs 

who lead them. These efforts range from technologybased instruction and in-person training events to the 

hundreds of millions of dollars invested in capacitybuilding and technical assistance grants.

Volunteerism and Private Giving highlights President 

Bush’s efforts to expand volunteer service and private 

financial support for America’s FBCOs.

Taking Root in States and Cities reveals how the 

principles of the FBCI are being replicated outside of 

Washington. Governors and mayors across America 

are embracing the vision championed by the FBCI as a 

practical way to engage the toughest challenges faced by 

their communities. These “laboratories of innovation” 

will play a key role in the future of the FBCI.
iii

Bringing life-changing aid to millions in need. Faith-based and other community organizations 

(FBCOs) have partnered with government to deliver effective help to returning prisoners, 

recovering addicts, vulnerable youth, AIDS orphans, homeless veterans, and countless other 

individuals and communities in need at home and abroad.

Transforming government’s approach to addressing human need. The FBCI vision at work 

has placed frontline FBCOs at the center of Federal efforts to combat poverty, disease, and a 

host of other social ills. As a result, the FBCI has led a shift away from bureaucratic-centered 

models to solutions that harness the creativity, compassion, and personal touch of locally-rooted 

organizations.

Establishing a level playing field for faith-based organizations in Federal partnerships. Clear, 

constitutional guidelines are now in place for government funding of faith-based organizations, 

and Federal policy welcomes these groups as vital partners in serving those in need.

Strengthening the vital work of nonprofits. Hundreds of training events, technology-based 

resources, capacity-building grant programs, and other initiatives have helped to increase the 

effectiveness of FBCOs in addressing critical needs across America and around the world. 

Expanding the FBCI vision at the State and local level as an effective problem-solving strategy.

Governors, mayors, and other leaders at every level of government are replicating FBCI principles 

on a bipartisan basis to address some of the most critical challenges their communities face. 

Embedding FBCI principles in America’s international aid and development efforts. From 

the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the President’s Malaria Initiative to microenterprise projects and anti-human trafficking efforts, American and indigenous nonprofits are 

playing an expanded role at the front lines of service around the world.

Expanding private response to need. From promoting a culture of service, citizenship, and 

responsibility through USA Freedom Corps to expanding tax incentives for personal giving, 

President Bush has championed efforts to expand the involvement of citizens, corporations, and 

foundations in supporting the vital services of FBCOs.

Creating innovative funding models for government-nonprofit partnership. Leaders at every 

level of government can now draw upon an array of proven partnership models that enable both 

financial and non-financial partnerships with grassroots organizations and capitalize on their 

distinctive strengths.

Highlights of the Faith-Based

and Community Initiative

Highlights of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative
1

On January 29, 2001, President George 

W. Bush launched the Faith-Based and 

Community Initiative (FBCI or Initiative) to 

lead a determined attack on poverty, disease, and other 

social ills in partnership with faith-based and other 

community organizations (FBCOs).

The President called these committed organizations 

the “armies of compassion.” They include small and 

large service organizations, all-volunteer charities, 

international nonprofits, faith-based institutions, 

and groups with no religious affiliation. With a vast 

diversity of styles and approaches, these organizations 

meet the needs of the distressed and downtrodden 

every day, one life and heart at a time. 

The FBCI has many of the same goals of previous 

Federal efforts, but past government attempts often 

functioned in bureaucratic ways that were disconnected 

from the communities they served. These 

compassionate intentions frequently failed to produce 

compassionate results.

The FBCI took a different approach. This 

approach offered no single national solution or onesize-fits-all program. Instead, it turned Washington’s 

focus toward collaborating with effective organizations 

and groups already working in local communities to 

build opportunity and hope. 

Over the past eight years, this vision has 

transformed the way government addresses critical 

human needs. The FBCI has made the creativity, local 

engagement, and personal touch of FBCOs central to 

Federal efforts to solve the social ills of our time.

Expanding the role of local nonprofits in 

addressing need was not an entirely new idea. But 

never before had it been applied as a national strategy. 

Under this new vision, the resources of government are 

consistently paired with the compassion and ingenuity 

of FBCOs.

The process of reforming government is difficult 

and slow. Over time, however, a bureaucratic culture 

accustomed to large programs has been opened to 

localized, community-driven solutions through the 

efforts of the FBCI. Regulations and practices that 

previously discouraged faith-based groups from 

partnering with government have been changed to 

allow a level playing field for all capable organizations. 

New models for partnership between government 

and grassroots groups have been created, tested, and 

refined. 

Introduction

“Government has a solemn responsibility 

to help meet the needs of poor Americans 

and distressed neighborhoods, but it does 

not have the monopoly on compassion. 

America is richly blessed by the diversity 

and vigor of neighborhood healers: civic, 

social, charitable, and religious groups. 

These quiet heroes lift people’s lives in ways 

that are beyond government’s know-how, 

usually on shoestring budgets, and they heal 

our Nation’s ills one heart and one act of 

kindness at a time.” 

– President George W. Bush, Rallying the Armies of 

Compassion, 2001i

As a result, an ever-growing array of faith-based 

nonprofits and other community groups have joined in 

the FBCI’s work, partnering with government to engage 

needs such as homelessness, substance abuse, vulnerable 

youth, and diseases such as malaria and global HIV/

AIDS. 

Together, these nonprofit partners possess many 

strengths that complement the size and resources of 

government, including close cultural connections and 

credibility within communities. These groups bring 

innovative approaches to confronting needs that are wellsuited to local situations, large numbers of dedicated 

volunteers, and – perhaps most importantly – a level of 

human engagement, care, and personal accountability 

that government alone cannot provide.

Through critical government reforms and countless 

acts of service, the vision championed by the FBCI has 

taken root and the impact has grown. Most importantly, 

lives of the hurting and destitute are receiving real help 

along the road to hope and new beginnings. 

The pages ahead offer a window into the FBCI’s 

work: how it has advanced and the results the President’s 

vision has produced. 

Introduction
2

The work of the FBCI spans the Federal government. It has 

reformed policies, reshaped practices, expanded partnerships, 

and led sweeping efforts to build nonprofit capacity. Ultimately, 

however, the driving objective is to deliver compassionate results in the 

lives of individuals most in need. 

This chapter describes the highlights of these results, achieved by the 

“armies of compassion.” 

The Federal government has made substantial investments to fund these 

efforts over the past eight years. In 2008 alone, more than $8.1 billion 

was committed to initiatives created by President Bush that give FBCOs 

a central role in addressing critical human needs.ii Billions more were 

devoted to longstanding programs reformed through the FBCI to place 

new emphasis on government-nonprofit partnerships. 

Funding alone, however, does not represent the heart of the FBCI. Far 

more significant is the transformation brought to the way government 

addresses poverty, disease, and other critical issues. The success of efforts 

to aid those in need cannot be measured in dollars spent but rather 

in the lives directly affected and the civil institutions strengthened as a 

result of those investments by the FBCI. 

The work of the FBCI has touched a vast array of human needs, from 

addiction to human trafficking to homelessness to disadvantaged youth 

to global AIDS. Although it is not possible to highlight all the results 

from the FBCI, 12 areas of human need provide a window into the FBCI 

vision at work to change lives across America and around the world. 

Changing Lives

Changing Lives
3

Substance Abuse and Recovery

More than 250,000 recovering addicts have been helped 

along the road to recovery by the thousands of FBCOs 

that have partnered with the Access to Recovery voucher 

program, with recovery results outpacing most national 

programs.

Global HIV/AIDS

When President Bush announced the President’s 

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), it is 

estimated that only 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa 

were receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment; today, 

PEPFAR supports treatment for more than two million 

people in the region. PEPFAR also supports care for more 

than 10.1 million people worldwide, including more 

than four million orphans and vulnerable children. In 

2007 alone, 87 percent of PEPFAR partners were local 

organizations, mostly faith-based and community groups.

Prisoner Reentry

One year after release from prison, only 15 percent of 

ex-offenders served by FBCOs through the President’s 

Prisoner Reentry Initiative had been re-arrested – 

compared with a national re-arrest rate of 44 percent.

Community Health Services

The President’s Health Center Initiative has exceeded its 

goal of creating or expanding 1,200 community-based 

health centers, most of which are operated by FBCO 

grantees. The number of low-income individuals receiving 

medical services from these centers annually has increased 

by 5.8 million since 2001.

Homelessness

Federal partnerships with FBCOs have been greatly 

expanded to combat homelessness, contributing to a 

nearly 30 percent reduction in chronic homelessness from 

2005 to 2007. That means more than 50,000 individuals 

previously living on the streets now have a place to call 

home. 

Vulnerable Youth

With funding and support from the Mentoring Children 

of Prisoners program, FBCOs have matched more than 

107,000 children of prisoners with caring adult mentors.

Natural Disasters

The FBCI Center at the United States Department of 

Homeland Security helped revise the National Response 

Results Highlights

Framework, leading to changes in FEMA operations and 

policies and conducting extensive outreach and training 

to expand Federal coordination with FBCOs in disasterpreparedness, response, and recovery.

Disadvantaged Students

During the 2006–2007 school year, more than 535,000 

students attending underperforming schools received 

tutoring through Supplemental Educational Service 

(SES) providers, approximately 25 percent of which were 

FBCOs. Participation in SES has shown a statistically 

significant positive effect on students’ achievement in 

reading and math.

Economic Development

Since 2002, the Economic Development Agency at the 

United States Department of Commerce has increased 

its average annual number of projects with FBCOs by 60 

percent, investing more than $185 million in 255 FBCOled projects. The anticipated economic benefit of this 

investment is the creation of more than 91,000 jobs and 

the stimulation of $4 billion in private investment. 

Hunger

Funding for domestic nutrition assistance has increased 

more than 75 percent since 2001 to $59 billion. 

Internationally, in 2007, the United States provided more 

than $2.1 billion in food aid, or 2.5 million metric tons 

of commodities, to 78 developing nations to help address 

famine, extreme poverty, and other challenges. FBCOs are 

key partners in many of these efforts.

Veterans’ Services

Thanks to greatly expanded partnerships with veteranserving FBCOs and other focused efforts, the number of 

homeless veterans on the streets was reduced by nearly 40 

percent from 2001 to 2007. 

Malaria

In more than half of the President’s Malaria Initiative’s 

15 focus countries, at least 70 percent of households 

in malaria-endemic areas will own insecticide-treated 

mosquito nets by December 2008. FBCO partners are 

critical to effective bed net distribution and education 

efforts. Results on the island of Zanzibar, for example, 

highlight the impact: studies show the rate of children 

under two years old testing positive for malaria declined 

by more than 90 percent – from 22 percent in 2005 to 0.7 

percent in 2007.

Results Highlights
4

Recovering from substance abuse and addiction 

is a complex, long-term process. In addition 

to clinical and other forms of treatment, 

support services like housing, transportation, and 

childcare can be critical to the recovery process for 

some individuals. FBCOs often offer a level of unique 

and personalized care that can make the difference for 

a person seeking to break the cycle of addiction.

The need:

• According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug 

Use and Health, 1.3 million individuals reported 

that they felt they needed treatment for their 

alcohol or drug use problem.iii 

• Approximately 380,000 individuals knew they 

needed substance abuse treatment but were unable 

to access care.iv

Access to Recovery

Enlisting America’s FBCOs to expand drug and 

alcohol recovery opportunities and support services, 

President Bush announced Access to Recovery 

(ATR) in his 2003 State of the Union Address. 

ATR represents the largest choice-based model ever 

implemented for recovery services, with approximately 

$100 million annually in competitive grants for States 

and tribal authorities. Grantees use the funds to create 

and operate voucher systems that enable individuals 

to choose from a range of providers for both clinical 

treatment and other support services. 

Because the recovery process is personal and can 

take many pathways, vouchers provide individuals 

battling addiction with the flexibility to choose the 

programs and providers that best meet their needs. 

This innovative approach increases the diversity of 

provider options and allows clients to take greater 

ownership of their recovery process by choosing 

providers that best address their individual challenges. 

In addition, ATR expands the capacity of communitybased, addiction recovery organizations through 

voucher funding, training, and technical assistance, 

which it provides to FBCOs that partner with ATR. 

ATR completed its first three-year grant cycle in 

2007, which funded nearly 5,000 organizations in 14 

States and one tribal area to provide clinical treatment 

and/or recovery support services. These organizations 

include more than 1,000 community-based nonprofits 

and more than 1,000 faith-based nonprofits. By the 

end of 2007, ATR served more than 200,000 clients 

and produced the following results: 

• Nearly 74 percent of participants who were 

abusing alcohol or other drugs when entering the 

ATR program were clean and sober at discharge 

– making ATR sites some of the most successful 

recovery programs in the Nation. 

• Data from States with ATR programs indicate 

participation by a significant number of new 

organizations that had not previously received 

public funds for addiction recovery programs. For 

example, 40 percent of organizations redeeming 

vouchers in Connecticut and 70 percent in 

Louisiana were partnering with the government for 

the first time.

• Faith-based organizations are welcomed as vital 

partners in ATR, and clients have made robust use 

of these providers. Nearly one third of all vouchers 

redeemed for ATR services were done through 

faith-based organizations. 

• Participants in ATR showed a 31.4 percent decrease 

in unemployment and a 24.2 percent decrease in 

the number of individuals facing homelessness. 

• Sixty percent of participants who reported having 

no supportive network or community upon 

entering the program reported upon exit that they 

had developed such support. 

Substance Abuse and Recovery: 

Helping To Break the Cycle of Addiction 

Substance Abuse and Recovery

“Through the evaluation of the ATR grant, 

the State of Idaho was able to show that 

successful treatment completion increased by 

64 percent due in large part to the addition 

of community and faith based recovery 

support services.” 

– Bethany Gadinski, Chief of the Bureau of Substance 

Use Disorders in Idaho
5

• Numerous studies have been conducted in 

ATR-funded States,v including California, 

Connecticut, Florida, Missouri, Texas, and 

Tennessee, with findings indicating that ATR’s 

distinctive approach achieves superior results 

compared to more traditional recovery models. 

In September 2007, 24 new ATR grants 

(ATR II) were awarded to 18 States, five tribal 

organizations, and the District of Columbia. These 

grantees have already enlisted 1,112 community 

nonprofits and an additional 580 faith-based 

organizations to provide services through ATR. As 

of October 2008:

• ATR II partner organizations have served more 

than 59,000 clients in the first year, exceeding 

the goal of 35,000 clients by 70 percent;

• Eighty-two percent of ATR II clients were 

abstinent at discharge;

• Participants in the ATR II program showed a 19 

percent decrease in unemployment; and

• Upon discharge, 92 percent of ATR II 

clients felt they had a supportive network or 

community.

Other Addiction Recovery Initiatives

The FBCI has worked to expand the 

engagement of FBCOs in a range of other programs 

to support substance abuse and addiction recovery. 

These efforts range from grants and contracts that 

fund services to non-financial partnerships between 

Federal agencies and FBCOs that support recovery. 

The FBCI also initiated policy changes that enable 

FBCO recovery service providers to more easily 

access Federal resources. For example, in 2006, 

the United States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) issued new policy guidelines to ensure that 

individuals accessing addiction recovery programs 

through FBCOs could retain their food stamp 

benefits. Teen Challenge, a faith-based organization 

with residential addiction recovery centers all over 

the country, reported that within one year of the 

new guidance, its local recovery centers were able to 

increase their food stamp funding by 75 percent to 

$3.5 million – allowing the organization to expand 

its services. 

Lyn was a marketing director in Tennessee. She 

owned a home, drove a nice car, and worked 

hard to provide for her children. However, she tried 

meth one night at a party and within a month was 

using every day. Then she was arrested. Her years 

of addiction cost her everything she cared about, 

including her job and custody of her daughter and 

new son. Lyn recounts being arrested as “the worst 

and best day of my life, all at the same time.”

After serving her jail sentence, Lyn entered a 

rehabilitation program and moved into a halfway 

house to begin her recovery. She then moved into 

a recovery apartment and began taking Relapse 

Prevention classes at Trevecca Community Church, 

an ATR provider. In time, Lyn regained custody of 

her two children. After attending the classes for 

two years, she began teaching the classes. 

With Trevecca’s help, Lyn built a safe, loving home 

for herself and her children and now dedicates 

her time to helping others recover from substance 

abuse. Lyn credits President Bush’s ATR program 

with helping her through her recovery process: “I 

was so blessed to have ATR and their providers 

to help me when I thought things were hopeless. 

