Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

at the U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave., NW, Room S-2235

Washington, DC 20210

Phone: (202) 693-6450

Fax: (202) 693-6146

www.dol.gov/cfbci
Our Mission 

The work of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) stems from a simple conviction: 

Americans can do better for our neighbors in need when we draw upon the 

unique strengths of every willing partner.

CFBCI works collaboratively with DOL agencies to fulfill the Department’s fundamental goal of creating a prepared and competitive, safe and 

secure American workforce. To accomplish this, CFBCI empowers faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) that help individuals in 

their communities prepare for, enter, and thrive in the workforce. CFBCI’s goal is to help more Americans overcome barriers to employment, 

find jobs, and advance in employment through the unique work of local FBCOs. To accomplish this goal, DOL has increased collaboration 

with both faith- and community-based nonprofit organizations that are trusted institutions providing valuable services, regardless of whether 

they have a history of partnering with government. 

Specifically, CFBCI works to remove administrative and regulatory barriers to FBCO participation in DOL grant programs. It also shapes DOL’s 

community outreach and grant-making policies to utilize the strengths of FBCOs and the role they play in their communities. CFBCI works 

with various DOL agencies to foster innovative partnerships between DOL-funded programs and FBCOs. Further, CFBCI educates FBCOs 

about local opportunities to collaborate with government and about opportunities to participate in Federal grant programs. CFBCI also works 

with public workforce system administrators and staff to integrate FBCOs into their strategic planning and service delivery process.

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative Timeline at DOL 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

ID Barriers to FBCOs (pg. 7) 

VETS Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Grants (pg. 39) 

ETA Grants to States for FBCOs (pg. 11) 

ETA Grants to Intermediary FBCOs (pg. 21) 

Job Corps-FBCO Demonstration Project (pg. 11)

ODEP Home Modifi cation/Mentoring Youth Grants/Employment Training and 

Service Grants (pg. 43)

 

ETA Grants to Grassroots FBCOs (pg. 19, 34) 

ILAB Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education (pg. 40) 

Touching Lives and Communities (pg. 13) 

Ready4Work (pg. 30) 

Equal Treatment and Religion-Related Regulations (pg. 8) 

ETA Grants to Local Workforce Investment Boards (pg. 15) 

President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative (pg. 26) 

Project Reach Out (pg. 16) 

SHARE Network (pg. 12) 

Results-Based Management Training (pg. 23) 

Preparing Ex-Offenders for the Workplace Through Benefi ciary-Choice 

Contracting (pg. 22)

 
Renewing Communities, Restoring Hope, and Transforming Lives tells the story of how the 

Faith-Based and Community Initiative at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has 

made a real difference in the lives of more than 150,000 jobseekers, workers, families, 

vulnerable youth, and communities. As part of DOL’s mission to foster a prepared, 

competitive, safe, and secure workforce, the Center for Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives works with DOL agencies to tap into the unique abilities of faith-based 

and community organizations in order to help more individuals overcome barriers to 

employment, fi nd jobs, and stay employed. 

These collaborative efforts have produced innovative public-private partnerships that 

decrease unemployment and recidivism among ex-prisoners, increase access to publicly 

funded employment resources in low-income communities, help homeless veterans fi nd 

housing and jobs, withdraw and prevent children from entering exploitive child labor 

around the world, increase workplace safety outreach to Spanish-speaking workers, and 

much more.

In 2001, President George W. Bush articulated a bold vision to reshape federal social service programs by involving local 

organizations in addressing individual needs within local communities. Specifi cally, DOL has reshaped its policies and 

programs to respect, embrace, and empower faith-based and community organizations that act as “social entrepreneurs” 

in local communities across America and around the world. 

As home to one of the original Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, DOL has answered the President’s 

challenge to “launch a determined attack on need.” The Department integrated the Initiative into policy development and 

program implementation. By developing dynamic partnerships between faith-based and community organizations and 

the public workforce system, both DOL and faith-based and community organizations are able to serve more individuals 

together than they otherwise could serve alone and to contribute collaboratively to creating a prepared, competitive, safe, 

and secure workforce.

In order to build productive partnerships between DOL and faith-based and community organizations, the Department 

has removed barriers to foster collaboration between effective faith-based and community organizations and the public 

workforce system, issued regulations that clarify, among other things, that all organizations have equal access to grant 

opportunities, launched innovative pilot programs that draw on the assets of faith-based and community organizations, 

strengthened outreach and technical assistance for faith-based and community organization partners, and measured the 

results of those efforts. 

Renewing Communities, Restoring Hope, and Transforming Lives is fi lled with stories and photographs of real men, women, 

and children who represent thousands of lives that have been transformed by the Faith-Based and Community Initiative 

at DOL.

As the former head of the United Way and Peace Corps, I know fi rsthand the valuable role that nonprofi t organizations play 

in meeting human needs here in the United States and around the world. The Department must sustain this transformation 

and encourage state and local workforce system leaders and local community leaders to advance this work and develop their 

own models of partnership with faith-based and community organizations. Renewing Communities, Restoring Hope, and 

Transforming Lives is not only informative, but, more importantly, it provides insight and inspiration to public workforce 

system administrators and staff, faith-based and community organization leaders and staff, individuals in need, and 

individuals who have benefi ted from the service capacity of public-private partnerships between DOL and faith-based and 

community organizations. 

Elaine L. Chao

U.S. Secretary of Labor
2 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

Table of Contents

Introduction ..........................................................................................................4

Creating Access to New Opportunities 

Through Public-Private Partnerships ....................................................6

Faith-Based and Community Organizations: 

Utilizing Strengths and Building Capacity ........................................19

Transforming Lives Through Government Partnerships 

with Faith-Based and Community Organizations ......................26

Sustaining Transformation ..........................................................................44

Appendix .............................................................................................................47

Endnotes ..............................................................................................................47

CBO: ..........................................Community-based organization

CFBCI or Center: ............... DOL Center for Faith-Based 

and Community Initiatives

DOJ: ............................................U.S. Department of Justice

DOL or Department: .....U.S. Department of Labor

ETA: .............................................Employment and Training Administration

FBCI: ............................................Faith-Based and Community Initiative 

FBCO: ........................................Faith-based and community organization

FBO: ............................................Faith-based organization

LIST OF COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS

ILAB: ...........................................Bureau of International Labor Affairs

OFBCI: ....................................... White House Office of Faith-Based 

and Community Initiatives

One-Stop: ...............................One-Stop Career Center

PRI: ...............................................President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative

R4W: ..........................................Ready4Work prisoner reentry program

VETS: ..........................................Veterans’ Employment and Training Service 

WIA: ...........................................Workforce Investment Act

WIB: ............................................Workforce Investment Board
www.dol.gov/cfbci 3

Executive Summary

The goal of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is to tap into the unique work of local faith-based and community 

organizations (FBCOs) to help more Americans overcome barriers to employment, fi nd 

jobs, and stay employed. Over the past seven years, DOL has removed barriers to foster collaboration between 

effective FBCOs and the public workforce system, issued regulations that clarify, among other things, that all organizations 

have equal access to grant opportunities, launched innovative pilot programs that draw on the assets of FBCOs, 

strengthened outreach and technical assistance for FBCO partners, and measured the results of those efforts. 

Transforming Lives Through Government 

Partnerships with Faith-Based and 

Community Organizations

The greatest difference FBCOs have made through DOL programs is 

in the individual lives of men, women, and vulnerable youth. Since 

2006, the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative has enrolled more than 

13,100 participants, helped 8,228 ex-prisoners find work, and lowered 

the participant recidivism rate to 15 percent—less than half of the 

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s national benchmark. From 2002 

to 2007, ETA and CFBCI developed the Grassroots Grants program, 

dedicating $10.9 million Federal dollars to 247 grassroots FBCOs in 42 

states to serve more than 37,700 hard-to-serve individuals, including 

placing 15,376 of those individuals in jobs. Since 2001, the Veterans’ 

Employment Training Service’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration 

Program has awarded grants to FBCOs in 32 states. Those FBCO grant 

sites have enrolled more than 81,000 homeless veterans in services, 

placed 48,408 in transitional or permanent housing, and placed 52,660 

in jobs. In 2001, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs Office of 

Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking launched its Child 

Labor Education Initiative, which has used education as a means of 

withdrawing and preventing more than one million children from 

engaging in exploitive child labor. 

The development of working partnerships between FBCOs and the 

public workforce system enables both the FBCOs and the workforce 

system to serve more individuals together than they otherwise could 

serve alone and to contribute collaboratively to creating a prepared, 

competitive, safe, and secure workforce.

A Capstone: DOL Grant Awards 

from 2002 to 2007

Year Total Grant Awards Funding Awarded

2002 102 $31,084,099

2003 143 $55,514,435

2004 237 $182,476,795

2005 296 $159,136,056

2006 248 $126,355,271

2007 339 $187,590,453

Total 1,365 $742,157,109

From 2002–2007, DOL awarded 1,365 grants worth $742,157,109 to FBCOs, states, and 

WIBs as part of its ongoing effort to improve services for Americans in need.

Creating Access to New Opportunities Through 

Public-Private Partnerships

The DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives 

(CFBCI) works with agencies within the Department to make 

public-private partnership opportunities more accessible to all 

organizations, including FBCOs. The foundation for that broad 

effort was laid when DOL updated its regulations in 2003 and 

2004 to clarify and ensure proper and constitutional uses of DOL 

assistance, to clarify that all organizations, regardless of religious 

affiliation or lack thereof, have equal access to grant opportunities, 

and to recognize the religious liberty of organizations and 

individuals participating in DOL programs. DOL is also making 

public workforce system and FBCO resources more accessible to 

jobseekers. For example, 25 local workforce systems are opening 

Access Points to publicly funded employment services at FBCOs 

in low-income neighborhoods across the country. Other local 

workforce systems are creating formal networks of FBCOs to better 

meet the needs of jobseekers in their communities.

Faith-Based and Community Organizations: 

Utilizing Strengths and Building Capacity 

DOL uses innovative grant programs to leverage the strengths 

of FBCOs—location, community connectedness, dedicated 

volunteers, supportive services, and access to jobseekers. In the 

past, the size of many DOL grants put them out of reach for smaller 

FBCOs. CFBCI responded by working with the Employment and 

Training Administration (ETA) to create mini-grants for grassroots 

FBCOs. Those grants feature simplified application and reporting 

requirements and allow the public workforce system to draw upon 

the assets of smaller organizations within the community. ETA staff 

provides training and technical assistance to help grantees build 

capacity, deliver services, and achieve their performance goals. DOL 

also designed grants for larger intermediary organizations that provide 

administrative and program support to smaller FBCOs that, in turn, 

provide direct services. Where authorized by law, intermediary 

organizations use their grant funds to make sub-awards to grassroots 

FBCOs, extending the reach of DOL resources beyond the confines 

of direct grant programs. In addition, DOL launched a beneficiarychoice pilot project awarding grants to address the specific workforce 

challenges of ex-prisoners. 
Introduction

The government is an institution... The 

government can provide assistance, but it 

cannot transform lives the way faith, hope or 

the involvement of a caring neighbor can. 

 —Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor, November 27, 2007

On January 29, 2001, in the Eisenhower Executive Offi ce Building’s historic Indian Treaty Room, President George W. Bush declared a “determined 

attack on need” in this country and abroad when he announced his Faith-Based and 

Community Initiative (FBCI). With the signing of Executive Orders 13198 and 13199, the President created 

the White House Offi ce of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) and fi ve initial Centers for Faith-Based and 

Community Initiatives within Federal departments, including one at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or Department).

The President initiated a challenge to leverage the resources of 

government within “an agenda to enlist, equip, enable, empower, and 

expand the heroic works of faith-based and community groups across 

America,”1 and DOL has met and exceeded that challenge. 

affiliates must engage a network of community actors and leaders, 

including businesses, educators, community developers, faith-based 

and community organizations (FBCOs), and others. 

The mission of the DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community 

Initiatives (CFBCI or Center) is to empower FBCOs that help 

individuals in their communities enter, succeed, and thrive in the 

workforce. CFBCI’s goal is to help more Americans overcome barriers 

to employment, find jobs, and stay employed through the unique work 

of local FBCOs. To accomplish this goal, the Center has developed 

innovative programs to foster partnerships between DOL-funded 

programs and FBCOs and has worked to create a level regulatory 

playing field for all organizations. 

Specifically, CFBCI has worked collaboratively with DOL agencies to:

 Update regulations and grant-making practices to ensure equal 

treatment for FBCOs participating in DOL programs; 

 Open grant competitions to more service providers in order to 

diversify applicant pools; 

DOL’s strategic goals are to create a prepared, competitive, safe, 

and secure workforce and to strengthen economic protections for 

workers. To accomplish this, the Department and its state and local 

4 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives
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, 20012

CITIZENS AT THE CENTER: A NEW APPROACH TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

 Increase jobseekers’ access to employment opportunities by 

building partnerships between FBCOs and the public workforce 

system3 and by teaching public workforce officials how to build 

networks of FBCOs; 

 Design programs to serve people in need by utilizing the 

strengths of FBCOs; and

 Help grassroots FBCOs expand life-changing programs by 

providing valuable training and accessible information. 

As a result of the FBCI’s implementation at DOL, the Department 

helps thousands of hard-to-serve individuals through innovative 

grant programs and demonstration projects with new FBCO partners. 

Specifically, DOL has utilized the strengths of FBCOs, including many 

organizations previously not partnered with government, to address a 

myriad of challenges that individuals face when entering the workforce. 

Through the FBCI, DOL continues to implement innovative 

strategies, grants, and projects to extend the Department’s partnerships 

with FBCOs. Specifically, CFBCI has helped connect untapped labor 

pools with job-related services at local One-Stop Career Centers (OneStops) and to employers. Further, DOL has aided efforts to reduce 

unemployment and recidivism among ex-prisoners, increase access 

to One-Stop resources in underserved communities, help homeless 

veterans find housing and jobs, increase workplace safety outreach to 

Spanish-speaking workers, and withdraw and prevent children from 

entering exploitive child labor settings around the world. This report 

discusses these and other strategies, grants, and projects that CFBCI has 

implemented to build public-private partnerships between government 

and FBCOs in order to better serve Americans in need. 

The FBCI at DOL has a broad reach and a deep impact. It initiated 

not only actions by government, but transformation in government. 

It strengthened how DOL serves people in need, how DOL builds 

partnerships with local and national FBCOs, and how individuals’ lives 

are transformed through greater access to services, training, and career 

opportunities. When individuals are able to access good-paying jobs 

with career potential, they are better able to support themselves and 

their families. Further, they can contribute their unique abilities to the 

American economy. Ultimately, the FBCI seeks to build and sustain 

a resilient and supportive citizenry, renewing communities, restoring 

hope, and transforming lives.

“ Getting citizens more involved in the civic life 

and health of their communities must begin with 

citizens themselves.”

 — Dr. Cynthia Gibson, Author, Citizens at the Center: 

A New Approach to Civic Engagement

The Case Foundation has published new research entitled Citizens at the Center: A Nevv Approach to Civic Engagement. 

This report presents insights into societal change occurring 

from bottom-up community solutions rather than top-down 

government prescriptions. The FBCl vision attempts to 

harness this spirit and act on the premise that this is something 

for policymakers to discover and leverage rather than to 

program and control. By government at the local level seeking 

partnerships with faith-based or secular nonprofits, whether 

professional or informal problem solvers, the FBCl is advancing 

the American tradition of self-government and citizenship.

www.dol.gov/cfbci 5
6 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

DOL’s goal is to promote a prepared, competitive, safe, and secure workforce. 

Yet, there are individuals who lack skills and access to services and face social and economic challenges that 

prevent them from entering our nation’s competitive workforce. 

Across the country and around the world, FBCOs are engaged on the 

front lines addressing these social challenges, including providing 

education and training to those who lack the skills to be self-sufficient. 

FBCO leaders and volunteers often possess assets and capabilities that 

complement those of government by meeting the needs of individuals 

and providing the resources and hope necessary for a sustainable, 

successful future. Thus, DOL has strengthened its promotion of 

a prepared, competitive, safe, and secure workforce by utilizing 

local FBCO partners that can serve individuals in need in ways the 

government cannot.

To accomplish DOL’s broader goal, CFBCI focuses on building 

effective partnerships and developing programs that help individuals 

access the services they need to become prepared and competitive 

members of the workforce. Specifically, CFBCI created new 

opportunities for FBCOs to partner with DOL and participate in grant 

programs and new opportunities for jobseekers by building partnerships 

between FBCOs and DOL’s national public workforce system. 

Through these partnerships, DOL observed the extensive reach 

of FBCOs across the country. FBCOs include religious and secular 

nonprofit organizations that provide social services. They identify 

themselves with various community initiatives and/or religious or 

secular traditions or philosophies. FBCOs vary greatly in size and 

resources—some are as large as multi-national corporations and others 

are small, grassroots organizations operating purely through volunteers. 

FBCOs operate in all types of communities, from the most urban to the 

most rural, in the United States and around the world. 

FBCOs possess important strengths that make them key strategic 

partners in public service and workforce development:

Provide Access

 Enjoy close cultural connections and community credibility in 

underserved and ethnically diverse communities;

 Have earned the trust of those in need because of their location 

and reputation within the community;

 Serve as a distribution network for information and materials to 

reach populations most in need; 

 Assist individuals in accessing government services, such as 

making referrals to One-Stops; 

 Provide businesses with access to new labor pools from lowincome communities; 

Provide Leadership

 Are driven by a variety of local community leaders, including 

business, education, religious, political, and others; 

 Serve as a ready source of dedicated volunteers, community 

support, and other private resources; 

 Increase community safety and attractiveness to business 

investment by addressing homelessness, crime rates, recidivism, 

and other issues that detract from business investment in 

local communities;

Provide Quality Services

 Provide individualized, supportive services that complement and 

strengthen those that the public workforce system offers;

 Utilize volunteers to provide mentoring and one-on-one 

assistance to individuals; 

 Provide wrap-around and support services, such as English as a 

Second Language (ESL) and drivers’ education; and 

 Provide direct job training and educational services essential to 

employability, including job readiness assistance. 

While some larger nonprofits collaborated with DOL prior 

to the FBCI’s implementation, many nonprofits did not have the 

opportunity to apply for grants or to partner with government. 