‘Thank you’ is not even enough to say.” Today, 

Lyn continues her education and clinical hours 

to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse 

Counselor, promotes efforts to fi ght meth use across 

Tennessee, and operates her own transitional 

housing company, which was recently approved 

as an ATR provider.

Substance Abuse and Recovery
6

HIV/AIDS has had a devastating effect on 

individuals, communities, and local economies 

around the world. Both international and 

local FBCOs are well positioned to play key roles in 

HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.

The need: 

• Nearly 25 million people have died from AIDS, and 

33 million people worldwide are living with HIV. 

• An estimated 7,400 individuals lose their lives to 

AIDS each day. 

• It is estimated that prior to the President’s 

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2003, only 

50,000 people living with HIV in all of sub-Saharan 

Africa were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

Th e President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS 

Relief

In 2003, President Bush directly confronted 

the HIV/AIDS crisis through the President’s 

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the 

largest commitment in history by a single nation to an 

international health initiative. PEPFAR combats HIV/

AIDS worldwide, with emphasis on 15 focus countriesvi

that together account for approximately half of the 

world’s HIV infections. 

PEPFAR exemplifies the principles of the FBCI 

on an international scale by engaging FBCOs as 

central partners in achieving its substantial prevention, 

treatment, and care objectives. In 2007, PEPFAR 

partnered with 2,217 local nonprofits, nearly a quarter 

of which were faith-based. These local partners possess 

the cultural know-how, dedicated volunteers, trusted 

community relationships, social networks, facilities, and 

other critical resources necessary to achieve PEPFAR’s 

goals. Faith-based organizations form a large portion of 

these groups, providing between 30 and 70 percent of 

the health care in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. 

PEPFAR places emphasis on building long-term 

local response capabilities. Its estimated investment 

in network development, human resources, and local 

organization capacity development for 2007 alone 

totaled nearly $640 million. 

When PEPFAR was launched, the goal was to 

support treatment for two million people in five years. 

PEPFAR has met its initial treatment goals. To date, 

PEPFAR has:vii

Supported life-saving ARV treatment for more than 

two million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa alone. 

Helped ensure that nearly 240,000 babies have 

been born HIV-free due to support for programs that 

prevent transmission from mother to child.

Supported care for more than 10.1 million 

people, including more than four million orphans 

and vulnerable children worldwide. PEPFAR also 

supported more than 57 million counseling and testing 

sessions for men, women, and children in PEPFAR’s 15 

focus countries.

On July 30, 2008, President Bush signed into 

law H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde 

United States Global Leadership Against HIV/

AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization 

Act, authorizing up to $48 billion to combat global 

HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Under this 

legislation, the next phase of the American people’s 

commitment to those suffering from HIV/AIDS will 

support treatment for at least three million people; 

prevention of 12 million new infections; and care for 

12 million people, including five million orphans and 

vulnerable children. 

Global HIV/AIDS: 

Battling an Epidemic with Eff ective Prevention, Treatment, and Care

Global HIV/AIDS

Sep-04 Mar-05 Mar-06 Sep-05 Mar-07 Sep-06 Sep-08

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

0

U.S. Government Supported Antiretroviral Treatments

New Partners Initiative

On World AIDS Day 2005, President Bush 

launched the $200 million New Partners Initiative 

(NPI). Through this initiative, PEPFAR helps 

new nonprofit grantees extend their reach into the 

communities they serve and ultimately grow from subpartners to full partners. NPI also focuses on building 

the capabilities of local partners and developing 

community ownership of the programs. 
7

Lister, whose husband is a pastor in Lusaka, Zambia, felt 

called to meet the needs of individuals in her husband’s 

congregation and the surrounding community suffering from 

HIV/AIDS and malaria. She founded God Our Help Ministries 

to provide home-based care for adults battling HIV/AIDS and 

malaria, as well as orphans and vulnerable children affected 

by these deadly diseases.

God Our Help partners with the RAPIDS program, a 

consortium of six international nonprofi ts that provide 

community-based HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and 

care in Zambia. RAPIDS helps build local response to these 

needs by working primarily in partnership with local Zambian 

organizations – especially ones that effectively recruit, train, 

and oversee volunteer caregivers. Through RAPIDS and its 

support from PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative, 

volunteers have received training in how to care for HIV/AIDS 

and malaria patients, orphans, and vulnerable children. 

Lister and the dedicated volunteers of God Our Help now 

reach more than 300 homes affected by HIV/AIDS and 

malaria. Through more than 250 FBCO partners like God Our 

Help, RAPIDS now has 18,500 active volunteer caregivers. 

Together, these committed individuals reach more than 

154,000 households affected by HIV/AIDS. 

Global HIV/AIDS

Mozambique: U.S. Government-Supported Anti-Retroviral Treatment Locations

2003 2005 2007
8

Each year, approximately 700,000 inmates are released 

from prison and return to America’s communities. 

Without stabilizing influences and support networks 

to help them successfully reintegrate into society, exoffenders often return to the same destructive social 

networks, substance abuse, and criminal behaviors that 

landed them behind bars. Revolving prison doors remain 

a symptom of the most distressed neighborhoods across the 

Nation. 

The need:

• According to the United States Bureau of Justice 

Statistics (BJS), two out of three former inmates will 

be re-arrested for new crimes within three years of 

their release from prison, and more than half will be 

re-incarcerated.viii

• The cycle of recidivism carries severe consequences 

for victims of crime, community safety, the families 

of ex-offenders, and ex-offenders themselves, as well 

as the cost to taxpayers for additional judicial and 

correctional expenses. 

Prisoner Reentry Initiative 

In response to this cycle of crime and re-incarceration, 

President Bush announced the Prisoner Reentry 

Initiative (PRI) in his 2004 State of the Union address as a 

collaborative effort between the United States Department 

of Labor (DOL) and the United States Department of 

Justice (DOJ). PRI assists ex-offenders by linking them 

with FBCOs that are trusted institutions in the urban 

neighborhoods to which most ex-offenders return. PRI 

programs fund FBCOs that provide mentoring, case 

management, job training and placement, and other 

essential transitional services to help ex-offenders find 

work, stay out of prison, and successfully reintegrate 

into their communities. FBCOs are central to this 

effort because of their deep community roots, dedicated 

volunteers, and strong commitment to ensuring the 

individuals they serve return to a life of promise. 

To implement PRI, DOL has awarded $19.8 million 

to 30 FBCOs that provide employment-centered reentry 

services. Working in collaboration with DOL, DOJ has 

awarded $23.6 million to State criminal justice agencies to 

provide pre-release services to the prisoners DOL grantees 

will serve once they are released from prison. By the end 

of 2008, more than $115 million will have been awarded 

under PRI – 73 grants awarded to FBCOs and 63 grants 

awarded to criminal justice agencies. 

As of September 2008, PRI’s 30 first-round FBCO 

partners have enrolled 15,962 ex-offenders and placed 

10,707 in jobs. Moreover, 69 percent of those placed 

retained their jobs for at least nine months. In addition, 

1,561 PRI participants have entered post-secondary 

education, 1,540 have entered long-term occupational 

skills training, and nearly 9,000 have received mentoring 

services. 

Most importantly, the recidivism rate of PRI 

participants (15 percent) is less than one-third the rate of 

the BJS national average (44 percent) at one year postrelease. 

In April 2008, President Bush signed into law 

the Second Chance Act of 2007, which gives formal 

Congressional authorization to key elements of PRI and 

enhances a number of other reentry-related efforts. 

Th e Serious and Violent Off ender Reentry 

Initiative

To improve criminal justice, employment, education, 

health, and housing outcomes for adults and juveniles 

returning home from prison, Federal agencies collaborated 

to form the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry 

Initiative (SVORI). DOJ, DOL, the United States 

Department of Education (ED), the United States 

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 

and the United States Department of Health and Human 

Prisoner Reentry:

Helping Ex-Off enders Find Work and Avoid Relapse into Criminal Activity 

Prisoner Reentry

“America is the land of the second chance, 

and when the gates of prison open, the path 

ahead should lead to a better life.” 

– President George W. Bush, 

2004 State of the Union Address

0

10

20

30

40

50

BJS Benchmark PRI

One Year

Recidivism Rate (%)

PRI Recidivism Rates

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Benchmark vs. PRI
9

Services (HHS) provided approximately $110 million to 

develop new or expand existing programs offering integrated 

post-release supervision and reentry services from 2003 to 

2006. 

Reentry efforts were funded in all 50 States and the 

District of Columbia through SVORI. The 69 grantees 

operated 89 adult and juvenile programs for serious and 

violent ex-offenders and received between $500,000 and 

$2 million in single, three-year awards. Through SVORI, 

FBCOs provided ex-offenders with services such as needs 

assessments, reentry planning, mentoring, life-skills training, 

dental and medical services, housing placement, interview 

coaching, and job placement. Preliminary findings of an 

impact evaluation by RTI International and the Urban 

Institute indicate that at 15 months after release, SVORI 

participants were 15 percent more likely than non-SVORI 

individuals to have a job with benefits and 12 percent less 

likely than non-SVORI individuals to test positive for drugs. 

Other Initiatives

The Bush Administration has invested more than $700 

million in a number of other innovative reentry-related 

programs that work through FBCOs to assist ex-offenders and 

their families, including: 

• HHS’s Access to Recovery (addiction recovery) – more 

than $390 million.

• HHS’s Mentoring Children of Prisoners (mentoring) – 

$257 million.

• DOJ’s Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (reducing 

crime) – $29 million.

• DOL’s Ready4Work (job training and placement) – 

$19.5 million.

• DOL’s Beneficiary-Choice Contracting Program

(prisoner reentry) – $10 million.

• DOL’s Esperanza Trabajando and Reclamando Nuestro 

Futuro Projects (assisting vulnerable youth and young 

ex-offenders) – $13 million.

Robin enrolled in Metro United Methodist 

Urban Ministry’s CHANGE (Choosing a New 

Generation of Excellence) Program after 

14 months of incarceration for petty theft 

and drug charges. Early in the program, 

Robin expressed a sincere interest in making 

a change in her life, and she inspired other 

program participants to follow her example. 

Robin successfully completed the CHANGE 

program, and, within weeks of graduating, 

she obtained a small business license and 

secured her fi rst commercial contract. 

Today, Robin is the founder and Chief 

Operating Offi cer of her own commercial 

and residential cleaning service. Within 

her business’s fi rst year of operation, Robin 

created job opportunities for more than half 

a dozen youth. To ensure her success as an 

entrepreneur, Robin enrolled at San Diego 

City College and is taking courses in small 

business management, accounting, and 

computer applications. 

Robin is grateful for the chance she was 

given to change and now offers that 

chance to other ex-offenders by speaking 

about her experiences and helping exoffenders fi nd the guidance and resources 

they need to get their lives back on track.

Prisoner Reentry

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Prisoner Reentry and Crime Prevention Initiatives
10

Many communities across America experience 

higher-than-average rates of infant mortality, 

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, 

and cancer and lower rates of immunizations and cancer 

screening. Far too often, uninsured, low-income families 

rely on overcrowded emergency rooms to meet their basic 

health care needs. Health centers engage these challenges 

directly, providing millions of Americans with high-quality, 

affordable health care – especially to medically underserved 

populations, regardless of their ability to pay.

Th e President’s Community Health Center 

Initiative

In 2002, President Bush launched the President’s 

Community Health Center Initiative (CHCI) and 

pledged to create 1,200 new or expanded Health Center sites 

in the country’s most underserved communities to increase 

access to quality health care.

These health centers are operated by FBCOs in local 

neighborhoods and are governed by local residents. They 

serve populations with limited access to quality health care, 

including those without insurance. The primary beneficiaries 

include low-income individuals (more than 91 percent of 

patients) and minorities (64 percent of patients). In addition 

to providing primary care, many health centers provide access 

to pharmacy, preventive dental, mental health, prenatal, and 

substance abuse services.

Through the CHCI, Federal investment in health centers 

has nearly doubled – from barely more than $1 billion in 

2000 to more than $2 billion in 2008. The CHCI strategy 

focuses on strengthening the capacity of existing health 

centers, promoting the growth of new health centers, and 

improving the quality of care in all health centers. In 2007, 

President Bush announced that the CHCI had exceeded its 

original goal of creating or significantly expanding 1,200 

health centers. This has helped raise the total number of 

health center sites across the country today to nearly 7,000.

The addition of more than 1,200 new or expanded health 

centers supported through the CHCI translates into vast 

increases in the number of previously underserved individuals 

who now receive health care. Specifically:

• More than 16 million patients were served in 2007 – an 

increase of more than 5.8 million from 2001. 

• A total of 2.8 million patients received dental services in 

2007 – more than twice as many as in 2001.

• More than 525,000 patients received mental health care 

in 2007 – more than three times as many as in 2001.

Community Health Services:

Helping the Medically Underserved Access Quality, Community-Based Care 

Christ Community 

Health Services is 

an example of how a 

new Community Health 

Center Initiative (CHCI) 

partner affected the 

surrounding community. 

Memphis, Tennessee, has 

distressingly high rates 

of infant mortality, adult 

chronic disease, and 

avoidable deaths. From 

its founding in 1995 until 

2003, Christ Community 

was a fi nancially 

struggling, community-based organization that was often 

unable to recruit physicians and staff to the distressed 

neighborhood where it is located, which has no other 

health resources.

However, with support from CHCI and grants from the 

Bureau of Primary Health Care, Christ Community has 

grown tremendously. Since 2002, it has expanded from 

two to four health center locations, and from 11 to 26 

medical providers. The number of individuals receiving 

medical services has nearly tripled, from 11,000 in 2002 to 

more than 32,000 patients in 2008.

Christ Community is now Tennessee’s largest screening 

site for breast and cervical cancer among low-income, 

uninsured women and provides prenatal care using new 

models that researchers believe will make great strides in 

reducing low birth weight and infant mortality. It has also 

been designated by the State of Tennessee as a Center 

of Excellence in HIV/AIDS care.

Without Christ Community in their neighborhood, 

many local residents would continue to rely on hospital 

emergency rooms for even their most basic health 

care needs, leading to further ER overcrowding. Now, 

thousands of low-income patients have a health care 

home, where they can establish a long-term relationship 

with health care professionals and receive regular 

preventive care.

Community Health Services
11

Maria fi rst came to UMMA (University Muslim Medical Association) 

Community Clinic in South Central Los Angeles in 2001. UMMA offers care to 

underserved populations by providing access to high-quality health care for 

all, regardless of their ability to pay, through Federal funding provided under 

the President’s Community Health Center Initiative. Like many patients treated 

at UMMA, Maria suffers from a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, 

hypertension, and high cholesterol. Recognizing that achieving good health 

is only one of many challenges faced by UMMA patients like Maria, the clinic’s 

staff provides services tailored to the specifi c needs of the local community 

and encourages area residents to utilize UMMA regularly as their health needs 

evolve over the years. 

Today, Maria’s health issues are under control, and she is educated on the 

benefi ts of preventative care thanks to the treatment she has received at 

UMMA. Maria recognizes that “if UMMA wasn’t here, I don’t know who else 

would have helped me. Its personnel are the only people who really took the time to answer my questions and put 

my fears to rest.” 

UMMA’s compassionate, holistic approach to health care leads Los Angeles residents to utilize the clinic regularly 

for their health care needs. Long-term relationships provide multiple benefi ts – helping patients improve their health 

and health habits, reducing strain on Los Angeles’s overburdened health care system, and ensuring that local 

residents like Maria receive the quality care they need.

Community Health Services

Community Health Centers Sites Either Established or Expanded
12

Helping the chronically homeless escape the streets 

is challenging, complex work. Many grapple with 

mental illness, substance abuse, poor health, lack 

of education, and other basic skills. 

The need:

• Approximately 670,000 individuals are homeless in 

this country on any given night. 

• Homeless persons often cycle through public systems, 

shifting from the streets to jails, hospital emergency 

rooms, or temporary shelters – costing taxpayers 

approximately $40,000 per person living on the streets 

every year.

• Even after receiving services, a typical homeless person 

soon returns to the streets because few public systems 

are designed to address chronic homelessness. 

Faith-based and other community nonprofits are often 

best equipped to provide the compassionate touch and the 

personal accountability homeless persons need to transition 

successfully from the streets to stability. To accomplish his 

goal of ending chronic homelessness, President Bush has 

expanded entrepreneurial approaches that draw upon the 

strengths of these groups. 