CFBCI has created a level playing field so that FBCOs of all sizes 

have a fair opportunity to compete and has established clear 

guidance for DOL-FBCO partnerships. By educating DOL agencies 

and the public workforce system about FBCO partners and providing 

FBCOs the means to partner with government, the FBCI at DOL is 

transforming the way government sees and addresses employmentrelated needs in America. 

Creating Access to New Opportunities 

Through Public-Private Partnerships
www.dol.gov/cfbci 7

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

Children’s Justice Alliance Center for Family 

Success—Portland, Oregon 

Karol*is a single mother with a criminal record, a 

history of unstable housing, and an erratic work history. On 

her release from prison, Karol sought help from the Children’s 

Justice Alliance (CJA). She attended parenting classes and 

support group meetings at CJA’s Center for Family Success. 

She also received support and other aid from CJA. In addition, 

Karol started recovery from her addiction to drugs and alcohol. 

CJA’s Center for Family Success helped Karol secure parttime employment, linked her with a short-term job training 

program at the local One-Stop, and connected her with a 

supportive housing community. Karol capitalized on these 

opportunities and renewed her expired hairdressing/barber 

license. Thereafter, Karol was hired for a full-time position in 

a salon where she built her own clientele. After one year, she 

moved to her mother’s hometown and purchased a salon of 

her own. In addition, Karol’s adolescent daughter chose to 

reunite with Karol after seeing the success and stability she 

established in her life. 

Through CJA’s support, Karol recognized that it was not 

too late for her to build a successful life. Collaborative efforts 

between CJA’s Center for Family Success, the One-Stop, and 

other community partners played a significant role in Karol’s 

successful reintegration into her community.

CJA assists ex-prisoners in attaining and retaining 

employment by providing comprehensive services—including 

support services—and linking neighborhood providers to 

the One-Stop system. CJA received $50,000 total from 

ETA’s Grants for Grassroots Organizations during 2005 

and 2006. This grant supported a portion of CJA’s Center 

for Family Success, which functions as a hub for educational 

opportunities, social support, and family activities for the 

children of those in the criminal justice system. Through the 

grant, CJA served 45 people and placed 24 people in jobs 

and an additional 17 people in post-secondary education or 

advanced training.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve her privacy.

success

Children’s Justice Alliance Center for Family Success

Creating a Level Playing Field

In the opening months of the FBCI, DOL sought to better understand 

how to link grassroots FBCOs with DOL programs and the resources 

these organizations needed to do their best work. CFBCI’s goal was 

to create a level playing field for all organizations to compete for 

funding and to create new pilot programs that tapped into the power 

of partnerships. In 2001, CFBCI conducted a department-wide 

review of programs to identify specific barriers that FBCOs faced 

when seeking to partner with DOL to deliver employment-related 

services. The results of the DOL review, along with similar findings 

from other Federal departments, were gathered into a White House 

report, Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to Participation by Faith-Based and 

Community Organizations in Federal Social Service Programs. The report 

confirmed the existence of barriers within DOL and found that those 

barriers discouraged the participation of grassroots community-based 

organizations (CBOs) in general, and faith-based organizations (FBOs) 

in particular. In addition to the policy and regulatory barriers, CFBCI 

found that long-held, informal practices also formed barriers.4

 These 

practices, although not discriminatory in intent, limited the ability of 

grassroots FBCOs to partner with DOL. 

UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD REPORT

Obstacles that small nonprofits—faith-based and secular—initially 

faced when they sought to partner with government:

1. Limited accessibility of Federal grant information. 

2. Heavy burden of regulations and other requirements.

3. Burdensome requirements that have to be met before an 

organization can apply for funds. 

4. Complex grant applications and grant agreements.

5. Questionable favoritism in some programs toward faith-based 

organizations.

6. Improper bias in some programs in favor of prior grantees.

7. Inappropriate requirements to apply in collaboration with 

likely competitors.

8. Requiring 501(c)(3) status when a program statute requires 

only nonprofit status.

9. Inadequate attention to FBCOs in the Federal grant 

streamlining process.

Obstacles that faith-based organizations (FBOs) initially faced 

when they sought to partner with government:

1. A pervasive suspicion of FBOs on the part of many 

government officials. 

2. Total exclusion of FBOs from some Federal programs.

3. Excessive restrictions on religious activities.

4. Inappropriate expansion of restrictions on religious activities 

to new programs.

5. Denial of FBOs’ legally established right to take religion into 

account in employment decisions. 

6. Failure to require and assist state and local officials in 

complying with Charitable Choice.5
8 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

Creating Access to Partnership Opportunities: 

Equal Treatment and Religion-Related Regulations

In order to enable FBCOs to compete on a level playing field, DOL had 

to reform outdated policies and processes.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court updated its First Amendment 

jurisprudence over the past two decades, no parallel transition occurred 

in policymaking at the Federal departments. In response, President 

Bush issued Executive Order 13279, “Equal Protection of the Laws for 

Faith-Based and Community Organizations,” in 2002. Executive Order 

13279 sets out fundamental principles and policymaking criteria to 

guide social service programs that Federal, state, or local government 

administer via Federal financial assistance.6

Following this Executive Order, CFBCI worked closely with the 

Solicitor of Labor, the Civil Rights Center, and other agencies to finalize 

DOL regulatory changes that clarified and ensured the core principles 

of equal treatment: 

1. Proper and constitutional uses of Federal assistance; 

2. Equal opportunity for all organizations; 

3. Respect for the rights of FBOs; and 

4. Respect for the religious liberty of participants and beneficiaries.

Specifically, in September 2003, DOL published a Final Rule that 

implemented amendments to Executive Order 11246 to give faithbased Federal contractors the right to make employment decisions in 

accordance with the religious beliefs of the contracting organization, 

consistent with the exemption for religious organizations under Title 

VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.7

 Pursuant to Executive Order 

13279, DOL published two additional Final Rules on July 12, 2004 to 

(1) ensure that DOL programs and activities are open to all qualified 

organizations, regardless of their religious character; (2) establish the 

proper and constitutional uses of Federal assistance; (3) establish the 

conditions for receipt of Federal financial assistance; and (4) announce 

the ability of individuals to choose to purchase religious training from 

among other options with Individual Training Accounts, which are 

funded by the 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA).8 Finally, another 

amendment to DOL’s regulations permits direct funding to be used to 

support inherently religious activities where “social service programs 

involve such a degree of government control over the program 

environment that religious exercise would be significantly burdened 

absent affirmative steps by DOL or its social service providers,” such as 

geographically remote DOL Job Corps Centers.9

It is important to note that these new and amended policies 

and regulations do not affect the provisions of Section 188 of WIA, 

which prohibit FBOs and other entities that receive Federal financial 

assistance under WIA from utilizing religion as a criteria when making 

employment decisions.10 President Bush continues to seek changes to 

Section 188 as part of WIA reauthorization that would harmonize that 

section of the law with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which 

generally bans religious discrimination in employment decisions, but 

specifically exempts religious organizations from this ban.11 

Even in programs governed by a statute that conflicts with Title 

VII hiring rights, individual grantees may seek relief through another 

law: the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).12 RFRA requires 

DOL’s Welfare-to-Work grants represented an early movement toward the goals of the FBCI. Welfare-to-Work supporters 

emphasized the services of faith-based and community nonprofits 

as key to help struggling individuals make the transition to successful 

employment. Non-traditional partners, including faith-based 

organizations (FBOs), often were uniquely positioned to add value to 

the effort. The number of non-traditional partners who applied for 

and won grants, however, was disproportionately low compared to 

the number of non-traditional partners providing services to welfare 

recipients. CFBCI sought to learn why there were disproportionately 

low numbers of non-traditional applicants and winners. CFBCI learned 

that many non-traditional partners either were not applying for DOL 

funds at all or were not competing for funds effectively. 

Despite the desire to partner with non-traditional partners, only 3 

percent of grant awards and 2 percent of grant funding went to FBOs in 

1998. These statistics illuminated barriers non-traditional partners faced 

in attaining DOL funding. This is particularly notable because helping 

unemployed, high-need individuals has been at the heart of FBCOs’ 

work long before Welfare-to-Work existed. Since the creation of the 

FBCI at DOL, the progress of FBCOs in attaining Federal grant dollars 

has improved. In 2007, a total of $24,307,882 in competitive grant 

awards went to 63 FBOs, and a total of $163,282,571 in competitive 

grant awards went to 276 community-based organizations (CBOs). 

Many of the barriers that existed before the FBCI no longer prevent 

non-traditional partners from competing on a level playing field, and, as a 

result, the grant pool is now more diverse than it had been. 

INVOLVING FBCOs BEFORE THE FBCI: WELFARE-TO-WORK
www.dol.gov/cfbci 9

IMPLEMENTING EQUAL TREATMENT

Online Training Course (SEE ACCOMPANYING CD)

CFBCI developed an online training course on equal treatment 

law and principles entitled Transforming Partnerships: How to Apply 

the U.S. Department of Labor’s Equal Treatment and Religion-Related 

Regulations to Public-Private Partnerships. This course provides 

in-depth training on the equal treatment and religion-related 

regulations, specifically the new equal treatment regulations13 and 

the WIA nondiscrimination and programmatic regulations,14 as 

well as case law that is crucial to ensure proper implementation of 

these regulations. 

In-Person Training 

DOL staff has trained more than 1,400 government and 

nonprofit leaders on DOL’s equal treatment regulations, of which 

approximately 55 percent were nonprofit leaders.

Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 17-01

ETA issued TEGL 17-01 on April 17, 2002, to direct states to 

incorporate local FBCOs into WIA activities and programs. The 

TEGL requests that those in the public workforce system engage in 

new levels of partnerships with FBCOs. 

Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 1-05

ETA issued TEGL 1-05 on July 6, 2005, to notify the public workforce 

system about the equal treatment regulations, explain specific 

changes that apply directly to services offered by One-Stops, and 

provide guidance on implementing the regulations.

Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 29-07

ETA issued TEGL 29-07 on May 1, 2008, to inform the Senior 

Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees about 

the equal treatment regulations and to outline the constitutional 

and other requirements related to the participation of faith-based 

organizations in SCSEP. 

Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH)

The official Job Corps PRH was updated to give practical guidance 

on how to implement the equal treatment regulations throughout 

the national Job Corps program.

the Federal government to allow an organization to consider religion 

in hiring, despite a general ban on hiring discrimination in the statute 

governing a grant, if the organization can show that complying with 

that statute’s hiring ban would substantially burden the organization’s 

exercise of religion, unless the government can demonstrate that the 

latter has a compelling interest that justifies restricting the organization’s 

religious freedom. DOJ recently concluded that RFRA is reasonably 

construed, on a case-by-case basis, to protect the right of FBO grant 

recipients to prefer co-religionists for employment even when a grant 

program’s authorizing statute contains a contrary provision, where 

the organization can show that conditioning the grant on compliance 

with the statute’s hiring provisions would substantially burden the 

organization’s exercise of religion. DOL is taking steps to inform 

organizations of the availability of this religious exemption under RFRA. 

Implementing Reforms: Training and Guidance

Government can be more effective when it draws on diverse 

partnerships. Specifically, CFBCI has trained Federal, state, 

and local government administrators and staff on how to build 

effective partnerships with FBCOs. Through this training, CFBCI 

has communicated with more than 140 regional, state, and local 

government FBCI liaisons and directors nationwide. Specifically, CFBCI 

outreach and trainings have reached more than 2,000 government and 

workforce system leaders with information on creating or strengthening 

FBCO partnerships. To further this outreach, CFBCI worked with the 

Council of State Governments to develop new prisoner reentry guidance 

for state policymakers.

Simplified Solicitation for Grant Application 

(SGA) Template

Wherever possible, CFBCI has worked to streamline and simplify the 

DOL grant process, reduce the size of grant documents, and ensure the 

improved system is accessible to all organizations, including grassroots 

FBCOs. Toward that goal, DOL:

 Developed a uniform grant solicitation template;

 Clarified the scoring criteria and encouraged the use of electronic 

grant applications; 

 Added references and explanations of its equal treatment and 

religion-related regulations to the SGAs; and 

 Provided training to FBCOs on how to compete effectively for 

DOL grants and how to create plans to sustain their work beyond 

the life of the grants. 

Increased Grant Competition

CFBCI has worked to remove bias in favor of some grantees, such as 

awarding “bonus points” merely for being an incumbent grantee, and to 

increase grant competition within DOL agencies. CFBCI also compiled 

a significant list of more than 19,000 email addresses to inform 

interested organizations and individuals about grant opportunities. 

These changes have helped widen the field of grant participants. Since 

these outreach practices were put in place, the number of FBCO 

applicants for grants has increased noticeably. 

In addition, CFBCI has worked with many DOL agencies to 

increase the number of FBCOs that apply for funding opportunities. 

After 2001, due to new appropriations language, competition for the 

Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) Office of Child Labor, 

Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)’s Child Labor Education 

Initiative (EI) funds began. ILAB coordinated this effort with CFBCI to 

actively solicit new partners, including FBCOs, to apply for the funding 

opportunities. Specifically, ILAB created public information sessions 

and official notices of intent to publish solicitations to ensure a level 

playing field for all applicants. Further, for several cycles, the Veterans’ 

Employment and Training Service (VETS) reserved a small portion of 

its Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program funding for new grantees, 

thereby increasing the pool of applicants. VETS also experimented 

with other competitive solicitations to increase potential FBCO 
10 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

involvement, such as intermediary grants, which concentrate on larger 

nonprofit agencies specializing in managing numerous sub-contractors 

under their service umbrella.

Resources on CFBCI’s Website

CFBCI’s website (www.dol.gov/cfbci) provides information for FBCOs, 

the public workforce system, and businesses on legal and regulatory 

guidance concerning DOL’s equal treatment and religion-related 

regulations, current and prior grant opportunities, and grant-writing 

strategies. It also provides information on DOL’s numerous pilot 

projects, including the Prisoner Reentry Initiative, Project Reach Out, 

SHARE Network, Grants to Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), and 

Grants to Grassroots FBCOs. In addition, the website provides FBCOs 

with information on ways to partner with the public workforce system 

and with employers, as well as ways to conduct successful workforce 

programs. The website further provides specific information and 

research on prisoner reentry and on partnerships between businesses 

and FBCOs. 

Creating Access to Opportunity for Jobseekers

Because of the strengths of FBCOs, CFBCI places high priority on 

building partnerships between FBCOs and the $15 billion public 

workforce system, which the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)15 and 

other employment and training legislation support. Through WIA, 

DOL distributes its funding to state and local WIBs, which in turn 

fund local One-Stops. One-Stops serve jobseekers and employers by 

establishing a network of programs and providers in a single location 

to assist with job searching and to provide career counseling, training, 

and other employment-related services. The public workforce system 

is organized by state into more than 600 local areas; currently, there 

are more than 3,100 comprehensive and affiliated One-Stops across 

the country. 

Partnerships are important to the public workforce system. There 

are three main reasons why strong partnerships between FBCOs and the 

public workforce system make a difference in the lives of jobseekers. 

First, many struggling jobseekers turn to their local FBCOs for 

help because the FBCOs are accessible and familiar. In some cases, 

One-Stops are geographically distant; in other cases, people are 

uncomfortable using unfamiliar government services. Through 

partnerships, the public workforce system can work with FBCOs 

to ensure that each jobseeker has full access to the training and 

employment opportunities that the One-Stops offer. 

Second, FBCOs can aid One-Stops in providing complementary 

services to customers with multiple employment-related needs. For 

example, One-Stop customers who lack employment history may need 

mentoring that the One-Stop career counselor may not provide. 

In addition, ETA encourages state and local workforce system 

administrators to maximize the amount of money available for training 

and minimize the amount of money spent on supportive services. 

Therefore, to be most effective, more One-Stops should utilize local 

FBCOs as partners in serving their customers. 

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

The Road Called STRATE 

(Society True Rehabilitative Attitude Toward 

Ex-Offenders)—Aurora, Colorado

Isaac* was released from an eight-year prison sentence; 

he was alone, hungry, had no place to go, and no food to eat, 

but he was hopeful. In the first month after being released 

from prison, he applied for 75 jobs, but he heard nothing. No 

one even called him for an interview. Luckily for Isaac, a local 

faith-based organization known as The Road Called STRATE 

(STRATE) became his lifesaver. At STRATE, the staff helped 

Isaac fight substance abuse and helped him enroll in a special 

21-week vocational course at a community college, which he 

successfully completed. He also participated in an 11-week 

course that covered topics such as relationship building, 

communication, and other skills necessary to succeed in the 

workplace. The STRATE staff worked to train and prepare 

Isaac for job interviews and, ultimately, job responsibilities. With 

STRATE staff’s support, Isaac found a job in the field of gang 

prevention. 

The STRATE program partners with its local One-Stop 

to provide comprehensive services to populations in need, 

including one-on-one mentoring, life skills training, and job 

readiness training. STRATE received $75,000 from ETA’s Grants 

for Grassroots Organizations in 2006. With the grant, STRATE 

served 1,885 people and placed 1,184 people in jobs.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve his privacy.

hope
www.dol.gov/cfbci 11

Third, many business leaders rely on FBCOs for contributions to the 

well-being of the community. One-Stops can strengthen alliances with 

those business leaders by partnering with more FBCOs. 

CFBCI has worked with ETA to develop innovative strategies 

that enable the public workforce system to partner with FBCOs to 

better serve Americans in need. In 2002, ETA invested $17.3 million 

in a series of pilot grants to increase universal access to One-Stop 

services and engage FBCOs as committed and active partners in the 

public workforce system. ETA awarded grants to 12 states, nine 

intermediary FBCOs, and 20 grassroots FBCOs to achieve these goals. 

 Referral between FBCOs and One-Stop centers worked most smoothly when One-Stop centers 

designated specifi c points of contact for FBCOs, when partners created an effi cient process that 

placed minimal burden on the person being referred, and when communication between FBCO 

and One-Stop center staff was frequent. 16

Each state and intermediary grantee designed their own programs 

to increase access to the public workforce system and to increase 

the number of active and committed partners delivering services. 

The intermediary FBCO grant sites were larger nonprofits that 

sub-awarded grants to local FBCOs, helped FBCO partners increase 

their workforce-related services, and assisted FBCOs in building 

partnerships with the local workforce system. Each of ETA’s early 

pilot grant programs produced positive results and practical lessons 

for how to strengthen FBCO services and create new strategies for 

expanding access to One-Stop resources. 