To support these efforts, the President’s latest budget 

proposed a record investment for combating homelessness, 

bringing the total Federal investment in homelessness 

programs to $10.5 billion since 2001. Additionally, the 

Administration continues support for improved data 

collection and reporting to measure progress in combating 

homelessness. 

Efforts to help homeless individuals transition to stable 

housing are achieving remarkable results: 

• From 2005 to 2007, communities across the country 

reported a nearly 30 percent decrease in the number 

of chronically homeless individuals, which means that 

more than 50,000 individuals who lived on the streets 

and in emergency shelters in 2005 slept in a home of 

their own in 2007.

• The number of homeless veterans treated in 

homelessness programs funded through the United 

States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has 

increased by 74 percent, and the number of homeless 

veterans on the streets was reduced by nearly 40 

percent from 2001 to 2007.ix

HUD plays a major role in fighting chronic 

homelessness by expanding the participation of FBCOs 

in its homelessness programs. Specifically, HUD now 

requires that virtually all Federal, State, and local efforts 

to address homelessness include robust partnerships with 

FBCOs. Through this requirement, expanded funding, 

and active outreach and training efforts for FBCOs:

• The number of grants made to FBCOs through 

HUD’s signature homelessness program, Continuum 

of Care, grew to 3,494 in 2007, up from 1,404 in 

2001. Continuum of Care is a community plan to 

deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs 

of homeless persons as they move to stable housing and 

greater self-sufficiency. The program includes action 

steps to end homelessness and prevent clients from 

returning to the streets. 

• Since 2003, HUD has provided funding for more than 

42,000 beds in new, permanent, supportive housing 

facilities, most of which have been supported by 

FBCOs. In addition, an innovative new collaboration 

between HUD and VA (HUD-VASH) gives homeless 

veterans with vouchers access to medical care through 

VA, as well as housing and other support services 

through partnerships with FBCOs. The President’s 

2008 budget provided $75 million for approximately 

10,000 HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless veterans. 

An additional 10,000 vouchers have been proposed in 

the President’s 2009 budget.

Homelessness:

Working to End Chronic Homelessness

Homelessness

From 2005 to 2007, communities 

across the country reported a nearly 

30 percent decrease in the number 

of chronically homeless individuals, 

which means that more than 50,000 

individuals who lived on the streets and 

in emergency shelters in 2005 slept in a 

home of their own in 2007.
13

Numerous other Federal efforts work to expand 

shelter, mental health, health care, substance abuse, 

educational opportunities, job training services, and 

support networks for homeless individuals:

• The Interagency Council on Homelessness

coordinates Federal efforts to reduce homelessness. 

Among a range of other efforts it leads, the Council 

recommends policy improvements, evaluates 

the effectiveness of programs, and disseminates 

information on Federal resources. Through 

the work of the Council and advocacy groups, 

several hundred jurisdictions nationwide have 

established comprehensive local plans to end chronic 

homelessness.

• The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program (GPD) at VA partners with FBCOs 

to provide housing and support services to help 

homeless veterans transition from the streets to 

stable housing and employment. GPD has worked 

aggressively to expand partnerships with FBCOs 

to meet the needs of veterans. Since 2008, the 

number of FBCOs funded through GPD has risen 

from 176 to 590. Notably, more than 80 percent 

of previously homeless veterans in VA residential 

programs held permanent housing one year after 

their discharge from the program. 

• The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program 

(HVRP) at DOL awards grants to FBCOs and 

other local partners that provide employment 

opportunities to homeless veterans. Since 2002, 

HVRP grant sites operated by FBCOs have served 

more than 80,850 homeless veterans and helped 

52,460 veterans find jobs. 

Leon considered the streets of Dallas his home 

for more than a year. After falling on tough times, 

he lost his apartment and succumbed to sleeping 

in emergency shelters and boarding houses. He 

was stuck in a life without a home – and without 

hope. Central Dallas Ministries, a local faithbased nonprofi t, found Leon and offered him a 

place to call his own. 

In addition to permanent supportive housing, 

Central Dallas Ministries provides chronically 

homeless individuals with disabilities the support 

services they need, such as substance abuse 

counseling, fi nancial guidance, and life skills 

training, to help get them back on their feet. 

Through their Destination Home project, funded 

through the United States Department of Housing 

and Urban Development (HUD)’s Continuum of 

Care, Central Dallas Ministries currently serves 

50 individuals transitioning from homelessness to 

self-suffi ciency. They expect this number will grow 

to more than 100 in the coming years.

Across Dallas and around the Nation, more and 

more Americans like Leon have moved from 

sleeping on the streets to getting a new lease 

on life. In 2008, HUD reported that the city’s rate 

of chronic homelessness has been cut nearly 43 

percent in just two years. Much of the credit for 

this success belongs to HUD partnerships with 

nonprofi ts, like Central Dallas Ministries, in more 

than 3,800 cities and counties.

Homelessness

Martha R. Burt, a research associate 

at the Urban Institute in Washington, 

D.C., has studied homelessness for 

more than two decades and described 

the decline in chronic homelessness as 

“nothing short of phenomenal.”

– The New York Times, July 30, 2008x
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The FBCI created a central role for FBCOs 

in Federal efforts to help guide vulnerable 

youth away from harmful choices and toward 

opportunity and achievement. These organizations reach 

vulnerable youth in their own communities by drawing 

on dedicated volunteers and other community members 

to offer a level of personal engagement, instruction, and 

guidance rarely available through traditional government 

programs.

The need:

• As many as 15 million youth are at risk of falling 

into a life of crime, drugs, and other dangerous 

behaviors that make it difficult to obtain an 

education, successfully enter the workforce, and reach 

a productive adulthood. 

• Nearly two million children have at least one parent 

incarcerated in a State or Federal prison. These 

children are seven times more likely to enter the 

juvenile and adult criminal justice systems than their 

peers.xi

• Since 1960, the number of children born out of 

wedlock has increased more than six-fold while the 

number of children growing up in single-parent 

households has tripled. Significantly, children living 

in single-parent families are much more likely to 

perform poorly in school, drop out of school, engage 

in criminal activities, abuse alcohol and drugs, have 

children out of wedlock, or live in poverty. 

• More than 800,000 youth belong to gangs. 

Mentoring Children of Prisoners

When parents are unable to nurture and guide their 

children, a caring mentor can play a vital role in a young 

person’s life. Mentoring programs can help young people 

with incarcerated parents by reducing their drug and 

alcohol use, improving their relationships and academic 

performance, and decreasing their criminal behavior. 

In 2003, President Bush announced the Mentoring 

Children of Prisoners (MCP) program. MCP supports 

local organizations across America that match children 

of incarcerated parents with caring, dependable mentors 

in a stable, trust-building relationship. Since MCP was 

launched: 

• More than 440 three-year grants have been 

competitively awarded to 320 grantees – most of which 

are FBCOs – in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, 

and Puerto Rico.

• Since 2003, more than 107,000 children of 

incarcerated parents have been matched with a mentor.

• In 2007, 90 percent of the MCP youth surveyed 

reported that they had a “good” or “very good” 

relationship with their mentors.

• MCP now also offers vouchers to the guardians 

of children of prisoners to enroll the youth in an 

accredited mentoring program of their choice. 

Gang Reduction and Other Eff orts Targeting 

Vulnerable Youth

The FBCI has established and/or enhanced numerous 

programs designed to steer America’s youth away from 

gang involvement and into productive activities and 

supportive communities. For example:

• The Corporation for National and Community 

Service (CNCS) was created in 1993 and today is 

the Nation’s largest grantmaker to support service 

and volunteer activities. Through its Senior Corps, 

AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, 

CNCS supports the mentoring of vulnerable youth 

and strengthens FBCOs serving youth across the 

country. In 2007, CNCS devoted more than $300 

million to help support mentoring, tutoring, and 

Vulnerable Youth:

Building a Hopeful Future for Young People Facing Great Challenges

Vulnerable Youth

Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) Sites 

2005-2007
15

other services for nearly 600,000 children and youth, 

including 47,000 children of prisoners. 

• The Gang Reduction Program is a four-city pilot 

program funded by DOJ and designed to build 

city-wide networks of FBCOs and other community 

partners to reduce crime and provide youth and their 

families with healthy alternatives to gang involvement. 

• The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative has 

dedicated approximately $29 million in DOJ grant 

funding to support Project Safe Neighborhood’s 

anti-gang efforts and provide training and technical 

assistance to FBCO partners. This initiative focuses on 

gang prevention, targeted enforcement, and pre- and 

post-release services and supervision for ex-offender 

gang members returning to their communities. 

Significantly, the Dallas-Fort Worth site reported that 

none of the 1,697 vulnerable youth and former gang 

members who participated in the program in 2007 

committed an offense during that year. In addition, 

assaults with firearms decreased 55 percent in the 

target area from 2007 to 2008. 

• Helping America’s Youth (HAY) is a Presidential 

Initiative, led by Mrs. Laura Bush, to raise awareness 

about the challenges facing youth, particularly at-risk 

boys, and to motivate caring adults to connect with 

youth through family, school, and community. The 

“Community Guide to Helping America’s Youth” is an 

online resource to help assess community needs, map 

resources, and build community-wide collaboration 

around top models of research-based programs serving 

youth. Mrs. Bush has hosted a national conference as 

well as six regional conferences, which trained more 

than 1,000 members of community partnerships across 

the country, and she has visited numerous youthserving organizations.

• Communities Empowering Youth (CEY), an 

initiative of HHS’s Compassion Capital Fund, 

provides capacity-building grants to strengthen 

and expand the capabilities of FBCOs working to 

combat gang activity, youth violence, and child abuse 

and neglect in local communities. From 2006 to 

2008, approximately $90 million was awarded via 

competitive grants to 131 projects – each managed by 

a lead nonprofit organization and a coalition of partner 

organizations. 

Youth Connections of Georgia, a 

community-based organization dedicated to 

developing and empowering youth, began 

its work in 2004 with plans to manage group 

homes for troubled boys. But upon identifying 

an expanse of needs, the organization decided 

to broaden its mission to provide a variety of 

programs and services – including mentoring – to 

at-risk boys and girls. 

Youth Connections was awarded a Mentoring 

Children of Prisoners (MCP) grant in 2006. They 

have since leveraged the MCP grant to build 

partnerships with many other organizations – from 

AirTran Airways to the Georgia Department 

of Labor to local churches – that help Youth 

Connections recruit volunteer mentors and match 

them with children of prisoners.

“The staff and volunteers and board members 

contribute their time, talents, and treasures in ways 

that cannot be defi ned on paper,” says Mike 

Daniels, Executive Director of Youth Connections. 

“Not only do they serve in their offi cial capacity 

within the organization, but also as mentors in 

the program.” Since their partnership with MCP 

began in 2006, Youth Connections has matched 

and supported mentoring relationships for nearly 

300 local youth.

Vulnerable Youth
16

Disaster preparation, response, and recovery 

is most effective when each involves a crosssector collaboration of public and private 

resources, including Federal, State, and local governments, 

corporations, foundations, and FBCOs. FBCOs are 

often uniquely able to engage in disaster preparation and 

response in ways that complement the role of government, 

such as facilitating local preparedness and mobilizing 

volunteers. As a disaster response transitions to longterm recovery, FBCOs play a vital role in volunteer and 

community organizing, fund-raising, and other operations 

that build the foundation for community revitalization.

The need:

• Natural disasters can have varying effects on 

communities, ranging from small-scale property 

damage to catastrophic destruction and loss of life.

• Effective disaster preparation, response, and recovery 

require early and comprehensive planning and 

preparation across the public, private, and nonprofit 

sectors to facilitate a comprehensive, timely effort. 

The FBCI’s newest Center, established in 2006 and 

located within the United States Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS), ensures that FBCOs are recognized and 

utilized as indispensable partners in disaster preparedness, 

response, and recovery efforts. 

Enlisting FBCOs in Disaster Preparation, 

Response, and Recovery

• The National Response Framework (NRF) is the 

national guide for domestic disaster response. Over 

2007 and 2008, the NRF was revised to ensure more 

effective collaboration with FBCOs and utilization of 

their significant resources. Reflecting the NRF, States 

are increasingly collaborating with FBCOs as a key 

component in disaster-related efforts as well.

• DHS Regional Partnership Trainings are hosted by 

the DHS FBCI Center in collaboration with local 

emergency management agencies. The events prepare 

local FBCOs for collaboration with government 

agencies in the event of a disaster and help form key 

lines of communication before a disaster strikes, which 

can then be utilized to produce a more effective and 

efficient community response. 

• Citizen Corps, created by President Bush in 2002, 

facilitates local collaboration between government, 

businesses, FBCOs, and other key partners to help 

communities build multi-sector disaster response 

networks. Since the launch of Citizen Corps, nearly 

$150 million has been distributed to States and 

territories to improve community preparedness by 

bringing together multi-sector partners to form State 

and local Councils. Citizen Corps currently operates 

2,339 local Councils, which alongside 55 State and 

territory Councils serve nearly 224 million people

• The Corporation for National and Community 

Service (CNCS) helps mobilize national service 

members and community volunteers to prepare for 

and respond to disasters. Since 2005, more than 

93,000 participants in CNCS programs have given 

more than 5.4 million hours of service, coordinated 

405,000 volunteers, and provided nearly $130 

million to volunteer-centered response and recovery 

efforts in the Gulf Coast region. In addition, CNCS 

has expanded its strategic focus to include disaster 

preparedness and response as one of the agency’s five 

high-priority issue areas. Recognizing that volunteers 

are critical to this effort, CNCS trained their State 

volunteer commission directors to more fully 

integrate volunteers and nonprofit organizations into 

State and local disaster preparedness efforts.

• USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network, the 

Nation’s largest clearinghouse of service opportunities, 

connects volunteers with FBCOs to serve in disaster 

response efforts. From the six months prior to 

Hurricane Katrina to the six months immediately 

following, the number of volunteer searches 

performed through the Network increased by 

an average of 3,000 per day, from approximately 

100,000 to more than 550,000 annually. In the 

two years following Hurricane Katrina, more than 

1.1 million Americans volunteered in the Gulf 

Coast to aid response and recovery efforts, providing 

more than 14 million hours of service in the largest 

volunteer response to a natural disaster in American 

History. 

Natural Disasters:

Eff ective Disaster Preparation, Response, and Recovery

Natural Disasters
17

Other Federal Eff orts 

• A number of other Federal programs engage FBCOs 

to help rebuild neighborhoods and restore lives in 

areas affected by disasters. These programs include 

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, which 

supplies food to disaster relief organizations for 

mass distribution, and HUD’s HOME Investment 

Partnerships, which helps rebuild housing in 

disaster-torn areas. 

Operation Blessing International (OBI) is a 

faith-based nonprofi t active in an array of disaster 

response and recovery efforts in the United States 

and abroad. With help from the DHS FBCI, the 

organization has established an active working 

relationship with FEMA over the past three years. This 

year, OBI partnered with FEMA again for tornado 

relief efforts in Tennessee. FEMA liaison Ken Skalitzky 

contacted OBI – which was on the ground within 24 

hours of the tornado strike – asking for assistance in 

clearing land so that FEMA trailers could be brought 

into the devastated area. Jody Herrington, director 

of United States disaster relief for OBI, said, “In the 

aftermath of the recent hurricanes, tornadoes 

and other natural disasters, FEMA has been very 

supportive in helping Operation Blessing International 

connect with offi cials on Federal, State, and local 

levels to begin providing disaster relief efforts within 

hours of the devastation.”

“The Feds have revamped and revised their approach to disaster relief.... [The new Center 

for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security has] 

taken steps to make sure that the Federal government doesn’t repeat its Katrina experience. 

They’ve reevaluated FEMA’s staff to make sure it includes people who have experience 

working with FBCOs. They’ve hosted emergency preparedness workshops for more than 

1,000 leaders of FBCOs in six cities around the country. And they’ve strengthened the 

National Response Framework to better coordinate volunteer efforts.”

– WORLD Magazine, June 14, 2008xii

Natural Disasters

• To help with international disasters, the Federal 

government partners with FBCOs through 

the United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID). The USAID Office 

of United States Foreign Disaster Assistance 

works through InterAction, an association of 

nongovernmental organizations, to fund disaster 

assistance projects in developing countries.
18

Every child should be provided a quality education. 