HELPING YOUTH SUCCEED: JOB CORPS–FBCO DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

Detroit Job Corps Center

South Bronx Job Corps Center

Potomac Job Corps Center

J

ob Corps is one of DOL’s most important programs for 

assisting at-risk youth who need job training outside traditional 

educational and vocational settings. This vulnerable population 

faces a myriad of challenges, and, without structured and effective 

community support, these youth often face a high risk of failure. 

In response, ETA and CFBCI launched a two-year demonstration 

project that paired six local Job Corps Centers with FBCOs to 

spark real change in students’ lives through streamlined processes, 

more effective service delivery, and greater access to a broader set 

of services.

The results of the two-year project were positive and 

demonstrated that committed, intentional partnerships between 

local Job Corps Centers and FBCOs can be successful in providing 

at-risk youth with opportunities for education, job training, and job 

placement that otherwise might not be available. For example, 

youth who participated in the demonstration project were seven times more likely to complete 

the lengthy Job Corps application process than the national average. The project also improved 

Job Corps’ access to community leaders and at-risk youth.

In addition to the practical results, the Job Corps-FBCO project yielded important lessons for 

both partners. Like any good partnership, regular communication was critical for successful 

collaboration. Job Corps Centers changed their dismissal policy 

so that students who left the program early received immediate 

follow-up services from FBCO partners, and youth who were 

initially ineligible for Job Corps were referred to appropriate 

services that FBCO partners provide. The project sites 

also collaborated to allow youth with “open” court cases to 

complete the application process.

The lessons from the Job Corps-FBCO demonstration project 

were also incorporated into DOL’s successful Ready4Work 

prisoner reentry program for juveniles, which built relationships 

between many Ready4Work sites for juveniles and Job Corps 

Centers to improve training and employment opportunities for 

youth offenders. Brooklyn Job Corps Center

Philadelphia Job Corps Center
12 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

One state and one intermediary pilot grant in 2002 produced 

easy-to-replicate innovations enabling the One-Stop system to draw 

more effectively upon the unique strengths of local FBCOs. First, Job 

Service North Dakota (JSND) used its ETA state grant to create the 

Project SHARE Web-Based Resource Directory, which enables the public 

workforce system in North Dakota to refer jobseekers to employmentrelated social services statewide. In a period of 18 months, JSND went 

from three formal relationships with FBCOs to more than 300 through 

the enrollment of FBCOs as members of its Project SHARE Web-Based 

Resource Directory. 

Second, the United Way of Brevard (UWB) in Florida used part 

of its ETA intermediary grant to partner with the Brevard WIB in 

order to place 20 Mini-Brevard Job Links, or Access Points, at local 

FBCOs in targeted, low-income communities. Together, UWB and 

the Brevard WIB trained the local FBCOs to help individuals conduct 

online job searches and use the One-Stop’s virtual job search tools. 

Together, these Access Points served nearly 2,500 customers in their 

first year of service.

Sharing How Access to Resources Empowers 

(SHARE) Network

In 2005, CFBCI combined the JSND Web-Based Resource Directory 

and the UWB Access Points and launched the Sharing How Access to 

Resources Empowers (SHARE) Network. For a modest investment 

of approximately $500,000, DOL has trained local workforce areas 

in 13 states (Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, 

Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, 

and Virginia) and two cities (Buffalo, New York and Columbia, South 

Carolina) to replicate Access Points and/or Web-based Resource 

Directory strategies. DOL helps states replicate the SHARE Network 

strategies by providing training and coaching through its SHARE 

Network technical assistance team. DOL also provides a free, two-year 

license for a web-based resource directory to those areas that request 

one. Areas participating in SHARE Network do not receive direct 

funding. They participate because they recognize the value FBCOs 

provide in serving individuals within the One-Stop system. 

ACCESS ON WHEELS: MOBILE ONE-STOP

“This is bringing job information right to the people, in a place that we can get to.” 

—Jacqueline, a beneficiary of the Mobile One-Stop

Funded through one of ETA’s pilot grants to states in 2002, the District of Columbia 

launched a Mobile One-Stop Career Center. 

Equipped with job counselors, ten computers, 

Internet access, and a citywide job database, the 

Mobile One-Stop expands the accessibility of 

the One-Stop system. In addition to launching 

the summer job search for hundreds of the city’s 

youth, churches and community groups also utilize 

the Mobile One-Stop. FBCOs in 14 high-need 

neighborhoods have organized job fairs with the 

Mobile One-Stop parked outside. Agencies that 

help the homeless also utilize the Mobile OneStop, and it has helped connect the customers of 

these agencies with the resources they need to 

increase their employability and secure a job. 

 We helped the small, rural town of Enfi eld, North Carolina establish an Access Point. Enfi eld is thirty miles 

from the nearest One-Stop. Through community volunteers, the Access Point has been a tremendous 

success! In the fi rst two months, more than 114 people visited the Access Point who had never visited the 

One-Stop before and we tracked more than 75 people obtaining jobs!

—Pam Whitaker, Director, Turning Point Workforce Investment Board, Rocky Point, North Carolina

North Carolina: Bringing Hope to Rural Communities 
www.dol.gov/cfbci 13

HAWTHORNE PLACE APARTMENTS COMMUNITY CENTER—INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI

Hawthorne Apartments’ Neighborhood Network Center’s food pantry and rental utilities assistance served as a revolving door 

for residents. “We have 2,500 residents at Hawthorne Apartments 

and many are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients. 

Many residents get food from the food pantry and money for utilities 

assistance regularly. I had to create a plan of action for the residents 

that would empower them to become economically self-sufficient and 

not rely on the food pantry for assistance,” recognized Ann Winston, 

Residential Services Manager at Hawthorne Apartments. 

Hawthorne Place Apartments Community Center, a new SHARE Network 

Access Point

CFBCI provided nine states with free, customized SHARE Network 

Web-Based Resource Directories, in addition to North Dakota, which 

continues to offer the Resource Directory funded by its 2002 grant. 

The online directories create cross-referral systems between OneStops and FBCOs that provide extra support for high-need individuals 

seeking employment, enabling the customers of either government 

or nonprofit services to access the resources of both. An excellent 

example of a SHARE Network Resource Directory is in Missouri—the 

state’s directory gives jobseekers access to services at more than 5,000 

nonprofit and government agencies. 

Through SHARE Network, CFBCI also trained public workforce 

system staff in more than 48 local areas to adapt and replicate the UWB’s 

Access Point model. This model requires participating states and local 

WIBs to provide computers to FBCOs acting as Access Points in targeted 

communities and to train those FBCOs how to help individuals search 

job banks and prepare for employment using the One-Stop system’s 

web-based tools. Access Points serve as satellite offices for One-Stops 

in communities that lack access to One-Stop services. As of April 2008, 

more than 95 FBCOs are acting as Access Points and more than 51 

FBCOs are preparing to open Access Points by June 2008.

(SEE ACCESS POINT TOOLKIT ON ACCOMPANYING CD)

Building Networks of FBCO Partners

In addition to pilot grants for states and nonprofits and the SHARE 

Network Initiative, ETA has invested in several other demonstration 

projects designed to show how local workforce system administrators 

and staff can utilize the strengths of FBCOs to better serve One-Stop 

customers, as well as the local community.

The 2002-2004 Touching Lives and Communities (TLC) pilot 

project worked with the local WIBs in Memphis, Tennessee and 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin to build their connections with FBCOs. The 

project in Memphis revealed a common problem: a major employer, 

Marriott Hotels, was seeking employees. In order to solve its labor 

shortage, Marriott brought employees into Memphis from outside 

Ann learned about the SHARE Network Access Point Program 

when she attended a monthly meeting that nonprofit organizations 

sponsored in Independence, Missouri. As a SHARE Network Access 

Point, Ann and her colleagues received a computer to dedicate 

to job searches, training on how to assist residents with their job 

searches, and extensive information about programs available for 

residents through the local WIB and One-Stop. Through the SHARE 

Network Access Point, Ann has revamped her food and rental 

utilities assistance program. Now, when receiving a food allotment, 

residents must complete a Resident Goal Plan, which involves a career 

development search. Each time residents ask for assistance, they must 

demonstrate how they utilize training and education to further their 

career opportunities. 

More than 200 Hawthorne Apartment residents received job 

assistance services between November 2007 and March 2008, and 

momentum is continuing to build. While the changes to the food and 

rental utilities assistance program were initially met with resistance, 

residents are embracing the new opportunities to connect with 

employment. Data is still incomplete, however, nine people received 

jobs in March 2008 alone. 

The Missouri Department of Employment and Economic 

Development (MDEED) began its SHARE Network Access Points 

program in late 2006, and, by working with local WIBs, has opened 

approximately 36 Access Points across the state. MDEED plans to 

open a total of 75 Access Points by November 2008. 
14 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

CREATING ACCESS AND PARTNERSHIP IN MICHIGAN

When leaders at the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth decided to participate in SHARE 

Network, they gave local areas the choice to participate. 

Washtenaw County Employment Training and Community 

Services (ETCS) helped lead the way. Since December 

2006, ETCS has identified 28 FBCOs—including libraries and 

urban religious congregations—that want to become Access 

Points to the Washtenaw Michigan Works! and Community 

Services Center (Michigan Works!). The Michigan Works! 

staff has trained more than 30 volunteers or “ambassadors” 

from FBCO Access Points in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and the 

surrounding areas. The ambassadors help jobseekers access 

online resources to broaden their job search, assist with 

resume writing, and provide information about educational 

and training opportunities. The ambassadors provide services 

at their respective FBCOs. Through this project, ETCS staff 

has learned to build new, effective, and lasting connections 

with their community partners. 

“ Our faith-based and community ‘ambassadors’ are a 

marketing investment—except the return is exponentially 

bigger than the investment! By training more than two 

dozen faith-based and community organizations to act as 

Access Points, we are expanding our system’s access to 

workers who might never have come to us otherwise. We 

are even expanding our access to businesses. A Toyota 

Human Resources Director made contact with one of our 

ambassadors and let him know about 100 positions that 

need to be filled! Now ETCS and our Access Points are 

working with Toyota to make it happen.” 

 — Trenda Rusher, Executive Director, Washtenaw County 

Employment Training and Community Services

BethAnn Ciuk, looks over job postings at the Ypsilanti District Library. Ciuk, a Belleville, MI 

native, is searching for a job in shipping and receiving.

Tim Perrins (right) of Ann Arbor listens to career advice from Greg Jones 

(left), director of the Access Points program at the Mt. Olive Church in 

Ypsilanti, MI. Perrins is looking to start a career in trucking.

An example of Michigan’s successful implementation of the Access 

Point model is found in New Creed Missionary Baptist Church, a 

small congregation located in the most impoverished census track 

in inner-city Ypsilanti. Prior to becoming an Access Point in 2007, no 

one in the congregation aside from the pastor was employed, and 

the pastor had a second job to make ends meet. Where before 

members of the congregation had little hope about employment—

historically, the neighborhood has a high level of unemployment—

the church’s Access Point now fosters hope among the members of 

the congregation. Since the church began serving as an Access Point, 

eight people from the congregation have found jobs. Transforming 

these eight lives did not take a large government grant; instead, it just 

took the investment of time by congregation leaders and Michigan 

Works! in order to share the One-Stop’s resources with the 

church’s Access Point ambassadors. New Creed’s Pastor Swanson 

acknowledged, “The Access Point is helping me bring hope to my 

congregation and my community.” 
www.dol.gov/cfbci 15

the country. At the same time, only a few neighborhoods away, the 

unemployment rate was more than 10 percent. Through the TLC 

project, a local FBCO helped bridge the opportunity gap by providing 

training classes in customer service and job readiness to individuals from 

Memphis so they could compete as candidates for the Marriott jobs. 

ETA Grants for Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs)

Based on the Memphis-Milwaukee TLC pilot experience, ETA designed 

a pilot grant program for local WIBs in 2004 and 2005. ETA awarded 

$10.7 million to 22 local WIBs to solicit grassroots FBCOs as contracted 

partners and work with them to transition individuals from high-poverty 

areas to high-demand occupations. Collectively, these 22 WIB grantees 

sub-awarded more than $6.3 million of the $10.7 million they received 

to 155 FBCOs for their projects, which ranged from 18 to 24 months 

in length. To better connect with their local FBCO partners, 14 of these 

WIB grantees also sub-awarded funds to 17 intermediary organizations 

that served a range of functions, from outreach to technical assistance. 

These WIBs, in partnership with their FBCO sub-award sites, 

served close to 12,000 individuals. The program participants 

received job readiness training and placement services, including 

skills assessment, ESL and GED education, computer skills, life skills 

Grants for Workforce Investment Boards 

(2004–2005)

Number of sub-awards to FBCOs 155

Number of participants that received services 11,944

Number of participants referred to One-Stops 4,911

Number of One-Stop clients referred to FBCO sites 1,945

Volunteer hours committed to project 44,213

Number of job placements 3,686

Retention rate (6 months) 1,414

training, mentoring, and job search support. In addition, 3,686 

individuals were placed in jobs, and 527 individuals were enrolled in 

advanced training or post-secondary education. Further, volunteers 

logged 44,213 hours serving FBCOs in these grants (equivalent to 

1,105 40-hour work weeks).

The WIB grantees reported positive feedback in terms of forging 

long-term relationships with FBCOs, including anticipating regular 

referrals from FBCOs and ongoing coordination to serve the needs 

VALUE OF SHARE NETWORK ACCESS POINTS: 

WHY ARE STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS CHOOSING TO CREATE ACCESS POINTS?

WHY ARE STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS CHOOSING TO REPLICATE THE WEB-BASED 

RESOURCE DIRECTORY? 

Return on Investment

One-Stops are able to serve more people with fewer resources 

because the amount of time that Access Points spend serving 

customers far exceeds the amount of time it takes to train and check 

in with each Access Point. 

Increase Reach

Access Points are often located in neighborhoods in which OneStops are not easily accessible and are able to serve customers during 

times when the One-Stops are not open (weeknights and weekends). 

The Access Points are also capable of reaching communities that 

traditionally do not utilize government services and customers who 

would not otherwise post resumes in the state’s job matching system. 

Flexibility 

Access Points can be used to increase the job readiness of customers 

visiting the local One-Stop and/or to increase the number of 

alternative locations where jobseekers can access core, One-Stop 

services. States can train Access Points to steer jobseekers into the 

most relevant service or employment options through general 

One-Stop visits, measured One-Stop services (if eligible), or directly 

to potential job opportunities. 

Raise Awareness of and Increase Access to the 

One-Stop System

States participating in the SHARE Network believe that building 

relationships with FBCOs will increase a targeted community’s 

knowledge, respect, and use of the One-Stop system and its webbased tools. In particular, these public-private partnerships do the 

best job of serving individuals who have the highest number of 

barriers to self-sufficiency. 

Consistency 

The directory creates consistent information for One-Stop staff to use 

in making referrals to meet the needs of One-Stop customers.

Current Information

Organizations that list themselves are responsible for updating their 

own information in the directory, which means that it is more up-todate than static paper directories. 

Increased Knowledge 

The directory is a vehicle to increase One-Stop staff’s knowledge 

of services outside the One-Stop system, as well as increase the 

knowledge of other agencies about the One-Stop system.
16 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

of jobseekers and employers. Further, WIBs helped FBCOs locate 

and access other sources of funding, including local foundations, 

corporations, and local governments, to sustain the programs they 

began under the WIB Grants. 

Even though the grant funding was short-term, most WIBs 

continued their relationships with FBCOs long after the grant program 

because they recognized and appreciated the high value FBCOs provide 

as One-Stop partners. 

Project Reach Out

One-sixth of all local WIBs applied for ETA’s pilot WIB grant in 2004 

and 2005. After the grants were awarded, some applicants remained 

committed to working with DOL and FBCOs—without grant funds—

to improve their service capacity. In response, CFBCI launched Project 

Reach Out (PRO) in 2005 to provide technical assistance and training 

to local WIBs and One-Stops on how to create and manage formal 

networks of FBCO partners. ETA selected Seedco, Inc. (Seedco), a 

national nonprofit organization and One-Stop operator in New York 

City, to guide five WIBs through 

the process of building and 

strengthening partnerships with 

local FBCOs.

Seedco was uniquely suited 

to lead PRO given its innovative 

work over the past ten years 

to make networks of FBCOs 

a crucial component of its 

successful performance-based 

service delivery model. Over an 18-month period, Seedco worked 

with the participating WIBs to implement an eight-step process 

for developing their own FBCO networks. Those steps focused on 

identifying the types of FBCO partnerships 

that would best meet One-Stop goals; 

assessing the WIBs’ readiness to develop 

formal FBCO partnerships; researching, 

reaching out to, assessing, and selecting 

potential community partners; and 

formalizing, implementing, and 

managing the performance-based FBCO 

partnerships. After PRO concluded in 

2007, Seedco produced Project Reach 

hips

p

O

value

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

The Lamb Center—Fairfax City, Virginia 

As a walk-in center

for the homeless, the Lamb Center in Fairfax City, Virginia 

provides food, safety, drug and alcohol counseling, and personal 

support to hundreds of homeless individuals each year. More 

than 50 local churches contribute to the success of the Lamb 

Center. In 2006, the Lamb Center received a $23,068 subaward from the Northern Virginia WIB/SkillSource Group, Inc. 

as part of a DOL pilot WIB Grant. The Lamb Center used this 

small investment to transform the direction of the organization 

with its Striving Towards Employment Program (STEP). 

From L to R: Jedd Medefi nd, Deputy 

Director of the White House OFBCI; 

Bob Wyatt, Director of Lamb Center; 

Angela Peterson, STEP participant, 

Lamb Center; Patti Brown, Job Coach 

and Facilitator, the Lamb Center; Jay 

Hein, Director of the White House 

OFBCI; David Hunn, Director of the 

Skill Source Group.

“ Each person who comes to the Lamb Center is 

different, has their own story and their own set of 

problems. One thing that virtually all of them have 

in common is that they do not believe in themselves. 

They’ve lost all hope... And how is somebody who 

has lost all hope going to present themselves to an 

employer and say ‘Hire me, I have value’ if they don’t 

value themselves? The first thing we are able to do 

is to help these people begin to understand that we 

care... through the Striving Towards Employment 

Program we were able to say not only do we care, but 

our partners care... this program proved to us we can 

work with the government and lives were transformed 

out of these partnerships.” 

 — Bob Wyatt, Executive Director, 

The Lamb Center

Through STEP, participants meet with the program 

coordinator at the Lamb Center to design a personalized plan, 

attend group mentoring sessions, and search for employment. 

Participants also receive incentive vouchers of $50 after 30 

days of employment and $100 after six months of employment. 

Under the initial small sub-award, the Lamb Center placed more 

than 25 homeless adults and ex-prisoners in jobs at an average 

wage of $10 per hour and began the process of job placement 

with more than 40 other participants. While the sub-award 

ended in March 2007, the Lamb Center secured private funding 

adequate to sustain the STEP program.

Through its WIB Grant, the Northern Virginia WIB 

invested in other FBCO partners, including organizations 

representing Korean, Pakistani, Vietnamese, and other 

ethnic communities.
www.dol.gov/cfbci 17

Out Guide and Toolkit (SEE ACCOMPANYING CD), a toolkit designed to help 

other One-Stops integrate FBCO networks into the design of their 

service delivery. 

Many of PRO’s successes and challenges paralleled Seedco’s own 

experiences in New York City and elsewhere. PRO also demonstrated 

the unique role that FBCOs can play in expanding One-Stop service 

delivery, as well as the growing need to organize and coordinate public 

and private resources to meet the increasingly complex workforce 

needs of many local and regional economies.

ENSURING A SAFE WORKPLACE

Because of the high number of injuries reported among Hispanic workers in the United States 

each year, CFBCI partnered with the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to launch 

a new outreach project to educate Hispanic workers 

about workplace safety issues. In July 2004, CFBCI 

and OSHA staff met with a number of community 

and faith-based leaders at DOL’s Hispanic Safety and 

Health Summit to develop an outreach strategy for 

ways that DOL can assist FBCOs with their outreach 

and education in Spanish-speaking communities. 

OSHA implemented the strategies developed at that 

Summit and continues to conduct outreach to educate 

Hispanic workers about workplace safety issues. 

WORKFORCE INNOVATION IN REGIONAL 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (WIRED) INITIATIVE

Regional, integrated partnerships between private and public sectors are the backbone of the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development 

(WIRED) initiative, a groundbreaking approach to workforce and economic 

transformation developed by ETA. FBCOs are both contributing businesses and 

conduits of talent development in this regional workforce system that embraces the 

collective resources of regions to generate and sustain hope, innovation, productivity, 

and prosperity. FBCOs leverage their leadership skills, serve as a source of human 

capital, connect vital community resources to the system, contribute their innovative 

service delivery infrastructure, utilize staff competencies to bring individuals with 

barriers into the labor market, establish and maintain relationships with businesses, 

and leverage a vast range of resources to talent development. A total of 39 regions 

across the nation are participating in the WIRED initiative. The strategies and 

objectives of these jurisdictions are outlined at www.doleta.gov/wired. 

3 MODELS FOR FBCO 

AND ONE-STOP PARTNERSHIPS

1. Recruit-and-Refer Model

FBCOs conduct outreach to target populations, provide 

jobseekers with basic supportive services, and refer them to the 

One-Stop for job placement. 

2. Specialized Job Readiness Training Model

FBCOs provide specialized job readiness training courses 

tailored to the needs of the target population, then provide job 

placement services or refer jobseekers to the One-Stop. 

3. Comprehensive Services Model

FBCOs provide comprehensive employment and social services 

to jobseekers in accessible locations.17

 One of the things we were initially trying to do with the project was to connect the faith-based and 

community groups with the One-Stop. Now, because of this program, they know the One-Stop, they 

know we are here, and they know the process. This project brings us people that, for whatever reason, 

weren’t coming in the door before... Now, when the FBCOs have someone in their congregation 

or in their local community who is looking for a job, they steer them to the One-Stop. That is true 

sustainability... the sustainability factor is that the connection has been institutionalized. 

—Charles Casey, Pima County One-Stop Administrative Manager
18 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

Building Your Community Network Mini-Events

As another means of integrating FBCOs into the public workforce system, 

DOL developed a program providing mini-grants of $5,000 to $10,000 

to state or local WIBs to host Build Your Community Network conferences. 

At these events, WIBs bring together FBCOs from a regional or local 

workforce area that share a commitment to serving individuals with 

employment challenges. The objective is to create dialogue and new 

collaboration between WIBs and FBCOs that leads to practical workforce 

solutions for the unemployed and underemployed. Material covered at 

the events ranges from how WIBs function to suggestions on working 

with customers’ potential employers to ways eligible beneficiaries can 

Creating a consistent method to assess customers and to make referrals to faith-based and community 

partners is crucial for high quality customer service at the WorkOne Center. Tracking our community 

referrals provides a window into understanding the needs of customers. It provides an opportunity for 

continuous improvement. —Linda Woloshansky, Director, Center for Workforce Innovations, Valparaiso, Indiana

receive educational funding through WIBs. As many as 30 Build Your 

Community Network conferences will be funded in 2008.

CFBCI utilizes other new, innovative grant programs to enhance 

DOL partnerships with FBCOs. These programs include grassroots 

mini-grants, intermediary grants, and beneficiary-choice contracting, 

which will be discussed in Section II.

MEETING GOALS: THE PRESIDENT’S 

MANAGEMENT AGENDA

DOL achieved all of the goals set for the FBCI by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which measures DOL’s 

success in reaching the standards set out in the President’s 

Management Agenda (PMA). The PMA is the authoritative 

management document for implementation of the FBCI at 

Federal departments, including DOL. To demonstrate success 

based on measurable progress and real results, the PMA sets

clear objectives and measurable standards for DOL in key 

areas to ensure effective governance. Every quarter, 

OMB evaluates DOL on both “progress” over the prior quarter 

and overall “status” in achieving the PMA’s primary measures 

of success. On June 30, 2006, DOL met all of OMB’s 

requirements and achieved green status. DOL has 

maintained its green status since 2006.

Expanding Resources for Customers

OMB Standards for Success Status Progress

1. Enhance outreach and technical 

assistance to FBCOs 

2. Improve equal treatment 

understanding and oversight 

3. Provide accurate and timely data to 

the White House and OMB 

4. Implement pilot programs that 

strengthen partnerships with FBCOs 

5. Undertake evaluation and analysis of 

pilot projects that incorporate FBCOs 

6. Implement aggressive strategies 

to expand partnerships with 

grassroots FBCOs



 The successes here really have to do with 

overcoming the challenge of building capacity 

while delivering services. Although our FBCOs 

were tasked with doing the seemingly impossible, 

they are built for collaboration and coordination 

and were hungry for learning and building. This, 

I see is the greatest success as it leads to creating 

new services and enhancing existing services for 

the populations they serve. 

 — Jackie McGravey, Capitol Workforce Partners 

(Hartford, Connecticut WIB) Grantee
www.dol.gov/cfbci 19

He charged DOL, and other departments, with developing pilot 

programs that highlight the ways FBCOs can work with the 

government to touch lives and communities. As the capabilities of 

nonprofits grow, their community’s ability to solve problems and meet 

needs expands. Promoting this growth has stood as a pillar of the 

CFBCI, from increasing FBCO access to Federal funds to in-depth 

training on specific issues like outcomes tracking. Whether a volunteer 

association of rural citizens united against a community crisis or a 

major urban nonprofit capable of multi-million dollar development 

deals, communities and individuals benefit greatly as the nonprofits 

that serve them grow in effectiveness and reach.

DOL Grants for Strengthening Partnerships with FBCOs

Agency Program Name Year

ETA Preparing Ex-Offenders for the Workplace Through Beneficiary-Choice Contracting 2007–2008

ETA Small Grassroots FBCOs Connecting with the One-Stop Delivery System 2002–2007

ETA Prisoner Reentry Initiative 2004–2006

ETA Ready4Work 2003–2005

ETA Preparing Youth Offenders to Enter High-Growth and High-Demand Industries 2005

ETA Grants for Workforce Boards Partnering with FBCOs 2004–2005

ETA Grants for Intermediary Nonprofits 2002–2004

ETA Grants for States 2002

ILAB Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education 2002–2007

VETS Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program 2001–2007

VETS Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program 2003–2007

ODEP Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Through the Use of Intermediaries 2003–2006

ODEP Home Modification Grant 2003

ODEP Grants to Community and Faith-Based Organizations 2002

Faith-Based and Community Organizations: 

Utilizing Strengths and Building Capacity

President Bush projected a vision for a new government strategy to address human need, rooted in the idea that the most effective way to address the deepest needs of our communities is to 

harness the unique strengths of every willing community and faith-based partner. 

Innovative Grant Programs

CFBCI has worked closely with DOL agencies to shape innovative grant 

programs to utilize the unique strengths of FBCOs—holistic services, 

committed staff and volunteers, cultural competency, flexibility—to 

serve thousands of individuals struggling to obtain employment and 

reach their career goals. These programs also utilize the unique role that 

FBCOs play in communities, which is distinct from government’s role.

Grassroots Mini-Grants: Grants for Small Grassroots 

Organizations Connecting with the One-Stop Delivery 

System (Grassroots Grants)

CFBCI has worked with ETA since 2002 to create manageable, direct, 

Federal mini-grants with streamlined application and reporting 

requirements to fund small, grassroots FBCOs providing a wide range 

of employment-related services. Many traditional DOL grants are far 

larger than most grassroots FBCOs can manage effectively. A grassroots 

organization is one that has only a few staff, dedicated volunteers, 

and a small budget that would be likely to become overwhelmed by 

 [The FBCI is a] comprehensive... effort 

to enlist, equip, enable, empower and 

expand the work of faith-based and other 

community organizations...

—President Bush’s Executive Order 13199, January 29, 2001
20 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

a sudden, large influx of Federal grant dollars. An organization like 

this could have a far greater impact with $25,000 to $75,000 grants 

than others could have with four times that amount. Mini-grants are 

appropriately sized for the management capabilities and capacity of 

grassroots FBCOs.

In addition to right-sized grants, effective mini-grant programs 

contain substantive technical support for grantees. This assistance 

is designed not only to help first-time Federal grantees meet all 

government performance standards, data reporting, and other 

requirements, but also to hone their programs and operations in 

ways that will increase their capacity to provide quality services to 

their community long after the grant is over. DOL pioneered this 

program to partner small FBCOs with local One-Stops to help reach 

high-need individuals, including high school drop-outs, immigrants, 

people with limited capabilities in the English language, veterans, 

individuals with disabilities, single working mothers, the homeless, the 

chronically unemployed, and ex-prisoners. Often, small FBCOs are 

uniquely equipped to provide the complementary, highly personalized 

INVESTING IN LIVES, INVESTING IN 

CHANGE

From 2002-2007, DOL awarded 1,365 grants worth $742,157,109 

to FBCOs, states, and WIBs as part of its ongoing effort to improve 

role model

services for Americans in need.

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

Turning the TIDE, Inc.—

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Turning the TIDE, Inc. 

(TIDE) is a faith-based, community technology-training center 

located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With support from 

ETA’s Grassroots Grant, TIDE now offers technology training, 

employment services, and other supportive services to exprisoners, helping them secure employment and build successful 

lives. Between 2005 and 2007, TIDE received $165,000 from 

DOL through ETA’s Grassroots Grants. With the grant, the 

organization served 629 people.

Phillip* is one of many ex-prisoners who found successful 

employment and support in building his new life at TIDE. Phillip 

has been employed for more than six months, and his boss 

reports that Phillip is not only a tremendous employee, but also 

that younger employees with difficult backgrounds look to him 

as a strong role model.

Phillip moved out of shared living quarters and now leases 

a one-bedroom apartment. He also opened his own checking 

account and established credit at a local furniture store to 

purchase a few items for his home. Phillip is learning how to 

balance his checkbook for the first time. With a solid career 

ahead and a good place to live, Phillip placed his life on an 

entirely different track than it was on less than one year before. 

In addition to helping ex-prisoners attain successful 

employment and life skills, TIDE is an important part of Project 

ECHO, a collaborative initiative between the City of Philadelphia 

and the Philadelphia WIB. Project ECHO is designed to build 

an infrastructure that links ex-prisoners to the Pennsylvania 

CareerLink System via FBCOs. The project was started under 

the 2002 ETA State Grant to the Pennsylvania State WIB. 

TIDE plays an integral role in the CareerLink Access Site’s 

efforts to reach and serve ex-prisoners. While TIDE has 

served as a CareerLink Access Site for a number of years, 

its partnership has grown tremendously through its ETA 

Grassroots Grant.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve his privacy.

Turning the TIDE, Inc. community technology-training center

ETA 64%

ILAB 21%

VETS 15%

Total Funding for FBCOs by Agency (2002–2007)

Grant Funding by DOL Agencies for FBCOs

Agency Grants Total Grant Amount

ETA 865 $471,347,574

ILAB 39 $158,863,099

VETS 443 $108,619,978

ODEP 18 $3,326,458

Total 1,365 $742,157,109
www.dol.gov/cfbci 21

ETA Grants to Grassroots FBCOs

ETA awarded Grassroots Grants to 247 small FBCOs from 2002 to 2007. 

Please note that some grant sites received 1st and 2nd year funding over the 2002 to 2007 period.

services and support these high-need individuals require to succeed in 

employment. 

Since 2002, ETA’s Grassroots Grants have provided $10.9 million 

to help 247 urban, suburban, and rural grassroots FBCOs serve 

jobseekers in their neighborhoods and build links with the local 

One-Stop system. DOL spent several years refining this project, 

which achieved a balance between the complexity of managing 

STRENGTHS OF THE 

INTERMEDIARY MODEL

 Alleviate much of the administrative grant burden by subawarding to smaller FBCO partners, which frequently are 

ill-equipped to manage large Federal grants, leaving these 

organizations free to focus on service delivery

 Aggregate and focus the work of FBCO partners around specific 

social service needs, like workforce development, prisoner 

reentry, and assisting limited English populations

 Improve coordination of services among FBCO partners 

by developing networks of small FBCOs that provide 

complementary services, improving the overall efficiency of 

service delivery

 Assist and provide guidance to FBCO partners in interpreting 

and complying with the legal and programmatic requirements 

governing Federal financial assistance

 Leverage multiple sources of public and private funding

 Share the burden of “performance-based” contracting with 

smaller FBCOs that may not be able to cover the upfront costs 

of performance-based contracts

Federal grants and the simplicity of retaining organizations’ 

grassroots character. Notably, halfway through their grants cycle, 

the 78 active Grassroots Grant sites from 2006 leveraged nearly 

50,000 volunteer hours through their grant programs and placed 

more than 4,330 high-need individuals in jobs and 1,712 in 

post-secondary education or training. In addition, 49 grantee 

organizations reported that they had a working relationship with 

more than 1,154 employers. In total, between 1,500 and 2,000 

FBCOs applied for the Grassroots Grants from 2002 to 2007. Many 

of these organizations had not partnered with their local One-Stop 

system in the past. Many of the unsuccessful applicants found this 

initial engagement during the application preparation process a vital 

one and continued collaboration with the local One-Stop after the 

competition closed.

Breaking Ground: The Intermediary Model

Recognizing that smaller FBCOs could benefit from outside expertise 

in program management, administration, and implementation, DOL 

developed a model where these organizations could partner with larger 

intermediary organizations to link with government. Even though 

mini-grants can be highly effective in tapping into the strengths of small 

FBCOs, they carry a higher administrative burden for DOL. To fill the 

gap between service delivery and administrative capacity, DOL designed 

the intermediary grant model, in which larger organizations—FBCOs, 

WIBs, state workforce agencies, and other capable entities—provide 

administrative and program experience to support smaller FBCOs that 

provide direct services.

These intermediary organizations, in turn, use their grant funds 

to provide smaller awards to grassroots FBCOs. In addition to the 
22 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

sub-awards, intermediary organizations are also responsible for 

providing technical support to sub-awardees and ensuring their full 

compliance with all government regulations, performance reporting, 

and other requirements. In many cases, intermediaries provide 

training to help build the organizational strengths and program 

performance of sub-awardees. 

This innovative model allows DOL to extend its reach to FBCOs 

beyond the confines of direct grant programs. Specifically, 65 

intermediaries have worked with more than 500 grassroots FBCOs 

since 2002.

By linking the administrative and reporting expertise of 

intermediary organizations to the human and program resources of 

smaller FBCOs, CFBCI has helped provide workforce development 

and other essential human services to populations that DOL programs 

had not previously reached. This intermediary model has empowered 

FBCOs to focus on the delivery of their vital services rather than on 

administrative paperwork, resulting in more effective programs. Over 

time, it has become clear that this strategy is the most efficient and 

effective way to utilize the resources and expertise of small FBCOs and 

bring them into partnership with DOL programs. 

Beneficiary-Choice Contracting Grants

their service provider encourages recipients of aid to exhibit greater 

engagement in their own life changes because they are expected to 

take ownership in choosing the services they will receive. In addition, 

jobseekers, not government, are making the choice as to which 

organizations will receive the funds.

In 2007, DOL launched the pilot grant program Preparing 

Ex-Offenders for the Workplace Through Beneficiary-Choice Contracting, 

which blends performance-based contracting with individual beneficiary 

choice. This program competed and awarded $1 million to each of the five 

grant recipients to address the specific workforce challenges of ex-prisoners 

and to produce positive outcomes with a particular focus on securing and 

retaining employment and reducing recidivism. The grantees draw upon 

the strengths of many local FBCOs to provide these services. The program 

serves ex-prisoners between the ages of 18 and 29 who are returning from 

Federal or state institutions. 

Each of these innovative models represents an important and 

sustainable contribution of the FBCI in building public-private 

partnerships between government and FBCOs.

Building FBCO Capacity Through Training 

and Technical Assistance

CFBCI has worked with grant-making agencies to provide practical 

training and clear, consistent, legally accurate guidance designed to 

strengthen the capacity of grant recipients and increase the range and 

quality of DOL-funded services.

The training and technical assistance that CFBCI provides informs 

FBCOs about partnership opportunities, equips FBCOs to compete 

effectively for funding, and helps FBCOs develop competencies in 

Participants learn at a class operated through Indianapolis’ Benefi ciary-Choice Grant, 

Apollo 13.