Families of children trapped in persistently lowperforming schools deserve access to educational 

options to ensure their students do not lag behind their 

peers. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, President 

Bush has implemented aggressive reforms to boost 

achievement and accountability. The President has also 

worked to ensure that students in schools that do not 

improve have the option to attend a different school or to 

receive tutoring, and he has expanded the role FBCOs play 

in serving disadvantaged youth. 

The need:

• Nearly half of all students in America’s major urban 

school districts do not graduate from high school on 

time. 

• Fifteen percent of the Nation’s schools produce more 

than half of its dropouts.

• It is estimated that over their lifetimes, dropouts from 

the class of 2007 alone will cost the Nation more than 

$300 billion in lost wages, lost tax revenue, and lost 

productivity. 

Tutoring for Students in Low-Performing 

Schools

Supplemental Educational Services (SES) is a 

key parental choice component of the No Child Left 

Behind Act that offers free after-school tutoring for 

students attending schools that are deemed “in need 

of improvement.” SES is designed to help increase the 

academic achievement of students, particularly in the core 

subjects of reading and math, to ensure they keep pace 

with their peers. Through SES, families are empowered to 

select a State-approved tutoring provider that best meets 

their child’s academic needs. 

ED’s Office of Innovation and Improvement and 

ED’s FBCI Center have provided training and technical 

assistance to help FBCOs become approved SES providers 

through, among other means, 90 regional workshops in 

36 States. Additionally, ED has funded pilot initiatives 

to help grow the number of FBCOs approved as SES 

providers and to help school districts and States improve 

SES participation rates.

During the 2006–2007 school year, more than 

535,000 children received tutoring through SES 

providers—approximately 25 percent of which were 

FBCOs. A June 2007 RAND Corporation study found: 

• Participation in SES had a statistically significant 

positive effect on students’ achievement in reading and 

math. 

• There is evidence that effects may be cumulative: 

students participating for multiple years demonstrated 

gains twice as large as those of students participating 

for one year. 

• Participation is highest among African-American and 

Hispanic students, both of whom experienced positive 

achievement effects from participating in SES. 

School Choice 

To empower parents with options that best meet their 

child’s academic needs, particularly for those with students 

in persistently underperforming schools, President Bush 

has supported a range of educational alternatives, including 

magnet schools, charter schools, private schools, and 

homeschooling, through the following programs:

• The Charter Schools Program invests in the creation 

of new charter schools and provides funds for States 

to offer financial assistance to existing charter schools 

to obtain facilities. Through this and other sources, 

President Bush has provided more than $1.8 billion 

since 2001 to open new charter schools in 40 States 

and the District of Columbia. Notably, the number 

of charter schools in the United States increased from 

approximately 2,000 in 2001 to more than 4,300 

today, serving 1.3 million children – nearly three 

percent of all public school students. 

• The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is 

the Nation’s first Federally-funded K-12 scholarship 

program. Created in 2004, the program provides 

scholarships to cover tuition, fees, and transportation 

expenses for students from low-income families in 

the District of Columbia to attend a participating 

private school of their choice. Students enrolled in 

the program can receive up to $7,500 in financial 

assistance to cover expenses for their education at a 

private school. During the 2007–2008 school year 

alone, approximately 1,900 students participated 

Educational Opportunities for Disadvantaged Students:

Building a Bright Future for Children in Low-Performing Schools

Educational Opportunities for Disadvantaged Students
19

in the program, attending 54 private schools 

across the District. Survey results indicate that 

parents of children enrolled in the program 

are extremely satisfied. In addition, a 2005 

Georgetown University study on the first year of 

the program found that parents whose children 

received the vouchers become more involved in 

their child’s education, and participating students 

demonstrated improved attitudes toward learning 

and enhanced self-confidence.xiii

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers

support before-, after-, and summer-school 

programs that provide tutoring and other 

educational services. Before President Bush took 

office, this longstanding program did not allow 

FBCOs to apply for grants. In 2007 alone, 671 

FBCOs won grants to operate 21st Century 

Community Learning Centers. In addition, many 

other grantees – such as public school districts – 

form partnerships with local FBCOs to serve their 

students more effectively.

Julisa, a third grader reading at a fi rst-grade 

level, was struggling in school and working hard to 

learn English. Julisa’s mother sought help for her 

daughter at Reading and Beyond, a faith-based 

organization that offers tutoring, adult literacy, and 

parental education services in Fresno, California. 

The organization matched Julisa with a tutor, and 

she improved rapidly, increasing her reading by two 

grade levels in ten months. 

Reading and Beyond provides tutoring services 

funded by Supplemental Educational Services 

(SES), which was created by President Bush. The 

organization has also won a grant through the 21st 

Century Learning Center program, which did not 

allow nonprofi ts to compete prior to the FBCI. These 

new funding supports have been instrumental to 

its growth. Over the past ten years, Reading and 

Beyond has progressed from tutoring 25 children per 

day at one location to tutoring 1,000 children per 

day at 16 locations – and has provided educational 

services to more than 10,000 parents.

Julisa’s younger brother also receives tutoring at 

Reading and Beyond, and his learning has likewise 

improved. By the time he fi nished the program at the 

end of fi rst grade, he was reading at grade level. 

Julisa’s mom has attended parenting classes at 

Reading and Beyond to learn how to reinforce 

instruction at home. Now, Julisa is reading at grade 

level and has become a “Reading Buddy” to younger 

children in the program. Her brother’s reading 

continues to improve as well. Both children have a 

bright future ahead.

Educational Opportunities for Disadvantaged Students

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Pre-FBCI 2004 2005 2007 2006

Number of 21st Century Learning Center Sites

at FBCOs

State and Local Strategies 

Beyond Federal education reform efforts, 24 programs 

across 15 States now provide financial assistance for 

families through scholarships, tax credits, and/or tax 

deductions to enable disadvantaged students to attend 

a private school, whereas ten years ago only seven such 

programs existed. These programs at the Federal, State, 

and local level are providing educational opportunities for 

disadvantaged students, as the charter school movement 

continues to grow, SES options expand, and new choice 

models are developed.
20

Economic development is integral to the health of 

local communities. Successful development in 

disadvantaged communities often draws upon 

strong partnerships between the government, private 

sector, and nonprofit organizations to implement 

strategies reflecting the specialized needs of local 

communities. FBCOs are important contributors to 

revitalizing communities, establishing sustainable economic 

development initiatives, attracting private investment, 

and encouraging entrepreneurship. Creative partnerships 

between FBCOs and Federal agencies promote national 

and global commerce and economic development in 

impoverished communities throughout America and 

around the world.

United States Department of Commerce

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is 

the principal agency within the United States Department 

of Commerce (DOC) that invests in social service 

organizations. EDA helps businesses, FBCOs, and local 

governments create conditions for economic growth and 

opportunities in distressed communities.

EDA has a long history of providing grants to FBCOs; 

and, since 2002, EDA has increased its average annual 

number of projects with FBCOs by 60 percent by investing 

more than $185 million in 255 FBCO-led projects. The 

anticipated economic benefit of this investment is more 

than 91,000 jobs and $4 billion in private investment. In 

2008 alone, EDA invested more than $16 million in 32 

projects, with an anticipated benefit of more than 3,700 

jobs created and more than $198 million in private-sector 

investment. 

Small Business Administration 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) partners 

with nonprofit organizations in financial assistance 

programs and entrepreneur development programs. For 

example, nonprofit credit unions, microlenders, and 

certified development companies provide SBA credit 

assistance to small businesses that are unable to obtain 

credit at reasonable terms. In addition, through its 

nonprofit partners at Women’s Business Centers and 

the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), 

SBA provides management counseling and training to 

small businesses, including nonprofit FBCOs. This 

technical training includes evaluation of best practices 

for developing a business plan, managing and growing 

a small organization, identifying appropriate sources of 

capital, ensuring continuity of operations, and other 

key issues facing small organizations. These programs 

focus on assisting underserved and rural communities 

and populations, including minorities, veterans, Native 

Americans, and women. In 2008, more than one million 

small businesses received assistance from SBA’s nonprofit 

counseling and training partners. 

United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID)

The Global Development Alliance (GDA) works to 

forge partnerships among the public, private, and nonprofit 

sectors to stimulate economic growth, develop businesses 

and workforces, and address a range of other economic 

needs in developing countries. Since 2001, GDA has 

cultivated more than 680 alliances with more than 1,700 

individual partners and attracted investments of more 

than $9 billion in partner resources. FBCOs bring unique 

strengths to these public-private partnerships, including 

existing networks of relationships, expertise with workforce 

development, knowledge of customs, and local buy-in 

from the communities they serve. GDA partnerships that 

actively involve local leadership and local beneficiaries in 

design and implementation are the most likely partnerships 

to be successful and sustainable. 

United States Department of Labor (DOL) 

Complementing Federal efforts to create jobs, DOL 

pairs small nonprofits with local public workforce offices 

to help high-need individuals overcome barriers to work, 

find jobs, and stay employed. Since 2002, DOL has 

awarded $10.9 million to 247 grassroots FBCOs and 22 

Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs) to achieve 

these goals. Progress reports since 2004 show that these 

innovative partnerships provided workforce development 

and other essential human services to more than 37,700 

hard-to-serve individuals and helped place 15,376 of them 

in jobs.

Economic Development and Public-Private Partnership:

Strengthening Communities and Building Economic Vitality

Economic Development and Public-Private Partnership
21

Odette suffered greatly in the Rwandan genocide, losing 

everyone in her extended family except for three of her fi ve 

children. She had nothing when she came to Ikirezi Natural 

Products looking for enough income to buy soap to bathe herself 

and her remaining children. 

Ikirezi is a small, for-profi t venture that seeks to export high-quality 

essential oils distilled from Rwandan geranium plants. In 2006, 

seeking to assist in the rebuilding of Rwanda’s agriculture industry 

following the country’s genocide and war, USAID provided 

support to Ikirezi through a sub-grant to the faith-based nonprofi t 

organization, World Relief. Ikirezi used the funds to acquire land, 

grow and harvest geraniums, and distill essential oils for export 

to cosmetic stores around the world. Ikirezi contributes profi ts to 

a program that has helped to provide hundreds of Rwandese 

widows with housing and a steady income to buy food, clothing, 

and schooling for their children. 

Through Ikirezi, women work alongside each other to cultivate their geranium bushes and their relationships. Many times, 

widows of men who committed genocide work directly with women whose husbands were brutally killed by those same 

men. While this process is not easy, Ikirezi fosters forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation between these widows and, in turn, 

broader communities.

Today, Odette is the treasurer of her geranium-growing cooperative at Ikirezi. Her children are in school, and she is able to 

buy them food and clothing. Odette’s greatest triumph, however, is the reconciliation occurring among her “sisters” – those 

women whose husbands may have killed her own family, and upon whom she now relies for her livelihood and friendships.

Economic Development and Public-Private Partnership:

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Department of Labor Grants to Grassroots FBCOs and

Local Workforce Investment Boards

 2002-2007
22

FBCOs also participate in a variety of Federal nutrition 

programs via day care centers, food banks, soup kitchens, 

schools, after-school programs, shelters, summer feeding 

sites, and health clinics, including:

• The Summer Food Service Program provides free, 

nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income 

areas to ensure that those children who receive 

nutrition assistance during the school year also receive 

it during the summer. In 2006, an average of 1.9 

million low-income children received healthy meals 

each day during the summer months through this 

program. Approximately 34 percent of the partner 

organizations serving those meals were FBCOs.

• The Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a 

vital role in improving the quality of care for children 

in day care facilities, emergency shelters, and afterschool care programs, as well as adults in nonresidential 

adult day care centers. Through this program, three 

million children and more than 100,000 adults 

receive nutritious meals and snacks each day. In 2006, 

approximately 48 percent of partner organizations 

participating in this program were FBCOs. 

International Food Aid

The United States is the world’s largest provider of 

food aid and emergency food assistance and is committed 

to the goal of global food security. USDA’s Foreign 

Agricultural Service and USAID work together to deliver 

food aid worldwide, often in partnership with FBCOs. In 

2007, the United States provided more than $2.1 billion in 

food aid, or 2.5 million metric tons of commodities, to 78 

developing countries. Some of the programs that deliver 

international food aid are:

FBCOs play a crucial role as a first line of defense 

against hunger for individuals in America and 

abroad.

The need:

• While most Americans can afford to put food on their 

tables, about 12.6 million households were “food 

insecure” at some time during 2006.xiv A food insecure 

household does not have continuous access to enough 

food for an active, healthy life for all members of the 

household. 

• In 2006, more than 800 million people in 70 

developing countries were classified as food insecure.xv

• The difference between recommended nutritional 

requirements and the amount of food that populations 

in the world’s poorest countries could afford to 

purchase was more than 27 million tons in 2006.

Domestic Food and Nutrition Assistance

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

Food and Nutrition Service works to increase food 

security and reduce hunger by providing children and 

low-income individuals with access to food, a healthy diet, 

and nutrition education. USDA’s 15-nutrition assistance 

programs reach one in five Americans annually. Under 

the President’s leadership, funding for domestic nutrition 

assistance has increased more than 75 percent since 2001 

to $59 billion. 

The Food Stamp Program is the cornerstone of 

the Federal food assistance programs. This program 

provides food stamp benefits to more than 28 million 

individuals in need every month, helping them purchase 

food that will sustain a healthy diet and long-term good 

health. FBCOs are critical partners to help ensure that all 

eligible individuals are made aware of this program. Due 

in part to the outreach efforts of USDA and its partners 

to underserved and disadvantaged groups, participation 

among those eligible to receive food stamp benefits 

increased from 54 percent in 2000 in to 67 percent 

in 2006. Through the Food Stamp Outreach Grant 

Program, USDA awarded more than $3.7 million to 43 

FBCOs between 2004 and 2007 to assist with outreach 

activities and improve access to the Food Stamp Program. 

Hunger:

Alleviating Hunger and Improving Nutrition at Home and Abroad

Hunger

Under President Bush’s leadership, 

funding for domestic nutrition 

assistance has increased more than 75 

percent since 2001 to $59 billion. 
23

• McGovern-Dole International Food for 

Education and Child Nutrition Program

aims to reduce extreme poverty and hunger 

and advance literacy and universal primary 

education. From 2004 to 2007, the 

program delivered vital assistance through 

59 grant agreements with private voluntary 

organizations, including faith-based 

organizations, totaling more than $338 

million in assistance and delivering nearly 

400,000 metric tons of commodities to ten 

million individuals in 33 countries. 

• Food for Progress provides agricultural 

commodities to countries and emerging 

democracies that have made commitments 

to introduce or expand free enterprise in 

their agricultural economies. From 2004 

to 2007, the program delivered more than 

$770 million in assistance through 79 

grant agreements with private voluntary 

organizations, including faith-based 

organizations. These grants benefited 15.6 

million individuals in 48 countries.

• Food for Peace makes commodity donations 

to the United Nations and private voluntary 

organizations to improve food security 

through development projects and emergency 

food assistance programs. Specifically, in 

2008, more than one million metric tons 

of commodities, valued at approximately 

$850 million, were provided to Ethiopia, 

Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti in response to 

the drought emergency affecting the Horn of 

Africa. In addition, 408,410 metric tons of 

commodities, valued at nearly $490 million, 

were provided to millions of beneficiaries 

in Sudan. Further, 151,500 metric tons of 

commodities helped hundreds of thousands 

Zimbabweans cope with the dual burdens of 

a deteriorating economic situation and poor 

agricultural performance. 

Food for the Poor (FFTP) received a USDA Food for 

Progress grant in 2005 to provide advanced training in 

agricultural business to increase food security and production 

of cash crops for local production and sale. FFTP’s work 

supports the Rural Economic Agricultural Program (REAP) for 

Jamaica, a joint effort 

with local government 

agencies to revitalize 

family farms.

The farmers receive 

training in agricultural 

production, crop 

diversifi cation, and 

marketing techniques. 

FFTP provides model 

garden plots and 

the necessary 

farm tools, seeds, 

training, agronomic 

advice, and project 

monitoring. Food is 

also provided to the 

farmers during the 

start-up stage to help 

them care for their families while the crops grow. Hard work, 

commitment, and a desire to succeed help ensure that these 

growers will be able to offer fruits and vegetables to their 

families and communities. 