TOUCHING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE VIDEO 

WORKSHOPS

DOL’s Touching Lives and Communities Technical 

Assistance Video Workshops

(TLC Video Workshops) 

deliver nine hours of training 

for nonprofit organizations 

seeking to expand the 

impact and reach of their 

programs. The five TLC 

Video Workshops feature 

subject-matter experts on 

the following topics: Capacity 

Building and Strategic Planning; Corporation and Foundation Giving; 

Board Development and Individual Giving; Government Grant 

Applications; and Grant Management and Program Evaluation. The 

TLC Video Workshops are available both online and on DVD. As 

of April 2008, DOL has distributed more than 15,000 copies of the 

TLC Video Workshops on DVD, and more than 6,500 people have 

viewed the online version.

Choice-based program models, such as those that use vouchers, allow 

government to utilize the broadest possible diversity of service styles 

and approaches. Under any variation of the basic choice-based model, 

government does not provide funds directly to a service provider; 

rather, an organization acting on behalf of the government provides 

a voucher to the individual beneficiary, who may choose to redeem 

the voucher for services at any number of approved service providers. 

This choice-based delivery system allows flexibility and freedom to 

both recipients and providers and enables more diverse groups to 

partner with government. The fact that participants are able to choose 
www.dol.gov/cfbci 23

employment-related services. To ensure that grantees meet all legal, 

fiscal, and programmatic requirements, DOL has also developed 

training and guidance to assist FBCOs in managing their grants.

In addition, CFBCI has educated FBCOs and key Federal, state, and 

local workforce system staff about implementing DOL’s regulations and 

the broader principles of equal treatment. To aid in that effort, CFBCI 

produced new guidance documents for FBCOs and workforce system 

staff on updating their policies and program practices. These materials 

have been distributed through in-person and web-based training.

Technical Assistance and Training for Grassroots Grantees

While DOL regional staff provided day-to-day oversight of grantee 

projects, including technical assistance, CFBCI provided educational 

training to grantees to help them build the capacity of their 

organizations to deliver services and achieve their service goals. CFBCI 

provided the training through conference calls and webinars. The 

grantees selected the training topics, which included information on 

managing a DOL grant, sustaining programs past the life of the grant, 

increasing employee retention, increasing grantees’ value to businesses, 

and working with ex-prisoners and their future employers.

To ensure grantees understood how to manage their DOL grant and 

maximize their funds and partnership opportunities with DOL and 

other local entities, CFBCI co-hosted an annual Grantee Orientation 

Conference for grassroots organizations that received a Grassroots 

Grant. At the conference, CFBCI and ETA educated grantees on 

such topics as: Results-Based Program Development; Federal Equal 

Treatment and Religion-Related Regulations; Strategies for Measuring 

Program Effectiveness; Sustainability Strategies: How To Continue 

Your Program Beyond the Life of the DOL Grant; and Financial and 

Grant Management. In addition, CFBCI hosted webinars that provided 

follow-up training on several of these topics.

Results-Based Management Training for FBCOs

Among the most important—and underdeveloped—skills a small 

nonprofit can have is the ability to effectively measure customer 

services and outcomes. A ready grasp of outputs and outcomes allows 

an organization to focus on the effectiveness of its programs to ensure 

results, not merely compassionate intentions. Equally important, 

measured outcomes demonstrate the viability of the organization to 

potential government, foundation, corporate, and individual funders. 

Recognizing the need for small nonprofits to learn effective methods for 

measuring results, CFBCI launched a one-year case management pilot 

for recipients of ETA’s Grassroots Grants.

The successful, one-year case management pilot grew into four, 

three-day Results-Based Management Training events in 2007 

and 2008. The objectives of the training events were to help the 

participating FBCOs answer three questions: (1) how has our program 

improved the skills, behaviors, or attitudes of our population?; (2) in 

what ways are people better off for having participated in our program?; 

and (3) how has our program benefited our community? To answer 

these questions, participants of the Results-Based Management training 

events engaged in lecture, discussion, and group exercises on the 

elements of results-focused evaluation. Each group then produced a 

program evaluation plan that represented one of their organization’s 

programs. Then, in order to move from theoretical outcomes to 

measured outcomes, the program provided software systems designed 

to facilitate the input of customer data, process, and outcomes. 

I believe this training will assist us in truly taking 

our organization to the next level. 

—Results-Based Management Participant Evaluation 

 Results-based management uses audiencefocused needs as the basis for program 

development, measurement, and program 

reporting in order to implement a process 

of continual program improvement. 

 — Claudia Horn, President, Result Technology Solutions

Early results showed that a few hours of case management 

software training and follow-up technical assistance greatly improved 

a participating nonprofit’s ability to measure and manage its program 

results. By February 2008, CFBCI provided training and outcomes 

tracking software to 83 grassroots FBCOs that provide employmentrelated services. The progress of participants will be tracked for one 

year to ensure they analyze their programs using the techniques they 

learned at the three-day training.

Teleconferences and Webinars 

CFBCI has made extensive use of teleconferences to train FBCOs, 

particularly in skills that improve their employment-related services. 
24 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

GOVERNMENT HELPING AN FBCO GROW: CONNECTIONS TO SUCCESS—

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Teleconference topics ranged from helping ex-prisoners find work to 

effective partnerships with the public workforce system, and often 

included a series of events over weeks or months. For example, the 

Building Business Partnerships series included five teleconferences 

that trained FBCOs on how to form alliances that enable business 

owners to meet their bottom line and provide employment 

opportunities for nonprofit program participants. Speakers 

included human resource consultants and employer representatives 

from four high-growth industries. Overall, more than 1,000 FBCO 

staff participated in DOL’s teleconferences. 

In addition, in 2004, CFBCI hosted its first web-based 

conference, Dreams, Stories, and Opportunities: Community and 

Faith-Based Solutions for the 21st Century Workforce, for FBCO and 

public workforce system staff. The virtual conference attracted 

1,100 attendees over one month, included online discussion rooms 

and teleconferences, and featured three primary themes: Creating 

the 21st Century Workforce, Creating Access to Opportunity, and 

Building Capacity.

Distribute Information for FBCOs via Email Database

CFBCI maintains an email database of organizations interested in 

FBCI-related information. Content delivered through the list ranges 

I

n 1998, the husband and wife team of Kathy and Brad Lambert 

founded Connections to Success (CtS), a faith-based organization 

dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty, one family at a time. CtS 

accomplishes its mission by empowering determined individuals with 

an employment plan and providing the necessary 

resources to achieve economic self-sufficiency. CtS 

is dedicated to addressing homelessness, welfare 

dependency, incarceration, and other social ills 

through educating, training, mentoring, and supporting 

individuals in need. Part of CtS’s program includes 

“mentor teams,” which support individuals rising out 

of poverty. 

Notably, CtS grew from six staff and 50 volunteers in 

2002 to 18 staff and 300 volunteers in 2008. Primarily 

supported by private funds, CtS applied for more 

than six government grants before receiving any 

government assistance. Co-Director Brad Lambert 

believes that his organization benefited greatly from 

the training that the White House OFBCI, the DOL 

CFBCI, and other Federal departments provided on 

grant writing, collaboration, and service provision. In 

2005, CtS competed for and was awarded one of 

30 ETA grants to implement the President’s Prisoner 

Reentry Initiative (PRI). CtS has achieved promising 

results through its prisoner reentry program, including 

enrolling 410 ex-prisoners returning to Kansas City. 

Of those enrolled, 278 were employed within 90 days, 

and 64 percent retained employment after nine months. Through two 

years of services under the PRI, only 16 percent of CtS participants 

have recidivated at one year post-release—less than half the national 

average of 44 percent.
www.dol.gov/cfbci 25

from recently available grant opportunities to resources focused on 

specific areas of service. The CFBCI database delivers information to 

more than 19,000 email addresses. Participants who have signed up 

to receive CFBCI emails include nonprofit, business, and government 

leaders and private individuals. 

Partnering with Employers

FBCOs have a variety of relationships with businesses. Businesses 

may be represented on their boards or as part of their congregations, 

or businesses may have formal agreements to hire jobseekers directly 

from FBCOs. For FBCOs committed to connecting their customers 

with jobs, it is crucial that they effectively collaborate with businesses. 

Some FBCOs provide mentoring and other services during the postemployment period that are extremely valuable to employers to help 

minimize costs due to turnover. These services can help individuals 

stay employed, develop their careers, and move through career 

pathways. CFBCI has created several toolkits to help FBCOs connect 

 We feel it is important for the FBCOs to be full members of their community, including local employers 

and businesses. These local employers can likewise benefi t from connecting with their community 

through these FBCOs and others. —Staff Member, Ottawa County Michigan Works!, DOL WIB Grantee

with employers, including Making A Difference Through Business 

Partnerships: A Guide for Faith-Based and Community Organizations, 

Action Steps for Businesses: A Guide to Developing Partnerships with FaithBased and Community Organizations (FBCOs), and Literature Review: 

Business/Faith-Based and Community Organization (FBCO) Partnerships 

(SEE ACCOMPANYING CD). These guides demonstrate different types of 

partnerships between businesses and FBCOs and provide action steps 

that employers can take to partner with FBCOs. 

Conference Training for FBCOs

Since 2001, the White House OFBCI has hosted conferences in 34 

U.S. cities and trained more than 30,000 nonprofit leaders on how to 

partner with Federal departments, access public and private funding, 

improve outcome tracking, comply with Federal legal requirements, 

and much more. DOL’s CFBCI has provided training at each White 

House conference on how to apply for DOL grants and partner with 

the public workforce system. CFBCI has taken a leading role in 

training FBCOs on how to implement effective, employment-based 

prisoner reentry programs and in training state government officials on 

how to incorporate innovative models for partnering with FBCOs into 

state programs.

Exodus Transitional Community, Inc.
26 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

The measure of 

compassion is more 

than good intentions, 

it is good results. 

 — President George W. Bush, 

April 30, 2002

These highlighted programs and 

personal stories demonstrate how

the highly personalized services 

of FBCOs, including mentoring, 

case management, and coaching 

in life skills, when partnered 

with the public workforce 

system, help jobseekers break 

down barriers to employment and seize new opportunities. These 

programs and stories are only a snapshot of the thousands of lives and 

organizations that have been impacted by the FBCI’s implementation 

at DOL. They represent only some of the programs DOL has 

implemented to serve the neediest in our communities and only some 

of the services those programs provide to individuals on a daily basis. 

 The paramount goal is compassionate results... 

The delivery of social services must be 

results-oriented. 

— President George W. Bush, January 29, 2001

Transforming Lives Through 

Government Partnerships with 

Faith-Based Community Organizations

This section presents, in human terms, the real difference DOL-supported programs have made and the strategies that underlie their success. It introduces the 

benefi ciaries themselves, as well as family members, employers, community leaders, and others whose lives have been 

affected through DOL’s partnerships with FBCOs. As benefi ciaries change their lives for the better, their families and 

communities also benefi t. 

One of the central tenets of the FBCI is that noble aspirations are not 

enough; rather, what ultimately matters is delivering tangible outcomes: 

new government policies, strengthened FBCOs, and changed lives. 

The President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative

Julio was arrested as a young adult for selling drugs and received a 

12-year prison sentence. While in prison, Julio’s own experience 

helped him relate to the challenges other prisoners face. He also earned 

a Masters of Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary 

during his incarceration.

Prisoner Reentry Initiative (2005–2007)

Number of ex-prisoners enrolled 13,144

Percent of ex-prisoners receiving 

employment services

89%

Percent of ex-prisoners receiving mentoring 51%

Number of job placements 8,228 (63%)

Retention Rate (9 months) 66%

1-Year Recidivism Rate 15%

Julio Medina outside Exodus Transitional Community, Inc.
www.dol.gov/cfbci 27

Julio vowed to create safer communities and to instill hope in men 

and women returning home from prison. He never heard anyone 

remark that he or she could not wait to come back to prison; instead, 

he heard many say that they wanted to be good fathers, mothers, 

brothers, sisters, and friends and return to heal some of the damage 

they had caused in the impoverished communities from which most 

came. Even though many left prison with good intentions, they soon 

returned for a variety of reasons, including lack of employment and 

housing opportunities and untreated substance abuse. 

develop the attitudes necessary to succeed in their jobs, reconnect with 

their families, and fully integrate into their communities. Under the 

leadership of Julio, Exodus fulfills this mission daily. Exodus has served 

more than 5,000 men and women since 1999 and is one of the most 

successful reentry programs in the United States. 

Julio often visits prisons to meet with and listen to the men and 

women there. Their faith and encouragement have sustained Exodus’s 

mission and have inspired Julio’s continued personal transformation. 

Notably, Exodus was selected to participate in DOL’s Ready4Work 

pilot program. This DOL funding allowed Julio to expand his program 

and provide more reentry services for ex-prisoners. Then, Julio 

received the highest honor when President Bush recognized his good 

work and highlighted his successful reentry program during the 2004 

State of the Union address. 

Julio and the lives Exodus has transformed are only a few of the 

many lives transformed through DOL’s prisoner reentry programs. 

Each year, more than 650,000 inmates are released from prison 

and reunited with their families and communities. Released inmates 

face a myriad of chal lenges that sometimes contribute to their return to 

criminal activity, re-arrest, and re-in carceration, including joblessness, 

substance abuse, mental illness, lack of education, lack of identification 

(e.g., driver’s license or state-issued IDs), lack of stable housing, and 

America is the land of the second chance, and 

when the gates of the prison open, the path 

ahead should lead to a better life. 

—President George W. Bush, January 20, 2004

Working together, we can continue to ensure that everyone in our society has a second chance, 

and the tools they need to build lives of independence and dignity. 

—Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor, March 22, 2007

In 1999, after working through many of his own reintegration 

issues, Julio founded Exodus Transitional Community, Inc. (Exodus), a 

nonprofit organization in East Harlem, New York focused on working 

with men and women transitioning from incarceration to society. 

Julio established Exodus to help ex-prisoners secure employment and 

FINDING DIRECTION THROUGH MENTORING: ARIZONA WOMEN’S EDUCATION AND 

EMPLOYMENT, INC.—PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Teresa came to the Paths to Living Free (PLF) program after a two-and-a-half-year sentence for her third driving-under-the-influence conviction. Before prison, she worked as an 

administrative assistant at Scottsdale Culinary School, had no desire to move beyond the status 

quo, and attributed her drinking to a lack of direction in her life. While still in prison, she began 

planning her life beyond incarceration. She explored programs available through the Arizona 

Department of Corrections’ partnership with Rio Salado Community College. Teresa discovered a 

passion for the electrician trade and began the necessary training to become a licensed electrician. 

Teresa is an excellent example of the benefits FBCOs provide in serving ex-prisoners. Teresa, who 

has been enrolled in the PLF program since July 2007, accomplished her employment goal. She 

wanted a job earning at least $14 an hour, and she exceeded that goal earning $15 an hour at 

Construction Secretaries. Since that time, she was hired at Banner Desert Medical Center and 

now makes $21.50 an hour. She is also applying for Federal student-aid funding and scholarship 

opportunities to attend school at Mesa Community College. Teresa wants to complete her 

training and education so she can work full-time as an electrician.

Teresa embraced the PLF program from the beginning of her enrollment. She actively participated 

in the program and mentoring workshops, and she maintained contact with her two mentors as an integral part of her support system. Their 

efforts inspired Teresa to become a mentor in March 2008 when she got her vehicle and driver’s license back. Teresa shows a commitment to 

replace old behaviors with new ones and to ultimately fulfill her career aspirations.
28 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

poor family connections. In the absence of intervention, a major ity of 

ex-prisoners relapse into criminal activity. According to the U.S. Bureau 

of Justice Statistics (BJS), two out of three released inmates will be rear rested for new crimes within three years of their release from prison, 

and more than half will be re-incarcerated.19

Without stabilizing influences, crime, substance abuse, and 

revolving prison doors continue to ravage the most distressed areas 

across the nation. 

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. Expand ing on the elements of DOL’s successful 

Ready4Work prisoner reentry pilot program, PRI is a collaborative 

effort between DOL and DOJ to assist ex-prisoners by linking them 

to FBCOs, which, in turn, help them find work and avoid relapse 

into a life of criminal activity. PRI programs rely on FBCOs to deliver 

a wide range of social services to help ex-prisoners reintegrate into 

their communities successfully. Moreover, the programs draw on the 

strength of FBCOs as trusted and influential institutions in the urban 

neighborhoods to which the majority of ex-prisoners return. Through 

this four-year program, the grant sites are helping provide services to 

approximately 6,250 ex-prisoners each year. 

To implement the President’s PRI, DOL competitively awarded 

30 grants to employment-centered FBCOs in urban areas across 

the country (see map on page 29). Each grant site works to reduce 

recidivism by helping return nonviolent prisoners to work through a 

program that incorporates mentoring, job place ment, job training, and 

other holistic transitional services. Working in collaboration with DOL, 

DOJ also awarded funds to state criminal justice agencies to provide 

pre-release services to prisoners who DOL grantees also serve. 

Since spring 2006, 30 FBCO sites were operating in 20 states 

through PRI, and this number continues to grow as PRI demonstrates 

sustained success in reintegrating ex-prisoners into society. As of April 

2008, 13,144 PRI participants had been enrolled in the program, and 

8,228 participants had been placed in jobs. Sixty-six percent of those 

placed retained their jobs for nine months. Notably, the recidivism rate 

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

The Jericho Program—Baltimore, Maryland

Thomas spent more than 20 years of his life 

going back and forth between jail and prison. His most recent 

incarceration was for a drug conviction. He was released on 

September 14, 2007. 

Thomas was tired of going to detox and recovery houses 

and then back to prison again. He heard about the Jericho 

Program while he was in prison. Three days after his release, 

Thomas enrolled in the Jericho Program and completed two 

weeks of Employment Readiness Training. During the training, 

he learned techniques to search for jobs and prevent relapses 

and ways to address barriers to employment. After this training, 

Thomas created a resume, received new interview clothing, and 

participated in a mock employment interview. The practice paid 

off. Park America, Inc., a 24-hour parking facility in downtown 

Baltimore, had an opening for a security guard. Thomas applied, 

interviewed, and got the job. He has worked the night shift since 

October 2007. He loves his job and is proud of the new life the 

Jericho Program helped him build. 

On January 29, 2008, President Bush and U.S. Secretary of 

Labor Elaine L. Chao visited the Jericho Program, which Episcopal 

Community Services of Maryland runs in order to serve 

nonviolent, adult, male offenders who have been released from 

prison within the previous six months. Episcopal Community 

Services assists ex-prisoners by providing job training, placement, 

retention, and mentoring services. 

In his speech, the President acknowledged, “I’m honored to 

have been with those who have worked hard to deal with their 

circumstances in such a way that they become productive citizens. 