After completing basic training and restarting their farms, 

the farmers learned how to market their products, resulting in 

increased employment for young people in food processing 

and packaging. The fi nal year of the program taught the 

farmers self-suffi ciency and how to sell their crops in Jamaica 

and abroad. 

Local volunteers working with FFTP have been thrilled with 

the results of the farmer training and see the benefi ts of the 

program everywhere. Residents report that their communities 

are cleaner, gang violence has decreased, and the price of 

produce has sharply fallen. This program not only provides 

hardworking farmers with food, but also with a way to earn a 

living. Farmers who were once too poor to send their children 

to school can now afford to do so.

Hunger
24

For approximately 23 million U.S. military veterans 

living in the United States, FBCOs are working 

alongside VA hospitals and other Federally-operated 

services as vital partners in meeting the challenges faced by 

these veterans. 

The need:

• Some veterans may face challenges when reintegrating 

into society, including unemployment, homelessness, 

disability, mental health concerns, and other special 

needs.

• Approximately 25 percent of the adult homeless 

population in the United States has served their 

country in the Armed Services. 

Homeless Veterans

FBCOs are central to a range of Federal efforts to help 

homeless veterans transition successfully from the streets to 

stable housing and employment. Examples include:

• The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program (GPD) at VA has greatly expanded its 

networks of FBCO partners who provide services 

to homeless veterans – increasing the number of 

FBCOs funded from 176 in 2002 to 590 in 2008. 

The program provides direct grants to fund up to 65 

percent of projects primarily for the construction, 

acquisition, or renovation of facilities serving homeless 

veterans. This program has made more than 8,000 

new beds available to homeless veterans and serves 

more than 15,000 veterans annually.

• The Loan Guaranty Homeless Program sells VAacquired properties to approved nonprofit providers, 

at a discount of 20 to 50 percent, to develop shelters 

primarily for homeless veterans. From 2004 to 2008, 

an estimated 200 properties were sold to nonprofit 

organizations under this program. In addition, the 

Multifamily Transitional Housing arm of this program 

provides loans to FBCOs to build multi-family 

transitional housing for homeless veterans. 

• Continuum of Care is HUD’s signature program 

serving homeless individuals, including veterans. 

Continuum of Care increased the number of FBCOs 

it directly funds by nearly 500 organizations, or 30 

percent, between 2003 and 2006. Since 2003, HUD 

has provided funding for more than 42,000 beds 

through new, permanent, or supportive housing. 

HUD estimates that about 6,300 of these beds now 

belong to formerly homeless veterans. 

• The HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUDVASH) is an innovative partnership between HUD 

and VA that provides homeless veterans with vouchers 

enabling them to access medical care through VA, as 

well as housing and other supportive services through 

FBCOs partnering with HUD. The President’s 

2008 budget provides $75 million for approximately 

10,000 HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless veterans. 

President Bush proposed an additional 10,000 

vouchers in his 2009 budget.

• The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program

(HVRP) at DOL provides grants to FBCOs and 

other local partners to deliver employment services to 

homeless veterans. Since 2002, HVRP grant sites have 

served more than 80,850 homeless veterans, placing 

48,400 in transitional or permanent housing and 

helping 52,460 find jobs.

Veterans’ Services:

Supporting Th ose Who Have Served

Veterans’ Services

295,000

154,000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

Decrease In Number of Homeless Veterans

 From 2002–2005

287 Percent Increase in FBCO partnerships

with Veterans Per Diem Program

506

2002 176

2007

0 100 200 300 500 400 600
25

As a result of these and other efforts – including the 

Interagency Council on Homelessness and VA’s Project 

CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, 

Local Education, and Networking Group) – the number 

of homeless veterans has been reduced dramatically. VA 

reports that the number of homeless veterans treated in 

homeless programs has increased by 74 percent, and the 

number of homeless veterans on the streets was reduced by 

nearly 40 percent from 2002 to 2007.xvi

Disabled Veterans

Many veterans have serious disabilities and are in 

need of vocational rehabilitation. Through the FBCI 

= VetSuccess Program, VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation 

and Employment Service partners with FBCOs across 

the country to provide veterans with service-connected 

disabilities with opportunities for employment, career 

advancement, and greater financial security. Specifically, 

this program yielded four Federal partnerships with 150 

new FBCOs that provide needed services to veterans. As 

a result of these partnerships, between 2005 and 2008, 

FBCOs found employment for 2,079 veterans with 

service-connected disabilities.

Veterans Returning Home from Afghanistan 

and Iraq

VA liaisons work to engage FBCOs in partnerships 

that complement VA services provided to veterans 

returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and 

Operation Iraqi Freedom. For example, under the VA 

Chaplain Service, local VA chaplains conduct halfday training events throughout the country to provide 

education and resources to clergy members on physical, 

mental, and spiritual health issues experienced by some 

returning veterans and their families. In 2007, VA 

chaplains conducted 23 training events attended by 1,330 

participants.

Hospitalized Veterans

In 2007, VA admitted approximately 589,000 

veterans to VA hospitals. The Department of Veterans 

Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) was founded in 1946 to 

provide for veterans while they are cared for by VA health 

care facilities. Specifically, 65 major veterans and civic 

organizations and more than 350 State and local FBCOs 

are actively involved in providing services to hospitalized 

veterans in their local communities. In 2008, 80,827 

active VAVS volunteers contributed a total of more than 

11.4 million hours of service. 

Odell was referred to Goodwill of North 

Georgia by the United States Department of 

Veterans Affairs in October 2007. He had been 

unemployed for seven years, but indicated 

a desire to change that. Two weeks into his 

employment at Goodwill of North Georgia, he 

was nominated for the employee of the week 

award. Odell continued to excel throughout his 

six-month work evaluation, learning to interact 

with co-workers and employability skills. Odell 

also received his certifi cation to operate forklifts 

and heavy machinery and participated in 

internships at two large retailers. Odell applied 

for a part-time position with one of the retailers 

and was hired to work in the stock room, 

becoming the fi rst Goodwill participant to 

obtain a permanent position there.

Odell quickly became an asset to the retailer’s 

back room operation. He was willing to 

work extended hours and began working a 

consistent 30-hour week. He now also helps 

stock merchandise and price shoes as needed 

but prefers to unload and prepare freight to be 

placed on the sales fl oor. When asked about 

Odell’s progress, the store manager stated, “If I 

could clone him, I would.”

Veterans’ Services
26

Although a largely preventable and treatable 

disease, malaria is a leading cause of death for 

children in Africa. Malaria is a blood-borne 

infection transmitted to human beings through bites 

from mosquitoes that are typically found in tropical and 

subtropical regions of the world, particularly sub-Saharan 

Africa.

The need:

• Each year between 300 and 500 million individuals 

worldwide contract malaria, and more than one 

million die from the disease. 

• Although malaria is preventable and treatable, it is 

estimated that every 30 seconds an African child dies of 

this disease. 

• Malaria accounts for approximately 40 percent of 

public health expenditures in Africa and causes an 

annual loss of $12 billion – 1.3 percent of Africa’s gross 

domestic product. 

Th e President’s Malaria Initiative

President Bush set out to fight this disease by 

launching the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) in 

2005, committing $1.2 billion over five years to reduce 

malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 African 

countries.xvii Through PMI, President Bush also challenged 

other donor countries, private foundations, philanthropic 

organizations, and corporations to join the United States 

in its efforts to reduce the suffering and death caused by 

malaria.

PMI aims to reach 85 percent of the most vulnerable 

groups – children under the age of five, pregnant women, 

and people living with HIV/AIDS – with proven, costeffective malaria prevention and treatment measures, 

including mosquito nets, indoor insecticide spraying, 

preventive treatment for pregnant women, and drug 

therapy. Additionally, PMI coordinates with other national 

and international partners, including the Global Fund, 

the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and 

the World Health Organization, to help deliver effective 

treatment. 

PMI’s ambitious objectives can best be achieved 

through government partnerships with indigenous 

organizations in the 15 target countries, including 

nongovernmental organizations and FBCOs, that are 

well-positioned within communities to deliver services 

in remote areas and maintain a high degree of credibility. 

These organizations make up more than 75 percent of PMI 

partners and have helped deliver significant results. For 

example:

• More than 17 million individuals have benefited from 

indoor insecticide spraying in 10 PMI countries.

• More than 7.4 million treatment courses of highlyeffective drug therapies have been distributed to health 

facilities, and approximately 29,000 health workers 

have been trained to administer them. 

• More than 1.35 million preventive treatments have 

been procured for pregnant women to help reduce 

the risk of contracting malaria during pregnancy. 

More than 5,000 health workers have been trained to 

administer these treatments.

• PMI has built the capacity of focus countries’ 

National Malaria Control Programs in the areas 

of pharmaceutical management, diagnosis, indoor 

Malaria:

Making Major Advances Against a Preventable Disease

Malaria

USAID Administrator Henrietta Holsman Fore inspects

bed nets in Ghana
27

insecticide spraying, malaria in pregnancy, and 

monitoring and evaluation.

• In its second full year of operation, more than 

25 million people have benefited from PMI 

interventions. Indoor residual spraying has been 

conducted in ten countries, benefiting more than 

17 million people. PMI has distributed 4.3 million 

insecticide-treated nets. 

Allabatou, a local women’s group in Bignona, 

Senegal, is one of the many small, community-based 

organizations that has partnered with USAID to expand 

malaria prevention and treatment in hard-hit areas. 

In Senegal, the community approach to promoting 

bed net usage also doubles as income-generating 

activity. An international faith-based nonprofi t named 

Africare used a grant from USAID to provide bed nets to 

Allabatou for 3,500 Franc CFA (about $6) each. Each 

woman in the group then bought nets on credit for 

3,750 Franc CFA each and sold them to make a living, 

paying the loan off over a fi ve-month period. 

Allabatou also made a modest profi t and used some of 

it to support community health volunteers working on 

malaria and other health issues. In addition, Allabatou 

and other local women’s associations set up revolving 

funds that each woman contributed to monthly and 

borrowed from in times of need.

This approach to bed net distribution is more sustainable 

and reaches a wider population than if the nets were 

given away for free. It also empowers women to 

provide fi nancially for their families. Allabatou has 

begun a new small business unit to prepare and sell 

dried mangoes – an activity that is expected to bring 

them annual revenue of more than 150,000 FCPA 

(about $280 each). 

“[B]efore this program, every week, three or fi ve of us 

used to spend two or three days caring for our children 

or husbands or other family members sick with malaria,” 

acknowledged an Allabatou member. “Now, with 

this program, we’re all here at work and everybody 

participates in the daily activities.” 

Malaria

0

5

10

15

20

25

Jan-June 2005 Jan-June 2006 Jan-June 2007

Percent Blood Slide Positive for Malaria

Malaria Reduction in Zanzibar

PMI results on the island of Zanzibar, for example, 

highlight the impact of the initiative in target countries. 

From July 2005 to August 2007, a survey of ten health 

facilities showed a greater-than 90 percent decline 

in children under two years old testing positive for 

malaria—with rates dropping from 22 percent in 2005 

to 0.7 percent in 2007.

To raise awareness about malaria and to mobilize 

community-level efforts to eradicate this disease, 

President and Mrs. Bush hosted the White House 

Summit on Malaria in December 2006. At the 

Summit, Mrs. Bush announced the $30 million 

Malaria Communities Program, which supports the 

efforts of communities and indigenous organizations 

to combat malaria in Africa. Specifically, the program 

identifies and supports partner organizations and 

networks of FBCOs to work at the community 

level in the PMI target countries; increases local 

and indigenous capacity to undertake communitybased malaria prevention and treatment activities; 

builds local ownership of malaria control for longterm sustainability; and extends the reach of PMI to 

additional communities.
28

President Bush launched the FBCI as a sweeping 

strategy to transform the way government 

works to address human need. The FBCI led a 

shift away from large, Washington-centered programs 

to the local, personal care offered by the “armies of 

compassion” serving their neighbors at the community 

level. This transformational approach required 

fundamental changes in the policies, programs, and the 

culture of government. 

To lead these reforms, President Bush created the 

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives (OFBCI) in 2001. He also established 

Centers inside five Federal agencies.xix As the Initiative 

gained traction, the number of FBCI Centers expanded 

to include virtually every agency engaged in combating 

human need.xx

Each FBCI Center implements the President’s vision 

within its respective agency, expanding the role of local 

nonprofits and ensuring a level playing field for faith-based 

groups.xxi The Centers do not operate as separate programs 

or “add-ons” to government, but as drivers of reform and 

innovative policies within government.

This approach enables the FBCI to effectively 

apply its vision deep within the gears of government. 

As David J. Wright, Project Director of Rockefeller 

Institute’s Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare 

Policy, described, “The Bush Administration has built a 

considerable management capacity to reach deeply into 

and widely across the federal government in order to 

implement the Faith-Based and Community Initiative as a 

presidential priority.

Transforming Government

Th e United States Department 

of Agriculture (USDA) is one 

of eleven Federal agencies 

that maintain a Center for 

Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives. Created by Executive Order in 2002, USDA’s 

Center works with Department 

program offi ces to expand and strengthen partnerships 

with faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) 

to help alleviate hunger and build strong rural communities. 

Domestic Food and Nutrition Assistance

FBCOs play a key role in USDA nutrition assistance 

eff orts, from local food banks to summer nutrition 

programs. USDA also partners with FBCOs to increase 

awareness of nutrition assistance programs to ensure 

those most in need can access the aid they require. Th ese 

outreach eff orts helped achieve a signifi cant increase 

in the percentage of eligible low-income individuals 

participating in the Food Stamp Program. In addition 

to supporting FBCOs that off er addiction rehabilitation 

Transforming Government

“[The] Faith-Based and Community Initiative has advanced a quiet revolution in America’s 

approach to helping our neighbors in need.”

– President George W. Bush, Quiet Revolution, February 2008xviii

programs, USDA issued new policy guidance that 

ensures residents of such facilities may retain their 

food stamp benefi ts and the facility itself may be an 

authorized food stamp retailer. 

International Food Aid

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service works with 

FBCOs to deliver food aid and humanitarian 

assistance around the world, as well as agricultural 

support to emerging democracies. In a recent pilot 

project, new grantees were partnered with experienced grantees to help increase their organizational 

capacity and better serve those in need overseas.

Rural Development

USDA is committed to strengthening rural communities across America. USDA partners with FBCOs 

to bring housing, community facilities, utilities and 

other vital services to rural America. As a result of 

outreach to nonprofi ts in these communities, the 

number of awards to applicants, including nonprofi t organizations, increased by nearly 50 percent 

between 2005 and 2007.
29

To advance its agenda for expanded response to human need, the White House OFBCI hosts a series of monthly 

Compassion in Action roundtables to highlight innovative partnerships and best practices. Each event gathers nonprofit 

leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, and researchers to explore and promote replication of government-FBCO 

partnerships that effectively address critical human needs. The themes of the 25 Compassion in Action roundtables were:

Transforming Government

• Youth Violence

• Malaria

• Prisoner Reentry

• Homelessness

• Educational Improvement

• Promoting Service and Civic 

Engagement

• Economic Development and 

Community Investment

• State Strategies to Implement 

the FBCI

• Substance Abuse

• Human Trafficking

• Hunger

• Healthy Families HIV/AIDS

• Mentoring

• Capacity-Building for 

Grassroots Nonprofits

• Orphans and Vulnerable 

Children

• Emergency Preparedness, 

Response, and Recovery

• International Development 

• Financial Literacy 

• Veterans’ Services

• Immigrant Assimilation

• American Indian/Alaska Native

• Community-Based Health 

Care

• The Next Generation of Social 

Entrepreneurs

• State Compassion and Service 

Strategies

Compassion in Action Roundtables
30

Government reforms led by the FBCI have had 

two primary objectives: first, to ensure that 

faith-based organizations are welcomed as equal 

partners in every Federal effort to address need; second, to 

reduce barriers and expand opportunities for partnership 

with all effective community nonprofits, whether faithbased or secular.

Early in 2001, FBCI Centers conducted audits to 

identify specific barriers faced by faith-based and other 

community organizations in partnering with government. 

The results of the audits were gathered into a 2001 White 

House report entitled Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to 

Participation by Faith-Based and Community Organizations 

in Federal Social Service Programs. 

The report confirmed the existence of significant 

policy and regulatory limitations, as well as informal 

barriers, within Federal agencies. The analysis found 

that these challenges often discouraged faith-based 

organizations and grassroots FBCOs from collaborating 

with Federal agencies to serve the common good.