... These are men who were, in some ways, lost and lonely, 

and found love and redemption at Jericho... We don’t want 

people going back to prison. We want to help them readjust to 

society.”18

As of April 25, 2008, Episcopal Community Services has 

received over $1.8 million from DOL through the President’s 

Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI). Through the first two years 

of services under the grant, Episcopal Community Services has 

enrolled over 400 participants in its PRI program and has placed 

68 percent of its participants in jobs. The one-year recidivism 

rate for program participants is currently less than half the 

national average.

perseverance

President George W. Bush with Thomas Boyd (on his left) and another 

Jericho participant 

BJS Benchmark

One Year Six Months One Year

PRI

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

BJS Benchmark Ready4Work

Recidivism Rate (%)Recidivism Rate (%)

PRI Recidivism Rates

BJS Benchmark vs. PRI

R4W Recidivism Rates

BJS Benchmark vs. Ready4Work
www.dol.gov/cfbci 29

of PRI participants (15 percent) is currently less than half the rate of the 

BJS national benchmark (44 percent) at one year post-release. 

DOL’s PRI program has shown promising results. By the fall 

of 2008, more than $115 million will be awarded under PRI—

73 grants awarded to FBCOs and 63 grants awarded to criminal 

justice agencies.

MENTORING IN READY4WORK 

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao visiting 

the East of the River Clergy Police Community 

Partnership Ready4Work site in Washington, D.C.

Seattle, WA

People of Color Against 

AIDS Network

Portland, OR

SE Works, Inc.

Sacramento, CA

MAAP, Inc.

Oakland, CA

Allen Temple Housing & 

Economic Development Corporation

Fresno, CA

Fresno Career Development 

Institute, Inc. 

San Diego, CA

Metro United Methodist 

Urban Ministry

Tucson, AZ

Primavera Foundation, Inc.

Phoenix, AZ

Arizona Women’s Education 

And Employment, Inc.

Denver, CO

The Empowerment Program 

San Antonio, TX

Goodwill Industries 

of San Antonio 

Dallas, TX

Urban League of Greater

Dallas & North Central Texas

Houston, TX

WABC Central City

Comprehensive Community Center

New Orleans, LA

Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc.

Baton Rouge, LA

The Church United For 

Community Development

Fort Lauderdale, FL

OIC of Broward County, Inc. 

Des Moines, IA

The Directors 

Council

Milwaukee, WI

Word of Hope Ministries 

Pontiac, MI

Oakland Livingston

Human Service Agency

St. Louis, MO

St. Patrick Center 

Kansas City, MO

Connections to Success

Chicago, IL

The Safer Foundation 

Cincinnati, OH

Talbert House 

Baltimore, MD 

Episcopal Community Services of Maryland

Boston, MA

Span, Inc. 

Astoria, Newark, NJ

Career Opportunity Development, Inc.

Egg Harbor serving Atlantic County, NJ

Goodwill Industries of Greater NY & Nothern NJ

Hartford, CT

Community Partner in Action

Brooklyn, NY

The Doe Fund, Inc.

Bronx, NY

Urban Youth Alliance International 

Philadelphia, PA

Connection Training Services 

Participants who met with a mentor at least once 

demonstrated stronger outcomes than those who did 

not participate in mentoring in the following ways:

 Mentored participants remained in the program 

longer than unmentored participants (10.2 months 

versus 7.2 months).

 Mentored participants were twice as likely to obtain 

a job. After the first encounter, an additional month 

of meetings between the participant and mentor 

increased the participant’s likelihood of finding a job 

by 53 percent.

 Mentored participants were 56 percent more 

likely to remain employed for three months than 

unmentored participants. 

Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) Grants

(SEE ACCOMPANYING CD)
30 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

ACCESSING HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY: READY4WORK

Kaya grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. He finished high school but soon started selling drugs. Kaya was arrested 

for drug possession and sentenced to four years in prison. Shortly 

after his release from prison, Kaya entered the SAFER Foundation 

(SAFER)’s Ready4Work (R4W) program through St. Sabina’s Church 

in Chicago. SAFER received a $1,050,000 R4W grant over three 

years. Kaya was a faithful participant in SAFER’s reentry counseling 

(weekly case management) and St. Sabina’s biweekly group-mentoring 

program. Through his efforts in the R4W program, Kaya obtained 

full-time employment at Johnson Construction as a laborer. Kaya knew 

he had the potential to do more, so he enrolled in SAFER’s Workforce 

Investment Act program and was accepted into an electrician program. 

Kaya’s is one success story among many in which FBCOs have served 

ex-prisoners and addressed the more general effects of crime, 

joblessness, and recidivism by helping them access stable employment 

and develop strong social bonds. 

DOL’s ETA and CFBCI initiated R4W in 2003 as a three-year, $19.5 

million national demonstration project to build partnerships between 

local FBCOs, the public workforce system, businesses, and criminal 

justice agencies in order to provide ex-prisoners with job training 

and placement, voluntary mentoring, and case-management services. 

This pilot program was designed to reduce recidivism and to meet 

the complex needs of ex-prisoners returning to their communities by 

identifying and addressing the many barriers they face to successful 

reentry. R4W received funding jointly from DOL, Public/Private 

Ventures, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. DOJ also provided $5.5 

million for six sites to serve juvenile offenders. 

R4W sought to:

 Strengthen the social networks of returning ex-prisoners by giving 

them mentors who provided employability skills and job training 

assistance;

 Improve educational outcomes and/or increase employment 

placement for ex-prisoners;

 Provide a range of case-managed, wrap-around direct and referral 

services to address holistically the needs of ex-prisoners; and 

 Offer these services through local FBCOs partnered with 

corrections and business organizations.

Through partnerships among local faith, justice, business, and social 

service community organizations, the 11 R4W sites provided 

ex-prisoners with case management, life skills, job training and 

placement, and mentoring. Specifically:

 Adult sites served 100 to 125 ex-prisoners per year, while juvenile 

sites served 80 returning juveniles per year; 

 Over the three years, a total of 4,482 ex-prisoners enrolled, and 

2,543 were placed in jobs; 

 Sixty-three percent of those placed retained their job for at least 

three months;

 Of the 4,482 participants, 97 percent received comprehensive case 

management services, 86 percent received employment services, 

and 63 percent received mentoring services; and 

 R4W recidivism rates were half the national average after six 

months and 34 percent lower after one year post-release. 

 These results were also compared against a BJS subset of data on a 

group of ex-prisoners more similar to R4W participants—

18- to 34-year-old, African-American, nonviolent felons—which 

provides a more relevant comparison point. Just 2.9 percent of 

African-American, nonviolent felons participating in R4W returned 

to state prison with a new offense within six months, and 7.6 

percent did so within one year. These rates are, respectively, 48 and 

43 percent lower than those for the sub-sample of ex-prisoners 

provided by BJS.

Ready4Work (2004–2006)

Number of ex-prisoners enrolled 4,482

Percent of ex-prisoners receiving 

employment services

86%

Percent of ex-prisoners receiving 

mentoring 

63%

Number of job placements 2,543 (57%)

Retention Rate (3 months) 63% (of job placements)

1-Year Recidivism Rate 43% below BJS average 

(similar population)

 One of our participants recently called us. He had been promoted to supervisor and was in a hiring position. 

He had several openings and asked the life coach to provide him with qualifi ed PRI participants. 

—Career Opportunity Development, Inc., Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
www.dol.gov/cfbci 31

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES: 

THE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM —

DENVER, COLORADO

J

oe enrolled in the Empowerment Program’s Prisoner Reentry 

Program (PREP) in April 2007. When he came to PREP, he had 

served more than 12 years in prison. At the time of enrollment, he 

worked full-time at Environmental Stone Works, where he made 

$6.85 per hour as a mold fabricator.

Because of Joe’s determination and hard work, he achieved success 

in the PREP program. Utilizing its training funding, PREP sent Joe to 

Environment Safety, Inc., where he trained as an asbestos-removal 

supervisor. He now works for Prestige Environmental, Inc. and 

earns $15 per hour working full time. Joe regularly attends PREP’s 

mentoring programs, has stable housing, and plans to find a place to 

live with his wife in Denver.

Joe’s wife expressed her gratitude for the PREP reentry program:

“I just wanted to send you a quick e-mail and let you know how 

much I appreciate your help that you have provided my husband. 

My living in another city has left us unable to spend as much time 

helping out Joe like he needs.

When he was first sent to the halfway house, I was unsure how he 

was going to be able to find the resources he needed to acclimate 

himself to society. Because of... [PREP], I see a major change in 

him. He has never been so determined to make it, and I think that 

is going to be the determining factor in him staying out [of prison]. 

Basically, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 

rebuild

CHAMPION OF COMPASSION

Spectrum Resource—Des Moines, Iowa

Francine had been a substance abuser for most 

of her adult life. Her substance abuse eventually led to her 

mother-in-law taking custody of her children. After serving 

multiple prison terms, she was released in April 2006. Her 

parole officer required Francine to participate in Spectrum 

Resources’ (Spectrum) prisoner reentry program.

In September 2006, Francine started working for Des 

Moines Area Regional Transportation—a job she held for more 

than one year. She used this job to transition into a custodial 

job, which now allows her the flexibility to both go to school 

and take care of her family. Spectrum also helped Francine 

address her substance abuse. Eventually, she was able to regain 

custody of her children.

Francine received her GED and is now in her third 

semester of college at Des Moines Area Community College. 

Last semester she received straight A’s and was placed on the 

Dean’s List.

Spectrum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving 

men and women the tools they need to rebuild their lives and 

become independent, productive members of society through 

basic job training and trade skills. The organization provides 

services that enhance intellectual, social, physical, and economic 

development. Spectrum won a competitively awarded DOL 

grant in 2005 to provide transitional services to ex-prisoners 

under the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative.

Spectrum works with many community partners to provide 

services to ex-prisoners, including mentoring, job training, job 

placement, and life skills. As of April 1, 2008, Spectrum has 

received more than $1.8 million from DOL through its prisoner 

reentry programs. Through the first two years of services under 

the DOL PRI grant, Spectrum enrolled nearly 400 participants 

in its prisoner reentry program and placed 83 percent of its 

participants in jobs. The one-year recidivism rate for program 

participants is currently less than half the national average.

Jerald Brantley, CEO of Spectrum Resources, and his staff in March 2008
32 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

At fi rst I was just looking for someone to help me fi nd a job—I thought that I was ready. But I found 

that being an ex-offender and being a recovering addict, well, there were a lot more issues that came 

into play. Jericho not only helped me to fi nd employment, but they helped me to address these issues, 

so that I could keep a job. 

— Antoine, Successful Graduate, Jericho Program, Episcopal Community Services of Baltimore, Maryland

This is the personal account of John—a life transformed at SE Works, Inc.: 

“I started getting into trouble at a young age. My parents divorced 

when I was seven. By 12, I used drugs and alcohol and had been 

convicted of a felony. By 18, I had spent time in group homes, 

foster homes, and the Mac Larne School for boys. 

Within two weeks of my release from Mac Larne after my 18th 

birthday, I was arrested and charged with my first adult felony. 

Within a year, I was in prison. That first prison sentence was 

followed by five more. During that time, I 

was never out of prison for more than 

two months before I had a warrant out 

for my arrest for committing new crimes 

or not reporting to my parole officer. 

I became addicted to methamphetamine 

13 years ago. Within that time, I 

had systematically destroyed 

every relationship I had 

with my family and my 

friends. I became a 

father to a little girl 

who wouldn’t hold 

as much importance 

to me as feeding 

my addiction. And 

I had gotten to a 

point where I didn’t 

care about anyone 

or anything. I didn’t 

care if I lived or 

died as long as I was 

intoxicated.

In 2006, while 

serving my sixth 

sentence in the 

Oregon Department 

of Corrections, the 

Alternative Incarceration 

Program at the Powder River 

drug treatment group accepted me. This experience changed my 

thoughts about me, my life, and my future. For the first time, I had 

hope that I would break this cycle and do something with myself. 

With no job skills or job history, this was going to be a challenge 

for me.

I contacted SE Works shortly before my release. Counselors told 

me that SE Works would help me with housing, clothes, looking for 

work, and getting my license.

Within the first week of my release, I went to SE Works . . . . I 

had no clothes upon my release except for the clothes that I was 

arrested in, but [SE Works]. . . helped me to get some clothes.

I took classes about looking for jobs on the internet, how to build 

a resume, and how to conduct myself during an interview. SE 

Works helped me with bus passes for transportation. The day 

after my last class, a friend of mine got me an interview at his job. 

I used the skills I learned in the classes during my interview, and I 

got the job. I have worked there now for ten months. I signed up 

for the glazier apprenticeship program for my company, and I’m on 

the waiting list to be hired and start my schooling. 

SE Works helped me with housing assistance at Oxford House. I 

got my license for the first time at 33 and saved enough money 

to take my 11-year-old daughter shopping for the first time. We 

bought school clothes. 

For the first time I am fully employed and my employer is happy 

with my work. I have a car, license, and I’m insured. I have 

reestablished a relationship with my father and mother. I have 

a healthy relationship with the woman I love. I am building a 

relationship with my daughter and am able to provide support for 

her as well as health insurance that she didn’t have before. For the 

first time I am finally a positive role model for my sister, showing 

her that no matter how bad things have gotten in the past, there 

is hope. I am clean and sober and have never felt more confident 

or positive about my future. I believe in myself today, and so does 

my family.”

SE Works, Inc. is a PRI grantee that has helped many ex-prisoners 

reentering society—like John—attain not only success in finding a 

job, but success in reaffirming their lives. 

CELEBRATING TRANSFORMATION: SE WORKS, INC.—PORTLAND, OREGON
www.dol.gov/cfbci 33

WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON PRISONER REENTRY—LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

On November 27−28, 2007, the White House hosted the first national Prisoner Reentry 

Summit in Los Angeles, California to highlight the 

lessons of PRI and Ready4Work and to chart 

the next steps for addressing prisoner reentry in 

America. More than 1,000 representatives from 

FBCOs gathered for two days of training and 

workshops, joining leaders from both the private 

and public sectors, including White House personnel 

and officials from DOL and DOJ. Highlighting the 

key role of FBCOs in helping ex-prisoners build 

successful lives, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. 

Chao recognized, “We know that the long-term 

financial costs of re-incarceration far exceed the 

cost of reentry programs. But that isn’t even the 

most important reason. The heaviest cost is the 

loss of human dignity when people are living lives 

of poverty, addiction, and despair. We must—and 

we can—break the cycle. And faith-based and 

community organizations posses unique and 

invaluable strengths to help us reach out to those 

most in need.”

On April 9, 2008, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007, during a ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Offi ce Building. The Second 

Chance Act aims to reduce prison populations and correction costs by reducing the national recidivism rate. The Second Change Act also authorizes the President’s Prisoner 

Reentry Initiative—formalizing this effective program.
34 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

ETA Grants for Small Grassroots Organizations 

Connecting with the One-Stop Delivery System 

(Grassroots Grants)

Kim,* a single mom, came 

to the Christian Workplace 

Mentoring Ministry’s Jobs & 

More program with many 

family issues to overcome. 

After committing to heal 

those family issues, she 

entered the Jobs & More 

program, which provides 

employability skills 

training, job placement and 

retention assistance, and 

mentoring services to help 

individuals find and retain 

employment. Through 

Jobs & More’s program, 

Kim successfully completed 48 hours of employability and life skills 

training, and, upon completion, she was assigned a mentor and began 

her job search. With encouragement from the Jobs & More staff 

and her mentor, Kim found a job as a nurse’s aide. In addition, she 

worked part time for a local food store. Kim stayed employed for six 

months, which was one of the program goals she established through 

Jobs & More. 

After one year of working, Kim wanted more for herself and 

her family, so she set another goal—to get a degree in social work. 

Kim applied to Clark State Community College in order to obtain 

her degree. During her time at Clark State, Kim worked as a 

nursing home resident aide and completed two student practicums 

at McKinley Hall Women’s and Men’s Program, an alcohol and 

drug treatment program. Kim obtained her Associates Degree of 

Applied Science in Social Services from Clark State and graduated 

with a 3.1 GPA.

Kim and her family are a few of the many lives transformed 

through ETA’s Grassroots Grants program. 

From 2002 to 2007, ETA and CFBCI developed, implemented, 

and refined the Grassroots Grants program to enlist and maintain 

the membership of these important organizations in the public 

workforce system. Through these Grassroots Grants, ETA and 

CFBCI sought to leverage the programs, resources, and committed 

staff of grassroots FBCOs in existing state and local workforce 

investment strategies. In addition, the grassroots FBCO grantees 

frequently cited the grants as lending credibility to their work as 

FBCOs, enabling them to use the grant as a springboard to attract 

other community support, including raising additional public and 

private resources to purchase new facilities, expand their services, 

and to meet other service-oriented goals. 

Because the grassroots grantees are focused on transforming lives, 

participants frequently reveal the deep life transformation that these 

grants foster. Their stories demonstrate that the highly personalized 

services provided can help break harmful cycles and give jobseekers 

the tools to seize job and life opportunities. This is the role FBCOs 

fulfill utilizing the resources of government, while providing the 

personal time and commitment individuals need to transform their 

lives and remain committed to living a transformed life.

The Grassroots Grants program has been successful, dedicating 

$10.9 million in DOL funds to 247 grassroots FBCOs in 42 states, 

which served more than 37,700 hard-to-serve individuals and placed 

15,376 of those individuals in jobs. Grant sites also committed 

89,875 volunteer hours (equivalent to 2,246 40-hour work weeks) to 

their DOL-funded programs.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve her privacy.

Grassroots Grants (2002–2007)

Individuals that received job-related services 37,702

Volunteer hours committed to project 89,875

Individuals placed in a job 15,376

Individuals placed in education/training 2,518

Retention rate (6 months) 5,831
www.dol.gov/cfbci 35

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS: PHARR LITERACY PROJECT—PHARR, TEXAS

“ Our classes are small, allowing teachers, tutors, and volunteer 

helpers to work closely with the students, and to know 

their [personal] needs and goals. Our conviction that every 

person has great worth creates an environment in which 

positive attitudes grow. The relationships that [then] develop 

result in strong personal motivation, more self-confidence, 

and increased academic achievement.”

—Elva Michal, Ph.D., Pharr Shalom Site Coordinator

The Pharr Literacy Project serves 

many impoverished areas of 

Hidalgo County. Pictured are 

homes located in the South 

Towers Colonia. It is not 

uncommon for homes in the 

many colonias (neighborhoods) 

to be without running water 

and electricity.

Martha Hernandez, Mayra Mendez, and Aurora Bernal prepare for their fi nal 

exam during class held at the Pharr Literacy Project.

The Department provided technical assistance 

to help the Pharr Literacy Project increase 

its effectiveness in reaching the neglected 

colonias population. 

Pharr’s Story

Some 500,000 people live in dilapidated conditions inside the United 

States in colonias—border towns with Mexico. Pharr Literary Project 

is active among the colonias in Hidalgo County—the poorest county 

in America. Seventy percent of colonias residents never graduate 

from high school. According to a PBS project, The Forgotten Americans, 

employed colonias residents earn only $3,000 to $6,000 annually. 

Pharr Literacy Project partners with colonias residents to improve 

their socio-economic prospects by gaining language competency 

in English. Pharr’s approach is holistic—the program integrates a 

health and wellness component, computer literacy classes, and parent 

support groups, in addition to other services. Participants progress 

through academic assistance and through the fellowship with and 

emotional support of their peers. 

Pharr received $150,000 total from the ETA Grassroots Grants 

between 2006 and 2007. With these funds, they served more than 

800 people.

Dahlia’s Story 

In 2004, Dahlia began ESL classes at Pharr to improve her English skills, 

and she became functionally bilingual within several months. She then 

enrolled in GED classes and passed the exam to obtain her GED. As 

a single mother of two young children with no job experience or 

specialized training, however, she had limited, part-time, minimumwage job opportunities. 

Dahlia enrolled in Pharr’s 10-week computer literacy class. Three 

months after completing the computer class, Dahlia received a 

promotion at work. After watching her excel at data entry and other 

basic computer skills, the company promoted Dahlia to a full-time, day 

position as a data entry clerk with full benefits and an increase in pay. 

The Power of Partnerships

Through multiple collaborations and a thriving volunteer force, Pharr 

is able to serve many families at a very modest cost. Pharr’s partners 

aid its efforts by providing funding, referrals, free program space, 

educational materials, and volunteers. 

Pharr’s positive impact in its community and the success of 

its programs in helping participants achieve goals beyond all 

expectations drives Pharr’s continued growth and serves as an 

excellent example of how FBCOs transform lives daily in America’s 

local communities. 
36 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

A CLOSER LOOK: WHAT CAN YOU GET 

FOR $25,000?

I

n 2005, ETA awarded 48 $25,000 grants to local FBCOs across 

the country. A central objective of these Grassroots Grants was 

to partner the distinct capabilities of One-Stops with those of local 

FBCOs, enabling both government and nonprofits to draw upon the 

unique strengths and resources of the other (SEE ACCOMPANYING CD). 

Who was served?

For the period of one year, an estimated 4,143 participants were 

served across the 43 reporting Grassroot Grant sites, for an 

average of 33 individuals served per site per quarter in 2005. 

Most participants (64 percent) were unemployed at the time of 

program entry. Participant demographics revealed a population 

with significant needs and major barriers to employment: 15 percent 

were homeless, 30 percent were receiving public assistance, 21 

percent were ex-prisoners, and 15 percent had disabilities. The 

overall population served was racially and ethnically diverse. 

How were services provided?

Grant sites were expected to establish relationships with their local 

One-Stops and partnerships with other local FBCOs, making use 

of their volunteer pools. Sites leveraged their grants to use a total 

of 14,275 volunteer hours over the four quarters of the program. 

One-Stops referred 699 participants to the sites, and nonprofit 

organizations referred 2,219 participants to One-Stops. At a 

typical site, participants received such services as skills assessment, 

employability training, support services, mentoring services, and 

computer training.

What were the outcomes?

Across all Grassroot Grant sites over the one year period, 1,460 

participants who received some service were placed in jobs where 

wages averaged $11.50 per hour, and 1,007 of those participants 

who received some service remained in the same job for at least 

six months. In addition, of those participants not placed in jobs, 181 

undertook post-secondary education or advanced training. 

REBUILDING A COMMUNITY: HOPE 

CENTER, INC. —GRETNA, LOUISIANA

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast, destroying lives, leveling homes, and leaving thousands 

of survivors with the same story: We lost everything. Included in 

those who lost everything were the beneficiaries of Hope Center, 

Inc. (HCI), in Gretna, Louisiana, many of whom also lost their jobs 

because of Hurricane Katrina. As businesses re-opened, HCI used its 

$75,000 ETA Grassroots Grant to provide participants with links to 

employment within the hospitality industry, retail sales, and recovery 

work positions. HCI’s participants face many barriers, including lack 

of affordable housing, quality education, daycare services for their 

children, and quality physical and mental health services for their 

families. HCI has networked with a host of providers and other 

agencies to meet the needs of beneficiaries as they seek sustainable 

employment opportunities to support them in their recovery 

efforts. Beneficiaries are gaining and retaining employment as a 

result of HCI’s comprehensive services and HCI’s close relationship 

with its local One-Stop. 

ETA At-Risk and Adjudicated Youth Grants

Mari, at 17 years old, was the first person in her extended family to 

earn her high school diploma. She came to Neighborhood Ministries, 

a 2004 recipient of the Latino Coalition for Faith and Community 

Initiatives (Latino Coalition) At-Risk and Adjudicated Youth Grant in 

Phoenix, Arizona, in sixth grade as a child from a Mexican immigrant 

family. Her home life was stressful, and she struggled to overcome 

the barriers faced by all immigrants—most notably, difficulty learning 

English. Mari felt alienated from other children and had difficulty 

doing well in school without English language proficiency.

When Mari joined Neighborhood Ministries “I Can Do It Program” 

she was failing in school. Her mentors encouraged and inspired her by 

offering incentives, such as earning financial rewards for her improved 

grades. By eighth grade, Mari developed a strong sense of confidence 

in learning English and succeeding in school. Thereafter, her grades 

vastly improved, and she decided to go to college to prepare to enter 

the field of medicine. 

Mari began her journey from adolescence to adulthood by 

graduating from high school in 2005. She then enrolled in the 

Medical Magnet Program and the ACE Plus Program to prepare for her 

studies in medicine. In addition, she gave back to the organization 

that provided her with a future by 

volunteering at the Neighborhood 

Ministries’ Christian Health Clinic 

as a translator. Mari entered college 

in the fall of 2005, with the goal of 

becoming a certified nurse midwife. 

She obtained 21 hours of college 

credit before she took time off from 

school to get married. Then, Mari 
www.dol.gov/cfbci 37

and her husband welcomed 

a baby girl into their family. 

Mari’s dream of becoming a 

midwife has only deepened as 

she experiences life with her 

own child and as she desires 

to reach out to other women 

and empower them the way 

she was empowered through 

Neighborhood Ministries. 

Mari and her family are a few of the many lives transformed through 

ETA’s At-Risk and Adjudicated Youth Grants. 

The Latino population in the United States continues to grow at 

high rates, bringing a large number of Latino youth into the workforce. 

These youth, however, face many barriers to their success, including 

inadequate education and skills training and language and other 

cultural barriers.

Recognizing that Latino youth could greatly benefit from skills 

development that would enhance their employability, DOL awarded 

a three-year, $10 million grant to the Latino Coali tion, a national 

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT LEADS TO 

SUCCESS: JEREMIAH PROJECT—

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Verenice was only 15 years old when she became pregnant with her first baby. Because of her pregnancy and other health issues 

she dropped out of high school. 

Verenice turned to the Jeremiah Project, a sub-awardee of the 

Latino Coalition’s Reclamando Nuestro Futuro (RNF) project, to 

help her learn how to care for her young family. The Jeremiah 

Project staff found that Verenice presented herself well and was 

generally successful in obtaining a job, but she had not been able to 

stay in a job longer than four months. The Jeremiah Project helped 

Verenice overcome the obstacles she faced in keeping a job. The 

staff encouraged her to believe in herself and in her abilities and 

gave her the support and skills she needed to retain a job and 

complete her education. 

The Jeremiah Project helped Verenice find employment at a 

company that provides services to the Spanish-speaking community 

for the Motor Vehicle Division. After becoming employed, she 

passed a series of tests that enabled her to administer titles and 

registrations. As of May 2008, Verenice is working toward a 

certification that will enable her to conduct inspections. 

In addition, Verenice enrolled in a GED program in the summer of 

2007. This program allows her to take her daughter and son to the 

Head Start program while she attends GED classes four times a 

week. She hopes to receive her GED in 2008.

Verenice is a model example of the long-term care and commitment 

that FBCOs provide to those they serve. The Jeremiah Project has 

been assisting Verenice for three years. By offering support and 

teaching Verenice how to address her employment and educational 

obstacles, the Jeremiah Project helped her find and keep a good job 

and recommit to her education, which has provided stability and 

hope for her and her children.
38 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

nonprofit organization made up of small Latino FBCOs. Through 

the grant, the Latino Coalition developed educational and workforce 

development services and delivered these services to at-risk and 

adjudicated Latino youth, between the ages of 14 and 21, annually. 

The Reclamando Nuestro Futuro (RNF) project provided capacity 

building and support to 22 sub-awardees in six cities—Dallas, 

Den ver, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Diego. In these 

cities, FBCOs provided skills training, community service, subsidized 

and unsubsidized work experience and internships, job preparation, 

college preparation, GED preparation, basic and remedial education, 

language proficiency, substance abuse services, and mentoring to atrisk and adjudicated Latino youth. The grant encouraged long-term 

partnerships between Hispanic FBCOs, local WIBs, One-Stops, juvenile 

justice systems, and local business communities. 

According to results from the Latino Coalition, the service efforts 

and capacity-building activities of the RNF project produced the following results:

 A total of 2,951 at-risk and adjudi cated youth were served;

 A total of 1,214 at-risk or adjudicated youth either entered the 

workforce for the first time, entered the military, entered and/or 

completed long-term occupational training, or entered full-time postsecondary school;

 A total of 214 at-risk or adju dicated youth received their high school 

diploma, GED, and/or a certificate; 

 Forty-one percent of sub-awardees acquired additional funding, 

averaging $244,400 over the next five years, as a result of the 

technical assistance and coaching the sub-awardees received; and

 Twenty-two sub-awardees imple mented database tracking and 

reporting systems to support and expand their programs.

In 2004, ETA provided a three-year, $10.6 million grant to 

Esperanza USA, a subsidiary of Nueva Esperanza, Inc. These funds 

supported the implementation of Esperanza Trabajando, an initiative 

designed to utilize a Latino FBCO network to provide at-risk and 

adjudicated Latino youth with workforce development, education, 

and supportive services. This was done in partnership with local 

One-Stops, WIBs, and other community service providers. Esperanza 

INSPIRING YOUTH: ESPERANZA 

TRABAJANDO—MIAMI, FLORIDA

Mario was a homeless youth who went between living in a shelter and sleeping on the streets. When he arrived at the 

Esperanza Trabajando grantee site, Ser-Jobs for Progress, in Miami, 

Florida, he was immediately assigned a case worker who walked him 

through his assessments and helped him complete an online job 

application to Home Depot. The case manager also provided Mario 

with a bus pass and referred him to another local service provider 

for additional services.

Early the next day, Mario came back to Ser-Jobs for Progress eager 

to work. The case manager called Home Depot and spoke with 

one of the human resources representatives, who scheduled an 

interview with Mario for later that day. Mario’s interview went 

well, and since that day he has been working for Home Depot 

earning $9 per hour plus benefits. Through employment, Mario 

has developed a different outlook on life, and he is on his way to 

realizing his dreams and accomplishing his goals.

Esperanza Trabajando continues to help Mario work through 

difficulties that arise in building and sustaining a successful future. 

Despite these difficulties, Mario has proven to be an excellent 

employee at Home Depot and recently started a vocational training 

program to continue building a successful future.

On November 26, 2007, 

U.S. Secretary of Labor 

Elaine L. Chao and White 

House OFBCI Director Jay 

Hein visited the Escalera 

Youth Visionaries 

program operated by 

Altamed—a Latino 

Coalition sub-awardee.
www.dol.gov/cfbci 39

...[W]e are committed to helping our 

men and women in uniform when they 

leave the service. —Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor

Trabajando operates in Tucson, Arizona; Santa Ana, California; 

Sacramento, California; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; Tampa, 

Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; New York City, New 

York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Tacoma, Washington. Through 

this project, ETA and CFBCI are helping provide Latino youth with 

the skills necessary to gain meaningful employment and pursue higher 

education goals.

According to results from Nueva Esperanza, this grant produced the 

following results after three years of service:

 A total of 3,214 at-risk and adjudicated youth have been served; 

 A total of 2,806 (87 percent) participants have received education or 

job training assistance; 

 A total of 2,042 (64 percent) participants have been placed in jobs; 

 Eighty-seven percent of those placed retained these jobs for three 

months; and 

 A total of 71 (4 percent) participants have recidivated. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) 

Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Grants

Josephine is a veteran and a grandmother who came to St. Patrick 

Center, a 2002 and 2003 Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program 

(HVRP) grantee in St. Louis, Missouri, after she saw a story about the 

Center on the evening news. Josephine served in the Army National 

Guard for six years. After her honorable discharge in 1984, Josephine 

worked many jobs, but in 2002, the job opportunities dried up. She 

had been unemployed for nine months when she entered St. Patrick 

Center’s HVRP Program. After attending the program, Josephine 

attained employment as a data entry clerk at a document imaging 

firm. Her boss told St. Patrick Center that Josephine’s attitude is 

always positive and her productivity is above average. Because of 

his experience with Josephine, he is planning to employ two more 

St. Patrick Center beneficiaries. According to Josephine, “St. Patrick 

Center saved my life. I’d be homeless right now if I hadn’t seen that 

story and asked for help. I tell every veteran I know to come see for 

themselves. St. Patrick Center changed my life. I am forever grateful.” 

Josephine and her family are a few of the many lives transformed 

Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program 

Grants (2002–2007)

Participants enrolled in program 81,125

Participants placed in transitional/permanent 

housing

48,408

Participants placed in employment 52,660

Average hourly wage at placement $9.81 

Placement rate 64.90%

Cost per participant $1,475 

Cost per placement in employment $2,273 

through VETS’ HVRP program. 

Many of America’s veterans face challenges when reintegrating 

into society after serving our country, including unemployment and 

homelessness. In partnership with CFBCI, VETS has worked to meet 

these challenges by supporting and promoting programs offering 

comprehensive services to veterans. The mission of VETS is to provide 

veterans with the resources and services to succeed in the 21st century 

workforce by maximizing their employment opportunities, protecting 

their employment rights, and meeting labor market demands with 

qualified veterans. 

Specifically, HVRP grants set out to (1) provide services to assist in 

reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within 

the workforce system and (2) stimulate the development of effective 

service-delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing 

homeless veterans.

From 2002 to 2007, VETS awarded more than $100 million in 

HVRP grants to FBCOs across the nation that are helping veterans 

overcome multiple barriers to stability and employment. From 

work with homeless veterans to those with remedial education 

needs, VETS works to improve the lives of thousands of veterans 

emerging from homelessness and incarceration, or who are at risk 

of becoming homeless. Specifically, HVRP grants are awarded to 

nonprofit organizations, including FBCOs, state and local WIBs, and 

public agencies familiar with the geographic area and populations 

needing services. In addition, VETS created a special competition for 

organizations serving homeless veterans that had never received Federal 

funding before. HVRP grantees provide a variety of services to veterans, 
40 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

including job search and placement assistance, career counseling, 

remedial education, classroom and on-the-job training, and supportive 

services such as transportation assistance, to ensure veterans retain the 

jobs they secure through HVRP.

HVRP grants have been incredibly successful. Grant sites in 

32 states have served more than 81,100 homeless veterans, placed 

48,408 veterans in transitional or permanent housing, and helped 

52,660 find employment.

Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) 

Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human 

Trafficking (OCFT) 

The streets of Kamagayan in Cebu City are never dark—bright lights 

flicker until sunrise. The shadows cast by the flickering lights cradle 

the dark secrets of Kamagayan, a village known to be the oldest red 

light district in the Philippines. Prostitution has become deeply rooted 

in Kamagayan over time. Families survive through prostitution and 

other forms of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). Buyers come 

from everywhere, and Kamagayan has become a top tourist attraction—

making its streets unsafe for children. Children—many as young as 

ten—work as prostitutes, and some sell illegal drugs.

Risa* is a 17-year-old who worked as a sex watcher, a lookout 

for possible customers. Her mother is a pimp, and her grandmother 

runs a sex den. As far as she can remember, prostitution has been the 

family’s means of survival. Because of this legacy, Risa’s community 

assumes she, too, will earn her living through prostitution and other 

forms of CSE.

“It really hurts when people say that there is no future for me, that I 

will be just among the many girls in our village that is a prostitute. 

But I will prove them wrong. I will graduate. I want to become 

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve her privacy.
www.dol.gov/cfbci 41

Combating Child Labor (2002–2007)

Number of Project Countries >75

Number of children withdrawn or prevented 

from exploitive child labor

>1,000,000

Number of countries with increased capacity to 

address exploitive child labor

>50

 Without education, children are destined to repeat their parents’ struggle 

for survival, and hinder their country’s efforts to benefi t from the positive 

aspects of globalization.

a computer engineer,” says Risa.

In Kamagayan, children are unprotected from the worst ills of 

society. Most are unaware of their rights and are lured into prostitution. 

They are among the millions of children prostituted and forced into 

CSE whose cries are only beginning to be heard. 

Risa is one of the lucky ones. The “Pag-aaral ng Bata para sa 

Kinabukasan” (ABK) Initiative, a DOL-funded, World Vision-led 

initiative to combat child labor through education, heard her cry. She 

considers herself lucky that she has a way to escape the main economy 

in Kamagayan. With the help of World Vision, she looks forward 

to a bright future in a reputable career, staying far away from the 

prostitution and CSE that have corrupted her village.20

Risa and her community represent some of the many lives 

transformed through ILAB-OCFT’s child labor technical 

cooperation projects. 

Since 1995, more than 200 DOL-funded child labor projects in 

more than 75 countries have helped withdraw or prevent children from 

exploitive labor and enroll them in schools. The International Labor 

Organization (ILO) estimated that in 2004 there were approximately 

165 million child laborers, ages 5 to 14, around the world. For 

millions of child laborers, work conditions threaten their health, safety, 

and ability to receive an education. 