Creating a Level Playing Field

To enable faith-based organizations to compete on a 

level playing field for Federal grants and other partnership 

opportunities, the FBCI reformed outdated regulations, 

policies, and practices. 

During the 1990s, Federal courts increasingly affirmed 

that government must take a stance of neutrality toward 

faith-based organizations. It must no longer exclude or 

look with suspicion upon faith-based organizations simply 

because of their religious character. Yet despite these 

rulings, prior to the FBCI, many Federal policies and 

practices – often reflecting outdated court rulings – did just 

that. Even after “Charitable Choice” language was adopted 

by Congress in 1996 to mandate equal treatment of faithbased organizations in several Federal programs, these 

groups still faced significant formal and informal barriers to 

partnering with the Federal government. 

In response, President Bush issued Executive Order 

13279 in 2002.xxii This Order directed the Federal 

government to update policies to guarantee a level 

playing field for faith-based organizations and set clear, 

constitutional standards for government partnership with 

them. 

As a result, broad regulatory changes were 

implemented across government.xxiii These “Equal 

Treatment” regulations ensure that:

• Faith-based organizations are eligible to participate in 

Federal social service programs on the same basis as 

any other nonprofit organization, and agencies that 

distribute Federal funds cannot discriminate either 

for or against an organization on the basis of religion 

or religious belief. Any restrictions on activities or 

monitoring must be equally applied to faith-based and 

secular grantees. 

• Faith-based grantees cannot use “direct” Federal 

funds to support “inherently religious activities” (e.g., 

worship, proselytizing). Inherently religious activities 

must be separate in time or location from programs 

or services that receive direct Federal funds, and 

participation in inherently religious activities must be 

voluntary for program or service beneficiaries. 

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field

 “I think we have seen about the most 

dramatic administrative change that is 

possible for those inside the Beltway to 

conceive . . . the idea that you go from 

a government that was in form as well 

as practice quite hostile to many kinds 

of religious organizations participating 

in government funding programs to 

one that has now institutionalized an 

expectation – it’s not always practiced, but 

an expectation of equal treatment . . . . It’s 

happened because of the Faith-Based and 

Community Initiative.” 

– Robert Tuttle, Constitutional Scholar and

 George Washington University Law Professor
31

• Faith-based grantees may integrate inherently religious 

activities into their programs or services that receive 

Federal funds indirectly from individuals who exercised 

their free choice to select such grantees (e.g., vouchers). 

In addition, the inherently religious activities in these 

indirectly funded programs may be made mandatory 

for all participants because when the Federal funds 

are indirect, the client has freely chosen the program, 

knowing of its religious aspects or content. 

• Faith-based grantees retain their independence from 

government and are not required to forfeit or change 

their religious name, mission, or governance. 

• Every grantee, including faith-based organizations, 

must serve any client who qualifies for services, 

regardless of his or her religious belief or lack thereof. 

The FBCI Centers lead efforts to ensure the Equal 

Treatment principles are fully applied within Federal 

agencies. This includes: updating solicitations for grant 

applications, grant documents, and monitoring guides; 

training thousands of key Federal and State program 

administrators and staff; supporting agencies that make 

grants in instructing grantees about their responsibilities; 

and educating FBCOs on the opportunities and limitations 

of Federal funding.

Parallel to these activities, the FBCI has also promoted 

a wide range of efforts to reduce barriers to government 

partnership faced by small and novice nonprofits. These 

efforts include making grant information more accessible 

and transparent; simplifying and standardizing grant 

applications; and offering extensive training on all facets of 

the Federal grants process. 

Together, these efforts have helped secure a level 

playing field for faith-based organizations and expanded 

partnerships with nonprofits of all kinds. They have 

also helped bring about a deeper “culture change” in 

government. Many grassroots nonprofits report a dramatic 

increase in their ability to collaborate with government. 

Faith-based groups have also indicated that previous 

attitudes of suspicion or even hostility on the part of 

public agencies have given way to openness and active 

engagement. 

These changes are also reflected in Federal grants 

data. Prior to the FBCI, the Federal government collected 

very little information on the types of organizations that 

received grant money. The FBCI worked to dramatically 

expand data collection to gain a better understanding 

of government-funded partnerships with nonprofits.xxiv

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field

The Door, Inc. is a faith-based organization 

launched by former NFL football star Joe 

Ehrmann to improve the well being and 

academic success of at-risk children and families 

living in East Baltimore, Maryland.

The Door won its fi rst Federal grant in 2004 – a 

three-year award to open a 21st Century 

Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) to 

provide academic enrichment opportunities 

during non-school hours for children attending 

low-performing schools in disadvantaged 

neighborhoods – and a second grant in 2007. 

Yet, prior to 2001, The Door would have been 

ineligible to apply for the 21st CCLC grant. 

The Door relied on this Federal funding to 

hire certifi ed teachers, purchase computer 

equipment, and administer standardized tests to 

gauge student progress. 

The Door’s 21st CCLC Science Enrichment 

After-School/ Summer Programs uses science 

experimentation and educational fi eld trips 

to engage students and improve their math 

and reading skills. Since 2004, The Door has 

consistently enrolled an average of 30 students 

a year in the after-school program and nearly 50 

students a year in the summer program. For the 

2006-07 school year, 70 percent of The Door’s 

students increased their math and reading 

scores by at least 25 percent. 

The State of Maryland recommended expanding 

The Door’s operations and replicating it at other 

sites after seeing the quality and effectiveness of 

its programming and a high level of community 

support. 
32

Information about these partnerships now includes: 

Expanding Partnerships: 

• Across the five Departments that housed the initial five 

FBCI Centers, competitive grant awards to faith-based 

and secular nonprofits increased from 10,910 in 2004 

(the first year this data was collected) to 13,493 in 

2007.

• In addition to these grants, in 2007, nonprofits of all 

kinds received at least 5,000 additional competitive 

awardsxxv via sub-grants and vouchers through 

programs that did not exist prior to 2001.

• Finally, local nonprofits also benefited from grants 

funded by States and cities using Federal formula and 

block grants. These programs are now governed by 

the President’s Equal Treatment regulations and also 

include new requirements and incentives for expanded 

partnership with local nonprofits. Through the 21st 

Century Learning Center program alone – which prior 

to the FBCI did not allow nonprofits to compete for 

grants – 671 FBCOs won grants to operate Learning 

Centers in 2007. 

Leveling the Playing Field:

• Across the Federal agencies that housed the initial 

five FBCI Centers, competitive grant awards won by 

faith-based organizations increased from 1,634 in 2003 

(the first year this data was collected) to 2,281 in 2007.

• At HHS, which manages the vast majority of Federal 

social service dollars, the value of competitive grants 

won by faith-based organizations increased from $477 

million in 2002 to $818 million in 2007, an increase 

of more than 71 percent.

• Under 1998–99 Welfare-to-Work grants (one of the 

few programs for which pre-2001 data is available), 

faith-based organizations won only three percent of 

awards and two percent of grant funds. By 2007, 

faith-based organizations won more than 11 percent of 

awards and funds for all Federal competitive awards. 

Evidence suggests a growing government movement 

toward partnerships with nonprofits of all kinds. Since the 

launch of the FBCI in 2001, government has become more 

welcoming of faith-based and other community nonprofits 

as full and equal partners in addressing the greatest human 

needs of our time. 

The Giving Tree is a small faith-based organization 

in Tucson, Arizona, that provides employment, shelter, 

food, and clothing services to the homeless, focusing 

on families with children. Giving Tree won a small grant 

in 2006 to provide wrap-around employment services – 

primarily to homeless families, single mothers, victims of 

domestic violence, and those struggling with substance 

abuse issues. With this grant, Giving Tree successfully 

reached out to marginalized individuals, helping them 

fi nd jobs, and providing mentoring services to support 

job retention and stabilize their living situation. 

The grant Giving Tree won was part of an innovative 

project created by the United States Department of 

Labor’s OFBCI to expand partnerships between local 

government One-Stop Career Centers, employers, and 

grassroots FBCOs. The local Workforce Investment Board 

(WIB) of Pima County, AZ won a large Federal grant, 

which it used to competitively award smaller grants 

to Giving Tree and nine other local FBCOs. Together, 

the WIB and the FBCOs work to help hard-to-reach 

unemployed individuals fi nd and succeed in jobs. 

From 2006 to 2007, Giving Tree enrolled 75 participants 

at the local One-Stop Center and placed 76 percent 

of them in a job. Today, many of these individuals are 

giving back at the Giving Tree. In fact, more than 50 

percent of Giving Tree volunteers are former clients. 

Giving Tree also received technical assistance from 

the Pima County WIB on organizational structure and 

how to enhance their employment-focused services, 

focusing especially on developing new partnerships with 

employers to track client outcomes. 

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field
33

Expanding Partnerships 

Removing barriers and securing a level playing field 

was only the beginning of the FBCI’s work. Building 

on this foundation, the FBCI continually promotes 

new efforts that expand opportunities for FBCOs to 

partner effectively with government to address human 

needs.

Local FBCOs possess many strengths, including 

committed staff and volunteers, cultural competency, 

holistic services, flexibility, and deep roots in the 

communities they serve. They are social entrepreneurs, 

applying ingenuity and passion to solve critical needs. 

Yet, the many differences between large Federal agencies 

and small FBCOs can make partnership tremendously 

difficult for both sides.

The FBCI has designed, tested, and refined a 

wide range of innovative funding models that work to 

overcome these challenges. Some of these approaches 

include:

The Mini-Grant Model 

Mini-grants are appropriately-sized, competitive 

awards for small nonprofits to help extend their 

reach into the communities they serve. These grants 

generally range from $75,000 to as little as $5,000 

– much smaller amounts than typical Federal grants. 

Because grassroots groups often have only a small 

staff and modest technical capabilities, many would 

be overwhelmed by a standard competitive grant 

competition, a significant influx of dollars, and the 

requirements that come with managing a large grant. 

Effective mini-grant programs often include substantive 

technical support for grantees and simplified reporting 

stipulations. This assistance is designed not only to 

help first-time Federal grantees meet government 

performance standards but also to increase their 

capacity to provide quality services after the grant term. 

Mini-grants are now used across the Federal government 

to address critical human needs from anti-domestic 

violence efforts to HIV/AIDS initiatives in Africa. 

One pioneering mini-grants initiative was created 

at the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to 

match small FBCOs with local government One-Stop 

Career Centers that help high-need individuals find and 

succeed in employment. Since 2002, DOL’s Grassroots 

Grants have awarded nearly $11 million to 247 urban, 

suburban, and rural nonprofits. In 2008, one year into 

the 18-month grant cycle, the 97 active grantees had 

already collectively leveraged nearly 115,000 volunteer 

hours and helped place more than 8,679 of hardestto-serve clients in jobs and 3,445 in post-secondary 

education or training. 

The Intermediary Model

Even small grants can carry challenging 

administrative burdens for both government and 

nonprofit grantees. Recognizing this challenge, the FBCI 

developed intermediary grants to expand partnerships 

with grassroots groups. Under this model, large and 

experienced intermediary organizations receive sizeable 

grants, which they then sub-grant to smaller groups. 

The intermediary organization carries most of the 

administrative burden for their sub-grantees, enabling 

grassroots groups to focus on their core mission of 

serving people in need. The intermediary grantee also 

provides technical support and training over the course of 

the grant to the sub-grantees, improving the quality and 

reach of their services.

Through prisoner reentry, malaria prevention, and 

other programs that address community needs, this 

strategy has proven effective in enlisting the partnership 

of small nonprofits that otherwise would find partnership 

with government nearly impossible. 

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field
34

The Choice-Based Model

Choice-based models, such as voucher programs, allow 

social service recipients to choose from a broad range of 

service approaches and providers. Under choice-based 

models, government does not provide funds directly to a 

nonprofit organization. Instead, individual recipients of 

aid select an approved service provider they believe will best 

meet their unique needs. This approach allows flexibility 

and freedom to both recipients and providers; encourages 

innovation and competition among providers; and enables 

a greater diversity of groups to partner with government. 

Several choice-based approaches have proven to be effective 

means for addressing needs as diverse as matching children 

of prisoners with caring adult mentors, helping recentlyreleased prisoners avoid relapse into crime, and delivering 

after-school tutoring services. 

Access to Recovery (ATR) is an example of a largescale, choice-based program. Launched by President 

Bush in 2003, ATR provides approximately $100 million 

annually in competitive grants to States and some tribal 

authorities, which use the funds to create voucher-based 

programs for substance abuse recovery. To date, ATR 

has helped nearly 270,000 individuals along the road to 

recovery. In the first three years of ATR, more than 1,000 

secular nonprofits and 1,000 faith-based organizations 

participated as service providers, many partnering with 

government for the first time.

Innovative models like mini-grants, intermediary 

grants, and choice-based approaches allow government 

to utilize the great strengths of frontline FBCOs as never 

before. In 2007, more than 5,000 FBCOs received Federal 

funds through one of these innovative models. These 

now-proven models can be harnessed in the years ahead to 

continue expanding the reach and impact of FBCOs.

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Mr. J. was arrested for possession and sale of 

narcotics after years of substance abuse and 

sentenced to fi ve years in prison. He had no hope or 

plan for a future after his release. Through his parole 

offi cer, Mr. J. connected with Stepping Stone House, 

one of the many certifi ed service programs available 

through the United States Department of Health and 

Human Services’ Access to Recovery I (ATR I) services 

network.

On the day of his release from prison, the staff from 

Stepping Stone House coordinated a recovery 

support network for Mr. J., linking him to Alcoholics 

Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous meetings, and 

providing food, clothing, transportation, and phone 

card vouchers. Mr. J. connected with the staff and 

felt empowered to take control of his life by actively 

seeking employment and reuniting with his family. 

Mr. J. reports that the level of personal responsibility 

Stepping Stone helped him maintain allowed him to 

reconnect with his family and regain their respect. 

Three years after receiving ATR services, Mr. J. 

continues to maintain his recovery, remaining in the 

same job found through Stepping Stone and caring 

for his own apartment.

Mr. J. reunited with his four children, including his son, 

who was also imprisoned for selling drugs. As his son’s 

sentence neared completion, Mr. J. reached out 

to Stepping Stone and connected his son to ATR II 

services. His son, who entered Stepping Stone House 

on May 8, 2008, has also benefi ted from Stepping 

Stone and is currently employed. According to Mr. J., 

he would have “been lost” without the help Stepping 

Stone and ATR provided him. ATR helped him to 

reclaim his life and provided him with a tremendous 

resource that enabled him to intervene in his son’s life 

and set him on the right path. In Mr. J.’s words, it is a 

“blessing to have them [Stepping Stone] in society.”

Access to Recovery (ATR) Sites in Louisiana

Removing Barriers and Leveling the Playing Field
35

The “determined attack on need” led by the FBCI 

involves not only Federal grant partnerships 

between government and nonprofits to address 

specific challenges, but also includes extensive efforts to 

strengthen the ability of the nonprofit sector to serve 

those in need through training and technical assistance. 

Regardless of the size and scope of the organization, 

communities and individuals benefit greatly when the 

nonprofits that serve them grow in effectiveness and reach. 

Recognizing the value of strengthening the nonprofit 

sector, the FBCI offers capacity-building tools and 

resources to help bolster the effectiveness of these groups.

Capacity Building Grant Programs

The Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) is the most 

extensive of the FBCI’s capacity-building programs. 

CCF offers competitive grants to FBCOs through three 

innovative funding models: Demonstration Program, 

Targeted Capacity-Building Program, and Communities 

Empowering Youth Program. The grants are used to 

enhance the ability of FBCOs to deliver quality services to 

low-income individuals, children, and families. Since the 

program began in 2002, more than $349 million has been 

awarded to more than 5,000 FBCOs in all 50 States, the 

United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

The CCF Demonstration Program provides grants 

to large intermediary organizations, which in turn, provide 

competitive sub-grants and training to FBCOs that have 

little or no experience navigating the Federal grants process. 

The intermediary organizations provide technical assistance 

on nonprofit governance, accounting, data reporting, and 

other critical functions. Since 2002, 112 awards totaling 

more than $172 million have been made to intermediary 

organization grantees that, in turn, competitively awarded 

more than 5,200 sub-awards to FBCOs in 47 States and 

the District of Columbia. A 2007 evaluation of this 

program revealed that 88 percent of FBCOs receiving subawards and training reported improved outcomes for their 

clients, and 90 percent reported an increased level and/or 

improved quality in the services they deliver.xxvi

The CCF Targeted Capacity-Building Program

awards competitive grants of up to $50,000 directly to 

FBCOs that provide services to distressed communities. 

The grants can be used to build the capacity of those 

organizations to deliver social services. From 2003 to 

2007, this program awarded nearly 1,000 grants totaling 

Strengthening Partners

more than $48 million. A 2008 retrospective study of this 

programxxvii found that 66 percent of FBCO respondents 

indicated that the support through CCF enabled them 

to serve more clients. More than half of the respondents 

used the funds to start new programs, nearly 90 percent 

of which were sustained after the grant ended. The study 

also found that almost all FBCOs reported improvements 

in important capabilities such as financial management 

systems, outcomes tracking, and long-term planning as a 

result of the technical assistance and training they received 

along with the grant funding. 

The CCF Communities Empowering Youth (CEY) 

Program was created in 2006 to strengthen existing 

coalitions of nonprofits working together to combat gang 

activity, youth violence, and child abuse and neglect in 

local communities. CEY capacity-building grants are 

awarded to a “lead organization,” which provides both 

financial support and capacity-building training to 

their coalition of FBCO partners. From 2006 to 2008, 

approximately $90 million was awarded via competitive 

grants to 131 projects. 

Other Capacity-Building Grant Programs

Beyond CCF, a number of Federal agencies administer 

other capacity-building grants programs. For example, 

DOJ operates three programs that help build the capacity 

of FBCOs to address the needs of crime victims:

• HOPE I provided funding to grassroots faith- and 

community-based crime victim service organizations. 

This program has awarded mini-grants of $5,000 to 

$10,000 per grantee to 543 FBCOs that had never 

received Federal assistance to expand their capacity to 

serve crime victims.

• HOPE II continues the work of HOPE I and to date 

has awarded grants of $50,000 each to another 51 

FBCOs to expand their capacity to aid crime victims. 

• The Rural Domestic Violence and Child 

Victimization Pilot Program provides funds to 

intermediary organizations that, in turn, partner with 

more than 50 grassroots FBCOs to expand the impact 

and reach of domestic violence services in underserved 

rural counties. A survey of a sub-set of these 

organizations reported that, on average, participating 

Strengthening Partners
36

FBCOs nearly doubled the number of services 

provided to victims. 

The President’s international initiatives also help build 

the capacity of FBCOs overseas to address HIV/AIDS and 

malaria, including:

• The $200 million New Partners Initiative (NPI) 

under PEPFAR provides both funding and extensive 

capacity building to organizations with significant 

capabilities to deliver HIV/AIDS services, yet have 

had little or no experiences partnering directly with 

government. Most NPI partners, in turn, work with 

networks of local nonprofits to deliver services and 

grow their capacity to serve those impacted by HIV/

AIDS.

• The $30 million Malaria Community Program

(MCP) under the President’s Malaria Initiative expands 

the reach and effectiveness of local FBCOs as new 

partners in U.S. government anti-malaria projects. 

This program awards funds to large nonprofits to build 

and strengthen networks of community-level FBCOs, 

increasing the coverage of malaria prevention and 

control efforts and growing local ownership of these 

efforts.

Conferences and Training 

The FBCI has hosted numerous conferences and 

training opportunities for FBCOs. The focus of these 

events has ranged from Federal grants and grant writing 

to nonfinancial partnerships with government and specific 

skills for effective service delivery.

Overall, the White House OFBCI and Federal agencies 

have provided in-person training to more than 150,000 

social entrepreneurs, building skills that help organizations 

maximize their resources and capacity to serve. 

• Since 2001, the White House OFBCI has hosted 40 

regional, national, and international conferences and 

trained more than 35,000 nonprofit leaders from all 50 

States on how to partner with Federal, State, and local 

government; improve outcomes tracking; comply with 

Federal legal requirements; and much more. 

• Since 2004, HUD has hosted more than 400 three-day 

Art and Science of Grant Writing seminars that have 

trained more than 40,000 nonprofit leaders from 

FBCOs across the country on how to compete for 

Strengthening Partners

Free Minds is a grassroots FBCO that reaches 

juvenile prisoners in Washington, D.C. through 

the transformative power of books and creative 

writing. In addition to a weekly Book Club 

Program, Free Minds offers a Continuing Support 

Program that provides new books and written 

correspondence to members in Federal prison and 

a Reentry Support Program that connects released 

members with reentry services.

Experiencing tremendous demand for its 

programming, Free Minds connected with a 

nonprofi t organization named Fair Chance that 

provides FBCOs with tools and training to expand 

services and increase effectiveness. Fair Chance 

had received a Compassion Capital Fund 

“Communities Empowering Youth” grant from HHS 

in 2006, which helped fund their services to FBCOs 

like Free Minds.

Fair Chance worked with Free Minds to devise 

a forward-looking budget, hire an accountant, 

develop core messages, launch a website, 

measure outcomes, and refi ne its basic programs. 

Free Minds reports that its organizational capacity 

was signifi cantly improved through its partnership 

with Fair Chance. Fair Chance also helped build 

connections between Free Minds and an array 

of other local FBCOs serving young offenders and 

at-risk youth in the D.C. area. 

Free Minds is currently working on developing a 

network of employers that will give youth a chance 

to succeed in a professional environment upon 

reentry. 
37

public and private grants. In 2008, HUD added 

Grants Administration training on how to successfully 

manage grant-based programs. 

• HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) hosted more than 280 

workshops in 47 States for nonprofits addressing 

drug and alcohol addiction and related issues. These 

workshops reached more than 8,500 FBCO leaders. 

• ED trained approximately 10,000 individuals through 

90 technical assistance workshops in 36 States focused 

on, among other things, the No Child Left Behind 

Act’s Supplemental Educational Services. 

In addition to in-person events, the FBCI offers a 

wide range of cost-effective technology-based information 

and training sessions. These include e-courses, webinars, 

and teleconferences covering topics from development of 

mentoring programs to strategies for helping the clients 

FBCOs serve succeed in the workplace. 

Cookie Cart began as a small grassroots effort 

in Sister Jean’s Minnesota home to respond to 

increasing gang activity in Northern Minneapolis. 

Her idea evolved into a commercial bakery that 

employs youth ages 14 to 17, providing them with 

a paying job and the opportunity to develop 

leadership and employment skills. 

Cookie Cart applied for and won a Compassion 

Capital Fund (CCF) Targeted Capacity Building 

grant in 2006 to expand their work. Cookie 

Cart used the grant to expand their revenue 

development efforts and cultivate relationships 

with existing and potential donors. The grant also 

assisted with database improvements and helped 

leverage $25,000 in private funds to create new 

promotional materials for potential donors. Cookie 

Cart’s enhanced revenue development capabilities 

helped them boost their private fundraising by more 

than 50 percent in a single year. 

Cookie Cart’s executive director describes the 

organization’s experience with CCF as an “amazing 

opportunity.” She explains that the grant has “taken 

us to a whole new place . . . [where] young people 

who don’t know how to apply for a job, let alone 

keep one, walk away from the Cookie Cart with the 

confi dence of having job skills and the knowledge 

of how to act appropriately and keep a good job.” 

With new staff, outreach materials, donors, and an 

updated database, CCF has equipped Cookie Cart 

to expand their outreach to vulnerable youth and 

provide them with their fi rst paid job experience.

Strengthening Partners

“The Results-Based Management training 

helped to launch my organization’s data 

collection efforts. These efforts increased my 

organization’s quantitative and qualitative 

reporting and forecasting capacity. Every 

faith-based or community nonprofit needs 

this type of training and data collection 

software to support their programs more 

effectively.”

—Autie Hines, Participant in one of DOL’s three-day 

Results-Based Management workshops focused on 

measuring program outcomes
38

The lifeblood of effective nonprofits is the support 

of communities, businesses, and individuals. 

In addition to expanding collaboration 

between government and nonprofits, President Bush 

has championed efforts to grow private giving and 

volunteerism to support the work of FBCOs.

Volunteerism

Following the attacks of 9/11, President Bush issued 

a national Call to Service and created USA Freedom 

Corps (USAFC) to strengthen the culture of service, 

citizenship, and responsibility in America and to expand 

opportunities for citizens to volunteer. USAFC leads a 

range of initiatives and coordinates with Federal agencies 

to promote and expand volunteer service. These efforts 

include:

• The USAFC Volunteer Network is the world’s largest 

clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities, offering more 

than four million service options in the United States 

and abroad. Since its creation in 2002, more than 

two million searches have been performed by more 

than 22 million site visitors seeking ways to serve their 

neighbors and their Nation. 

• Citizen Corps was created, following 9/11, by 

President Bush to build local preparedness for disaster. 

It now has nearly one million volunteers nationwide 

whose efforts reach more than three-quarters of the 

American people. Citizen Corps fosters collaboration 

among government and civic leaders to achieve broader 

participation in disaster preparedness and response. 

• Volunteers for Prosperity was also created by 

President Bush to mobilize more than 74,000 doctors, 

teachers, engineers, and other skilled Americans 

to address critical needs abroad. The program 

connects skilled American professionals with service 

opportunities in the developing world. 

• Peace Corps has received its highest level of funding 

in history under President Bush. The Peace Corps has 

opened or re-opened programs in 13 countries. It 

currently supports more than 8,000 Americans who 

commit to serve two years in communities overseas. 

• AmeriCorps provides educational awards and modest 

stipends to as many as 75,000 individuals each year to 

serve in local nonprofits.

• Senior Corps has connected approximately 500,000 

older Americans with opportunities to serve their 

communities and country through Retired and Senior 

Volunteer Program (RSVP), Senior Companions, and 

Foster Grandparents programs. Last year, Senior Corps 

volunteers provided approximately 116 million hours 

of service.

• Learn and Serve America supported 1,700 grantees 

for service-learning programs in schools last year 

alone, engaging more than 1.4 million students from 

kindergarten through college in nearly 28 million 

hours of service. 

• Take Pride in America was re-launched at the United 

States Department of the Interior and is supporting 

more than 400,000 skilled volunteers to preserve 

America’s public lands and National Parks. 

• The President’s Council on Service and Civic 

Participation, created in 2003, brings together leaders 

from the fields of business, entertainment, sports, 

education, government, philanthropy, and media 

to recognize the important contributions citizens of 

all ages are making in their communities through 

volunteer service and civic engagement.

• The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) 

honors volunteers who are answering the President’s 

call to serve 4,000 hours, or two years, over their 

lifetime. President Bush has personally recognized 

more than 660 outstanding volunteers throughout the 

United States with the PVSA. More than 1.3 million 

Americans have received the PVSA in recognition of 

their time spent in service to others. 

Volunteerism and Private Giving

Volunteerism and Private Giving

According to the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, 60.8 million Americans 

volunteered in 2007, with the median 

respondent providing 52 hours in 

service to others. Of these volunteers, 

nearly 36 percent served with faithbased organizations.
39

Private Giving and Other Personal Acts of 

Service 

The FBCI promotes strategies that encourage private 

giving to address human need. According to the latest 

data from Giving USA, Americans set an all-time record 

by giving more than $300 billion in charitable gifts during 

2007. Some of the strategies promoted by President Bush 

include: 

• Adoption Tax Credit – To support families willing 

to care permanently for children without parents, 

President Bush championed a major expansion of the 

adoption tax credit in the Economic Growth and Tax 

Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. This increased the 

credit from $5,000 to $10,000 per child, indexed for 

inflation. The latest data available from the IRS shows 

significant growth of adoptive families using the tax 

credit: nearly doubling to 93,369 families in 2006, 

up from less than 48,000 families in 2001. Even 

more significant, the actual tax credit aid provided to 

adoptive families nearly quadrupled from less than $90 

million in 2001 to nearly $351 million in 2006.

• IRA Charitable Rollover – The Individual Retirement 

Account (IRA) rollover provision of the Pension 

Protection Act of 2006 permits taxpayers ages 70 

1/2 and older to make tax-free charitable gifts up to 

$100,000 per year from their IRA to public charities 

without counting the charitable gifts as taxable 

income. The provision includes deductions for food 

and book donations to food pantries and schools. 

Alongside these efforts that encourage the American people 

to respond to human need through private acts of service, a 

range of other initiatives help foster and guide this generosity. 

For example:

• The Pro Bono Challenge was launched in 2008 

by the President’s Council on Service and Civic 

Participation to leverage $1 billion in skilled 

volunteering and pro bono services from the corporate 

sector over three years. In partnership with USA 

Freedom Corps, the Pro Bono Challenge encourages 

companies to promote skills-based volunteering by 

their employees in support of FBCOs. It has secured 

more than $450 million in corporate pledges to date. 

• The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was launched in 

the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when President Bush 

called on former presidents George H.W. Bush and 

Bill Clinton to help raise support for groups working 

to rebuild devastated communities. This effort raised 

$130 million – all of which went directly to Gulf 

Coast renewal efforts, many led by FBCOs. 

President Bush has also placed special emphasis on 

enlisting private-sector partners in Federal projects to 

address poverty, disease, and other human needs. These 

public-private partnerships multiply the impact of 

government efforts through private capital, expertise, and 

other resources. For example:

• The Global Development Alliance (GDA) at 

USAID builds alliances among the public, private, 

and nonprofit sectors to stimulate economic growth, 

develop local businesses, and create jobs, especially in 

developing countries. Since 2001, GDA has cultivated 

more than 680 alliances with more than 1,700 partners 

and attracted investments of more than $9 billion in 

partner resources. 

• The Economic Development Administration (EDA) 

at DOC supports partnerships that include private 

investment and engagement of local nonprofits to 

revitalize distressed American neighborhoods. In 2008 

alone, EDA invested $288 million in 762 projects, 

with an anticipated benefit of creating more than 

60,000 jobs and leveraging more than $7.1 billion in 

private-sector investment.

Since 2003, the Moore family has adopted fi ve children from 

foster care – Chris, Anthony, Ashley, Aruna and Halie. “The Tax 

Credit has defi nitely helped us to care for our children and give 

them the lives they need and deserve,” said Mr. Moore.

Volunteerism and Private Giving

The National Committee on Planned 

Giving reports that after the first year 

the Individual Retirement Account 

rollover took effect, more than 6,000 

individual charitable gifts were 

donated, totaling more than $111 

million to the nonprofit sector.xxviii
40

Governors, mayors, and other local leaders 

across the country are replicating the 

achievements of the FBCI to address some 

of the most pressing needs of their communities. 

The FBCI takes an active role in supporting the 

success of these efforts as State and local leaders draw 

upon Federal partnership strategies, legal expertise, 

nonprofits trainings, funding opportunities, and other 

resources.

As of 2008, 36 governors (19 Democrats and 17 

Republicans)xxix and more than 100 mayors maintain 

FBCI offices or liaisons of their own. While 12 of 

these 36 States experienced a change in gubernatorial 

leadership in 2006 – some across party lines – every 

State continued its FBCI efforts.

States, counties, and cities advance their own 

FBCI agendas in remarkably different ways. Each 

possesses distinctive organizational structure, 

strategies, and priorities to match the unique needs 

of their regions and communities. Yet, similar to 

the Federal FBCI, State and local initiatives are 

grounded in common principles:

• Expanding partnership with FBCOs to address 

critical needs;

• Reducing barriers that limit participation of 

grassroots groups and faith-based social service 

providers;

• Growing the capabilities of nonprofit service 

organizations; and

• Advancing policy priorities to address the State’s, 

county’s, or city’s priority needs.

The variety of models used to implement State 

and local efforts reflects the pragmatic, problemsolving nature of the FBCI vision. No two are quite 

the same, creating “laboratories” for testing new 

approaches. For example: 

• Governors of 17 Statesxxx oversee an FBCI 

liaison located within their offices. 

• Fourteen Statesxxxi maintain their FBCI liaison 

within a State agency and have allocated 

resources through that agency to support 

the operation of the office and the agency’s 

priorities. 

• Four States have placed the State FBCI liaison 

within nonprofit organizations. 

• Two States – Florida and Texas – combined their 

faith-based and community liaisons and their 

State’s respective commission on volunteerism 

into one State-managed nonprofit entity.

Even in States that have not opened a State-level 

FBCI office, the Initiative is active. For example, 

Illinois does not maintain an official FBCI office 

or liaison. Yet in 2007, its nonprofit organizations 

won 727 competitive Federal grants totaling 

Taking Root in the States and Cities

Taking Root in the States and Cities

The City of Denver has harnessed Federal 

housing funds to build extensive partnerships with 

local FBCOs to combat homelessness. A key 

part of the work is the city’s One Congregation, 

One Family initiative, which is coordinated 

by the Denver Rescue Mission. More than 

135 congregations have become involved, 

mentoring families and seniors as they depart 

from shelters and helping them successfully 

transition from homelessness. Families mentored 

by congregations are twice as likely to be off the 

streets after six months, as compared to families not 

engaged in mentoring relationships. Similar models 

for helping individuals from the streets to stability 

are being applied in other cities – from the “Faith 

Partnership” in Norfolk, Virginia, to the “Interfaith 

Hospitality Network” in Billings, Montana.
41

The Arizona FBCI has championed partnerships between the State and 

FBCOs to address a host of issues critical to the State’s residents. Following 

a conference hosted jointly with the White House Offi ce of Faith-Based and 

Community Initiatives in 2007, the State followed up with attendees to help 

local groups forge new partnerships with Federal, State, and local agencies – 

resulting in new collaborations and also many successful grant applications. 

More recently, the State joined with the United States Department of 

Veterans Affairs to train FBCOs in meeting the needs of returning veterans 

and their families. The State is also using a Federal “Access to Recovery” 

(ATR) grant to recruit and qualify FBCOs to receive ATR-funded vouchers 

to provide substance abuse recovery services. Arizona’s FBCI now actively 

helps cities and counties to expand their own Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives. It currently provides support to 17 local government entities in 

building partnerships with FBCOs to address local needs.

Taking Root in the States and Cities

The Alabama Governor’s Offi ce of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) 

operates the State’s Citizen Corps Program, using funds from the United States 

Department of Homeland Security. The Alabama FBCI offers competitive grants 

that encourage each county to create its own Citizen Corps Council to coordinate 

government, businesses, and FBCOs in disaster preparedness and response. Through 

this program, Autauga County established its own Council in 2006. 

 On February 17, 2008, the City of Prattville in Autauga County, Alabama, was hit by 

a tornado a quarter-mile wide. The tornado caused extensive devastation to the 

small community, destroying 60 single-family homes and damaging 864 more. When 

the tornado struck, the Autauga County Citizen Corps Council was ready for action. It quickly opened a Volunteer 

Reception Center staffed by the local Voluntary Organizations Active in a Disaster (VOAD) group, registering and deploying 

approximately 2,000 volunteers in the fi rst week alone. It also opened a Help Center within the disaster area at the Church 

of Living Water, where those impacted by the tornado could receive critical goods, services, and information. 

Brian and Carla Wilson and their children were one family affected by the tornado; their home was almost completely 

destroyed. Within hours, volunteer groups organized by the local Citizen Corps Council were on the scene. One church 

volunteer team covered their roof with a tarp while others delivered water, ice, clean-up supplies, and other much-needed 

help to their home. Brian noted, “They were so experienced. It was amazing; they would bring us exactly what we needed 

before we even knew we needed it.” 

more than $456 million to serve Illinois citizens in 

need. Meanwhile, State offices managed many FBCI 

programs—including the President’s Prisoner Reentry 

Initiative and the Access to Recovery substance abuse 

recovery voucher program.

At the local level, the United States Conference of 

Mayors officially endorsed the FBCI in 2001. Since 

then, more than 100 mayors have established liaisons 

and/or offices to advance the FBCI principles in their 

cities. Further, the Conference itself established a 

task force to help mayors develop and implement 

government-FBCO strategies.

In States and cities across the country, the FBCI 

vision is at work. Officials and administrators are 

advancing FBCI strategies to reform policy, launch 

new programs, mobilize volunteers, and train 

nonprofit organizations to effectively address human 

need. These actions, alongside partnerships with 

nonprofits from all 50 States participating in Federal 

grant programs and other FBCI-related initiatives, will 

continue to produce results in every State and territory 

in the years to come.
42

The FBCI has advanced a new era of public-private 

partnerships, securing a central role for FBCOs 

in government efforts to address human need. 

The remarkable impact of the FBCI over the past eight 

years is the result of determined, deliberate efforts to 

harness the strengths of every willing partner to address 

human need more effectively. It has driven innovation 

within government and consistently partnered with social 

entrepreneurs beyond government to alleviate the social ills 

of our time. 

The FBCI’s vision for empowering local solutions is 

now active across the Federal government, in each State 

and territory, and in countries around the world – enabling 

the “armies of compassion” to lift lives and solve pressing 

needs.

The FBCI’s sweeping accomplishments now offer the 

next President and leaders at every level of government a 

solid foundation to build upon as our Nation continues to 

wage a “determined attack on need.” These advancements 

include: 

• Proven models for capitalizing on the creativity and 

compassion of FBCOs. By expanding innovative 

funding models like vouchers, sub-grants, and minigrants that allow a wide range of nonprofits to partner 

with government, the FBCI has recognized social 

entrepreneurship to be a central force in government’s 

response to human need. This hard-won knowledge 

can be applied to virtually any social need over the 

decades to come.

• A host of effective faith-based partners. What once 

was a culture of mutual suspicion between government 

and faith-based organizations has given way to robust 

and widespread cooperation. Equally significant, 

constitutional guidelines for these partnerships have 

been updated to reflect the broad legal consensus of the 

courts.

Looking Forward

• A strengthened nonprofit sector. Through 

national, regional, and local training events, online 

resources, grants programs, and other capacitybuilding efforts, the FBCI has increased the 

effectiveness of FBCOs across America and around 

the world. 

The magnitude of human need calls for bold and 

creative leadership to continue the advances of the 

FBCI. Additional reforms can be pursued to make 

government more open and responsive to grassroots 

partners. New models for collaboration await design 

and testing. Policies that ensure equal treatment for 

faith-based organizations and protect their distinctive 

character must be permanently guaranteed. Both 

start-up nonprofits and established organizations call 

for fresh rounds of venture capital to expand successful 

models. With wise and energetic leadership, the next 

generation of the FBCI will build upon, and exceed, the 

achievements of the past eight years.

Across the country, leaders are already at work 

exploring ways to further apply the FBCI principles 

in their communities. As described in the previous 

chapter, the FBCI’s problem-solving vision for engaging 

grassroots partnerships is active in States, counties, and 

cities across the country. It has transcended politics 

and developed into what President Bush intended from 

the start: a critical strategy for solving critical human 

needs. These State and local efforts will likely prove as 

significant as the Federal efforts over the years to come.

International organizations and leaders are also 

increasingly embracing the FBCI vision to welcome 

faith-based organizations as partners and emphasizing 

the importance of partnership with local nonprofits 

of all kinds for a sustainable response to human 

need. As a recent World Health Organization report 

expressed, a growing consensus recognizes the need 

to “rejuvenate dialogue and partnership with FBOs 

[faith-based organizations] in the face of widespread 

Looking Forward

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative “has fundamentally changed the government’s 

strategy for improving the lives of the downtrodden.... [D]ue to the achievements of faithbased charities that have received Federal aid, the partnership between government and 

religious organizations will continue to strengthen.” 

– Peyton Miller, Harvard Political Review, Fall 2008xxxii
43

health challenges in communities around the world.... 

Engineering networks of FBOs and other community 

assets could open new possibilities for comprehensive 

health systems.”xxxiii

Looking forward, one factor matters far more than 

any government reform, innovative program, or capacitybuilding initiative—the simple reality that a single life 

transformed affects countless others. One struggling 

individual helped to her feet not only benefits her family 

and others near to her, but may reach out to lift up 

others in need. Through partnerships with the “armies of 

compassion,” these changes in the lives of the hurting and 

destitute are achieved every day by the millions. 

The seeds of the Faith-Based and Community 

Initiative were planted long before 2001. Its branches will 

bear fruit long after 2008. The past eight years were a 

time of remarkable experimentation, growth, and fruitful 

impact. The leaders who will shape the next chapter of 

the FBCI will bring their own emphases, but to build on 

all that has been accomplished to date, a number of key 

objectives must remain central to ongoing success:

• Grassroots Partnership Innovation. Sustain and 

expand use of those strategies that have proven most 

effective in increasing partnership between government 

and grassroots FBCOs, including mini-grants, 

intermediary grants, and vouchers, as well as the array 

of non-financial partnerships expanded through the 

FBCI. 

• Capacity Building. Sustain and expand initiatives 

to grow the effectiveness and reach of nonprofit 

service organizations, including in-person training, 

technology-based training, and capacity-building 

grants. 

• Equal Treatment Principles. Sustain and expand 

efforts to ensure that all aspects of the Equal 

Treatment regulations are fully applied across the 

Federal government, including ongoing education 

of both Federal grant staff and FBCO grantees, and 

that there are appropriate levels of accountability 

and monitoring. Current and new faith-based 

partners must have confidence that, consistent with 

constitutional principles, they will not be forced to 

compromise their character as a condition of funding. 

• State and Local Initiatives. Sustain and expand 

efforts to enhance State and local governments’ FBCI 

efforts. This involves providing information, training, 

and grant support to help State and local agencies: 

• Reduce barriers limiting participation of FBCOs; 

• Achieve full compliance with all elements of the 

Equal Treatment regulations; and

• Expand partnerships with FBCOs to address 

critical human needs.

• Public-Private Partnerships. Sustain and expand 

efforts to join with corporations, foundations, 

and other private actors in partnerships that draw 

upon the best of the public, private, and nonprofit 

sectors. Private sector social investors must also 

be encouraged to replicate Federal successes in 

expanding collaboration with grassroots nonprofits and 

welcoming faith-based organizations as valued, equal 

partners.

• Volunteerism. Sustain and expand work to encourage 

volunteer support of FBCOs, with special attention to 

connecting skilled volunteers with roles in which their 

professional capabilities can be fully utilized.

Looking Forward
44 Endnotes

i Rallying the Armies of Compassion Foreword, 2001, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/reports/

faithbased.pdf.

ii This includes only new programs established by President Bush and one program, Community Health Centers 

Initiative (CHCI), greatly expanded by the President. CHCI totals count only the amount above 2000 levels. 

Signature programs in 2008 include the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative ($31 million), Marriage and 

Responsible Fatherhood ($150 million), Access to Recovery ($98 million), Compassion Capital Fund ($53 

million), Mentoring Children of Prisoners ($49 million), PEPFAR ($5.97 billion), the President’s Malaria 

Initiative ($300 million), the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program ($14.8 million), Supplemental Educational 

Services ($450 million--this figure is a conservative estimate based on reporting from States and is likely 

significantly higher), and Community Health Centers Initiative ($969 million above 2000 levels--total of $1.988 

million).

iii Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, United States Department of 

Health and Human Services, available at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k7nsduh/2k7Results.cfm#1.1.

iv Ibid.

v For example, see http://www.isate.memphis.edu/Reports/TN-ATR_Report.pdf; http://www.utexas.edu/research/

cswr/nida/ATR.htm.

vi Botswana, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Vietnam, Tanzania, Rwanda, 

Namibia, Kenya, Guyana, Cote d’Ivoire.

vii The figures are as of September 30, 2008.

viii Langan, Patrick A. and David J. Levin, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, Washington, DC: Bureau of 

Justice Statistics, 2002.

ix A variety of factors contributed to this success, including significantly expanded Federal partnerships with 

FBCOs; more effective coordination of Federal, State and local efforts; a substantial reduction in the number of 

poor veterans (from 3 million in 1990 to 1.8 million in 2000); and enhanced efforts to understand the number 

and needs of homeless people.

x Swarms, Rachel, “U.S. Reports Drop in Homeless Population,” The New York Times (July 30, 2008), http://

www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/30homeless.html?fta=y.

xi Report to Congress: The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, 2007, United States Department of Health and 

Human Services, available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/docs/07_mcpreport.htm.

xii Sandvig, Zoe, “Help the Helpers,” World Magazine (June 14, 2008), http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14102.

xiii Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: First Year Report on Participation, 2005, United States 

Department of Education, available at http://hpi.georgetown.edu/scdp/files/Impact1.pdf.

xiv Nord, Mark et al, Measuring Food Security in the United States: Household Food Security in the United States, 

2006, 2007 Report, United States Department of Agriculture, available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/

ERR49/ERR49.pdf.

xv Overview: Food Security Assessment in Lower Income Countries, 2006, United States Department of Agriculture, 

available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/gfa18/gfa18a.pdf.

xvi The Community Homeless Assessment Local Education and Networking Groups 2007 Report. Several 

important factors contributed to this success, including significantly expanded Federal partnership with FBCOs; 

more effective coordination between Federal, State, and local efforts; a substantial reduction in the number of 

veterans living in poverty; and enhanced efforts to collect data on the number and needs of homeless individuals.

xvii Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, 

Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. 

xviii See Quiet Revolution at http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/letter.html.

Endnotes & Appendix
45

xix The five initial FBCI Centers were located in the United States Departments of Justice, Labor, Health and 

Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education.

xx In addition to the five initial FBCI Centers, there are now FBCI centers in the United States Department of 

Agriculture, United States Department of Commerce, United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the United 

States Department of Homeland Security, United States Agency for International Development, and the Small 

Business Administration, as well as an FBCI liaison in the Corporation for National and Community Service.

xxi The mission of each Center is to expand and enhance partnerships with FBCOs to better fulfill the agency's 

mission. Each Center is held accountable to this mission through the President’s Management Agenda (PMA), 

which sets clear objectives and measurable standards for Federal agencies in key areas of the FBCI to ensure 

effective governance. 

xxii Executive Order 13279, “Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations,” 2002, 

available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021212-6.html.

xxiii Nine Federal agencies have issued 16 regulations, including broad equal treatment regulations that cover the 

programs administered by seven agencies, three regulations implementing the Charitable Choice statutes, a 

DOL regulation permitting faith-based contractors to retain their right under the Civil Rights Act to take faith 

into account in making employment decisions, and four regulations changing discriminatory or unnecessarily 

limiting language in specific HUD, VA, DOC, and DOL programs. A proposed seventeenth regulation covering 

programs administered by DHS was published on January 14, 2008.

xxiv The exact number of programs evaluated for grants data changed slightly from year to year, primarily reflecting 

discontinuation or creation of programs. Good-faith efforts were made to establish the most precise year-to-year 

comparisons possible.

xxv Examples include DOJ’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative grants through States to FBCOs, DOL’s Beneficiary Choice 

Contracting, HHS’s Access to Recovery Program, HHS Compassion Capital Fund sub-awards, HHS AntiTrafficking and Victim Care sub-awards and per capita services contracts, Supplemental Educational Services 

provider payments, Malaria Community Programs sub-awards, and PEPFAR sub-grants.

xxvi Ibid., Executive Order 13279.

xxvii Fink, Barbara and Cynthia Sipe, An Assessment of the Compassion Capital Fund Targeted Capacity Building Program: 

Findings from a Retrospective Survey of Grantees, 2008, United States Department of Health and Human Services, 

available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/ccf/surveys/capacity_assessment.html.

xxviii The provisions for charitable giving incentives legislated in the Pension Protection Act of 2006 expired in 

December 2007. However, legislation has been introduced before Congress to make these incentives permanent 

and available for the benefit of the nonprofit sector.

xxix AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, 

NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI and WY.

xxx AL, AZ, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NM, NC, OH, SC, WA, and WI.

xxxi AK, AR, CO, GA, HI, ID, NJ, ND, NH, NY, OK, UT, VA, and WY.

xxxii Miller, Peyton, “Compassionate Conservatism,” Harvard Political Review (Fall 2008), http://hprsite.squarespace.

com/compassionate-conserv-112008/.

xxxiii World Health Organization, “Building from Common Foundations,” World Health Organization and Geneva 

Global, 2008, http://www.genevaglobal.com/images/uploads/Building%20From%20Common%20Foundations.

pdf.

* Note: For all program statistics, years refer to Fiscal Years (October 1 – September 30), unless otherwise noted. 

Endnotes
46

“In all these ways, the Administration has upheld its promise to treat 

community and faith-based organizations as trusted partners. We’ve 

held your organizations to [a] high standard and insisted on clear results. 

And your organizations have delivered on those results. You’ve helped 

revolutionize the way government addresses the greatest challenges facing 

our society. I truly believe the Faith-Based [and Community] Initiative is 

one of the most important initiatives of this Administration.” 

– President George W. Bush, Faith-Based and Community Initiative National Conference, 

June 26, 2008