Since 2001, through its Child Labor Education Initiative (EI) and 

other competitively bid funds, ILAB-OCFT has awarded approximately 

$235 million to FBCOs and other non-government organizations 

(NGOs), which in turn sub-contract to smaller FBCOs in order to 

help countries combat the worst forms of child labor and reduce the 

trafficking of children.

In 2001, ILAB launched EI, focusing on education as a means of 

withdrawing and preventing children from engaging in exploitive 

child labor. Through EI, ILAB awards cooperative agreements to any 

commercial, international, educational, or nonprofit organization, 

including any faith-based, community-based, or public international 

organization, capable of successfully developing and implementing 

education programs for working children or children at risk 

of entering exploitive work in a select group of countries each 

year. Funding for EI is awarded through a competitive process. 

ADDRESSING CHILD LABOR THROUGH QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL—

SAVE THE CHILDREN

I

n the Kasur District of southwest Pakistan, a young man is walking 

to work with a smile on his face. Earlier in his childhood, Haseeb* 

dreaded his walk to work, a walk that should have been a walk to 

school. As a young boy, Haseeb’s family could not afford his education; 

instead, they depended on his daily wages as a brick kiln worker to 

help support the family.

Haseeb’s brothers worked in the brick kiln alongside him, also 

forgoing an education to support their family. His oldest brother, 

having dreamed of an education for himself, would not allow his 

younger brother to suffer a similar fate. He decided to work extra 

hours in the kiln in order to pay for both his brother’s education and 

to support his family.

Haseeb traded his difficult labor in the kilns for hard work at school. 

He soon excelled at his studies, won a scholarship, and finished near 

the top of his class. Haseeb’s enthusiasm for learning did not stop at 

the completion of his studies; he became a passionate advocate of 

education for other children in his village in the hope that they, too, 

would enjoy such opportunities.

Haseeb’s energy and enthusiasm for children’s education and 

for protecting and removing children from exploitive child labor 

have made him an excellent literacy teacher, the job to which he 

walks now. His work with the Chanan Literacy Center is part of 

the DOL-funded project implemented by Save the Children–UK 

(United Kingdom) called Addressing Child Labor through Quality 

Education for All.

The opportunities for education and vocational training that the 

project provides are a novelty for working children, most of whom 

never have experienced an education-centric environment. Their 

new knowledge, thanks to dedicated staff like Haseeb, will give them a 

chance at a better future and a childhood free of hazardous labor as 

they follow in Haseeb’s footsteps.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve his privacy.
42 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

Partnerships of more than one organization are eligible, and 

applicants are strongly encouraged to work with organizations already 

undertaking projects in the countries of interest, particularly local 

NGOs, including FBCOs. 

EI projects work to raise parents’ and community leaders’ awareness 

of the importance of education and to strengthen education systems. 

The cooperative agreements strive to incorporate the needs of child 

laborers into national policies and increase the capacity of national and 

local entities to sustain efforts to combat exploitive child labor. ILABOCFT’s EI is also spurring innovation by funding small, locally-based 

education pilot projects. 

Through EI and other ILAB-OCFT technical assistance funding, 

more than one million children have been withdrawn or prevented 

from entering exploitive child labor. All of these children are provided 

with formal or non-formal education opportunities—many for the first 

time. In addition to withdrawing children from hazardous work, EI 

works to protect children at-risk from engaging in similar exploitive 

labor. Through EI projects, more than 50 countries have increased 

their capacity to reduce exploitive child labor. 

In country after country, ILAB has witnessed how parents 

respond to the effects that education has on their children. The 

children’s new-found self-confidence, ability to acquire new 

skills, and excitement about learning make parents realize their 

children can have a better life. ILAB has discovered that a familywide commitment to education often precedes withdrawal from 

child labor. Because it is instrumental in eliminating child labor, 

education is a fundamental intervention strategy in EI projects.

The full force of these child labor initiatives lies in the stories 

and faces of those children whose lives have been transformed. As 

DOL continues to support these projects to combat global child 

labor, the programs will continue to grow in size and scope. In 

addition, many new projects are being initiated that will have a 

positive impact on children, their families, their communities, and 

their countries in the years ahead. 

Most importantly, these initiatives have helped build the 

momentum for change that will continue to transform children’s 

lives after these particular projects conclude. By reaching into 

nations, engaging leaders, and touching communities and 

families, these initiatives are building a foundation for nations 

and communities to continue rescuing children from harmful and 

 When we tolerate child labor, we 

tolerate perpetuating poverty.

— Jesus Macasil, International Program on the Elimination of Child 

Labor Chief Monitor of an integrated monitoring team that 

conducted random inspections of Philippine fi shing vessels
www.dol.gov/cfbci 43

exploitive labor.

Office of Disability Employment 

Policy (ODEP) Grants

Tamera is a 28-year-old woman 

with cerebral palsy. When she was 

laid off from a credit card company 

where she had worked for five years, 

she began looking for other work 

that could utilize her computer and 

communication skills. 

In order to live independently, 

Assist, Inc., in Salt Lake City, 

Utah—a 2003 recipient of 

a $100,000 ODEP Home 

Modifications Grant—provided Tamera with modifications to her 

home that converted two small bedrooms into one large room to 

meet her needs for easier access to her equipment. It also installed a 

new, wider bedroom doorway to allow access directly across the hall 

to the bathroom via a track system. These modifications enhanced 

her employability by providing Tamera the means to prepare to leave 

ORACLE: REBIRTH OF A UGANDAN FAMILY—INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

Since the beginning of the civil war in northern Uganda 20 years ago, more than 1 million people have been displaced from their 

homes. Tens of thousands of children, once abducted by militias, have 

had to serve as soldiers, porters, personal assistants, and sex slaves, 

often enduring unspeakable suffering. Many other children, orphaned 

or displaced from their villages, have had no choice but to abandon 

their studies and work to support themselves and their siblings. The 

Opportunities for Reducing Adolescent and Child Labor through 

Education (ORACLE) project, funded by DOL and implemented by 

the International Rescue Committee, works to provide educational 

opportunities, vocational training, and a chance of renewal for 

Uganda’s “lost generation” of war-affected children.

Six kilometers from Kitgum town in northern Uganda, 18-year-old 

Grace* lives with her nine younger brothers and sisters in an area 

hit hard by the brutal civil war. Her family, like so many others, has 

suffered the ravages of the conflict. 

When she was only ten, Grace’s 

father was killed by rebels of the 

Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The 

militia held her in captivity for three 

months until she escaped and found 

her way home to a family shattered 

by personal loss and war.

Grace made her way through 

primary school while helping her 

mother with domestic chores and 

taking on casual labor to supplement 

her mother’s income. Secondary 

school, however, was not an option. 

Grace began to work long hours in 

other people’s gardens to support 

her younger siblings. After a stroke 

left her mother paralyzed, Grace 

became a domestic servant.

With the support of ORACLE, Grace enrolled in Modern Tailoring 

School in Kitgum Town Council. Within one year, Grace became 

an expert tailor with training in business management. Once she 

graduated, she received a sewing machine and six yards of materials to 

start her own business. She soon sold what she made from those first 

supplies and used the proceeds to rent a market kiosk. Today, Grace 

plans to expand her textile business and speaks with dignity and pride 

about her abilities to keep her family together and support her siblings 

in school.

*The name of the participant has been changed to preserve her privacy.

for a job by herself. Because she is no longer dependent on others’ 

schedules to assist in her daily activities, Tamera is now able to 

perform major life activities essential to finding and sustaining work 

in a timely manner. 

Tamera and her family are a few of the many lives transformed 

through ODEP’s grants. 

ODEP’s mission is to increase employment opportunities for adults 

and youth with disabilities. For people with disabilities, equal access 

to the same opportunities that are present for all citizens is critical to 

reaching their full potential, both in the workplace and in their lives. 

Responding to the needs of this community, ODEP and CFBCI have 

worked to empower FBCOs to support people with disabilities in 

becoming full participants in the public workforce system. Toward 

this goal, ODEP awarded more than $2.8 million to FBCOs in 2002 

to 2003 that supported career mentoring for youth with disabilities 

and home modifications that helped men and women with disabilities 

access work. The grants also provided FBCOs with the technical 

abilities to offer employment training and related services to people 

with significant disabilities in partnership with local One-Stops. 

ODEP and other DOL agencies continue to rely on the work of 
These organizations have proven themselves capable in a wide range 

of partnerships, particularly in efforts focused on serving individuals 

with significant needs, such as the chronically unemployed, the 

homeless, ex-prisoners, immigrants, at-risk youth, and others. DOL 

sees value in continuing to pursue these dynamic partnerships. Many 

state and local workforce system leaders are now advancing this work 

as well, developing their own models of partnerships with FBCOs to 

achieve common goals. 

Through DOL’s partnerships with FBCOs, many of those who 

face the highest hurdles to becoming part of the American workforce 

are given a holistic approach to address their individual needs. This 

approach emphasizes the essential services needed to develop the 

necessary skills for success in securing and retaining employment. 

From these partnerships, FBCOs are well-positioned to provide this 

holistic treatment that is often required for hard-to-serve individuals 

to benefit from vocational and technical training and thus find and 

maintain sustainable employment. 

It has also become evident that individuals who were served 

often desire to serve others—sustaining the cycle of volunteerism 

that has developed through the FBCI’s implementation at DOL.

As faith-based and community initiatives continue to provide 

essential services for Americans in need, Federal, state, and local 

Sustaining Transformation

Since 2001, CFBCI has worked to eliminate barriers to public-private partnerships and foster 

collaboration between effective FBCOs and Federal, state, 

and local government. As a result, DOL and its agencies have invested 

signifi cant resources in pilot and long-term programs with FBCOs.

44 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives
www.dol.gov/cfbci 45
46 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

TAKING ROOT AT THE STATE AND 

LOCAL LEVEL 

As of 2008, 35 governors’ (19 Democrats and 16 Republicans) and more than 100 mayors’ offices are dedicated to 

expanding faith-based and community initiatives, strengthening 

FBCOs, and extending their vital work. Twelve of these states 

changed governors in 2006—some across party lines—but no 

state ended the faith-based and community initiatives. Even in 

states that lack a formal office for FBCO work, the FBCI is active. 

For example, California does not currently have an official FBCI, 

but, in 2006, its nonprofit organizations won more than 1,550 

competitive Federal grants totaling nearly $1.1 billion dollars to 

serve their neighbors in need. 

Investing in the Future

DOL has invested in 1,365 grants across America, from 2002 to 2007, to empower FBCOs and the individuals they serve.

• 1 to 5

• 5 to 20

• 20 to 40

governments should continue to meet the following objectives in 

designing new programs and in sustaining current programs and policies:

 Utilize the updated regulations and grant-making practices to ensure 

equal treatment for FBCOs competing in grant competitions or 

otherwise seeking to collaborate with government. 

 Open government grant competitions to nonprofit organizations 

with little or no experience working with government in order to 

diversify the pool of capable partners. 

 Increase access to employment opportunities for jobseekers by 

building partnerships between local FBCOs, the public workforce 

system, and employers.

 Build formal networks of FBCOs to increase coordination and 

mobilization of services across broader service areas. 

 Replicate innovative programs that have already helped thousands 

of people in need enter and advance in the workforce by utilizing the 

strengths of grassroots FBCOs. 

 Help grassroots FBCOs expand their programs by providing training 

and information to build their capacity. 

The development of working partnerships between FBCOs and the 

public workforce system enable both the FBCOs and the workforce 

system to serve more individuals together than they otherwise could 

serve alone and to contribute collaboratively to creating a prepared, 

competitive, safe, and secure workforce. To be most effective in 

addressing the challenges of homelessness, joblessness, recidivism, 

child labor, and other social challenges, communities must continue 

to encourage public-private partnerships on a grand scale to meet the 

needs of their community members—building partnerships among 

FBCOs, One-Stops, state and local WIBs, state and local government 

agencies, other nonprofits, businesses, and individuals who once were 

beneficiaries and now seek to serve as volunteers. 
www.dol.gov/cfbci 47

Appendix

Publications

 Access Point Toolkit: Sharing How Access to Resources Empowers is a

step-by-step guide that provides WIBs and One-Stops everything 

necessary to train FBCOs in high-poverty areas to act as Access 

Points based on implementation of the Access Point model in nearly 

50 locations across the country. 

 Action Steps for Businesses: A Guide to Developing Partnerships with 

Faith-Based and Community Organizations is a detailed guide that 

provides valuable information to businesses regarding FBCOs 

and partnering with FBCOs. This guide includes an outline of 

FBCOs and their characteristics, a step-by-step guide to developing 

partnerships with FBCOs, and effective models of business-FBCO 

partnerships.

 Bridging the Gap: Meeting the Challenge of Universal Access Through 

Faith-Based and Community Partnerships is a compelling case study of

two successful grants (United Way of Brevard and Job Service North 

Dakota) that created partnerships between WIBs or One-Stops and 

FBCOs aimed at creating universal access to the One-Stop system.

 Collaborating with Faith- and Community-Based Organizations: Lessons 

Learned from 12 Workforce Investment Boards is a 2006 report, where 

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. evaluated the $10 million 2004 

WIB grant program. The report describes three different models 

for integrating FBCOs into the public workforce system, each of 

which represents a different combination of possible FBCO roles. 

The report also presents information on the employment outcomes 

of project participants and resources leveraged from the community 

by the FBCOs. Finally, the report provides lessons learned from the 

experiences of the grantees.

 Employment Assistance is One-Stop Away is a guide for nonprofit 

organizations discussing how to partner with their local One-Stop 

and with DOL generally.

 Just Out provides a promising practices guide that examines the early 

implementation of Ready4Work and reports on the best emerging 

practices in four key program areas.

 Literature Review: Business/Faith-Based and Community Organization 

Partnerships provides an in-depth literature review analyzing data 

regarding issues and trends of business and FBCO partnerships and 

looks at the benefits of partnerships, challenges to businesses, and 

effective models of business-FBCO partnerships.

 Making a Difference Through Strategic Business Partnerships: A Guide for 

Faith-Based and Community Organizations provides FBCOs with an 

overview of the needs of local workforce and business communities, 

as well as how to build partnerships with local employers. 

 Mentoring Ex-Prisoners: A Guide for Reentry Programs provides 

guidelines and recommendations to address the challenges and 

increase the benefits of mentoring adult ex-prisoners as part of their 

involvement in reentry programs. 

 Project Reach Out Guide and Toolkit is a toolkit produced by Seedco, 

Inc., based on its experience in the Project Reach Out program, to 

help other One-Stops integrate FBCO networks into their service 

delivery design.

 Ready4Reentry: A Prisoner Reentry Toolkit is a guide for faith- or

community-based organizations interested in establishing or 

enhancing their prisoner reentry programs. This document covers 

a variety of topics, such as recruiting, case management, job 

placement, mentoring, and forming successful partnerships. 

 What Can You Get for $25,000? Grassroots Organizations in Partnership 

With One-Stop Employment Centers Summary Report of Data from 

the DOL Grant Program provides an in-depth analysis of the 48 

$25,000 Grassroots Grants ETA awarded to local FBCOs in 2005. A 

central objective of the Grassroots Grants was to partner the distinct 

capabilities of One-Stops with those of local FBCOs, enabling both 

government and nonprofits to draw upon the unique strengths and 

resources of the other.

1

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

gov/news/reports/faithbased.pdf.

2

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

gov/news/reports/faithbased.pdf.

3

 Throughout this Report, we use the term “public workforce system,” as “the workforce 

investment system” is commonly known. The $15 billion public workforce system 

was established by the 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Through WIA, DOL 

distributes its funding to state and local Workforce Investment Boards, which in turn 

fund local One-Stop Career Centers. 

4

 For more information see Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to Participation by Faith-Based and 

Community Organizations in Federal Social Service Programs, 2001, available at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/unlevelfield.html.

5

 Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to Participation by Faith-Based and Community Organizations 

in Federal Social Service Programs, 2001, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/

releases/2001/08/unlevelfield.html.

6

 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.

7

 41 C.F.R. Part 60-1.5.

8

 See 29 C.F.R. Part 2, Subpart D; see also 29 C.F.R. 37.6(f) and 20 C.F.R. 667.266 and 

667.275.

9

 29 C.F.R. Part 2.33(b)(3).

10 29 U.S.C. § 2938 (2000).

11 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-1 (2000).

12 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb (2000).

13 29 C.F.R. Part 2, Subpart D.

14 29 C.F.R. 37.6(f) and 20 C.F.R. 667.266 and 667.275.

15 29 U.S.C. § 2801 et seq. (2000).

16 Collaborating with Faith and Community-Based Organizations: Lessons Learned from 12 Workforce Investment Boards, Final Report, p. 49, May 15, 2007. 17 Collaborating with Faith and Community-Based Organizations: Lessons Learned from 12 Workforce Investment Boards, Final Report, p. 49, May 15, 2007. 18 President George W. Bush, President Bush Discusses the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, Jericho Program, Baltimore, Maryland, Jan. 29, 2008, available at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080129-1.html.

19 Langan, Patrick A. and David J. Levin, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002.

20 This story was excerpted from Diwa Aquino-Gacosta, “We Need Protection and Equal 

Opportunities,” April 2007.

Endnotes
48 Renewing Communities | Restoring Hope | Transforming Lives

 The 21st century will be the century of the social sector organization. The 

more economy, money, and information become global, the more community 

will matter. And only the social sector nonprofi t organization performs in 

the community, exploits its opportunities, mobilizes its local resources, solves 

its problems. The leadership, competence, and management of the social 

sector nonprofi t organization will thus largely determine the values, the 

vision, the cohesion, and the performance of the 21st century society. 

—Peter F. Drucker, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofi t Management 1999 in Review Report
Our Mission 

The work of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) stems from a simple conviction: 

Americans can do better for our neighbors in need when we draw upon the 

unique strengths of every willing partner.

CFBCI works collaboratively with DOL agencies to fulfill the Department’s fundamental goal of creating a prepared and competitive, safe and 

secure American workforce. To accomplish this, CFBCI empowers faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) that help individuals in 

their communities prepare for, enter, and thrive in the workforce. CFBCI’s goal is to help more Americans overcome barriers to employment, 

find jobs, and advance in employment through the unique work of local FBCOs. To accomplish this goal, DOL has increased collaboration 

with both faith- and community-based nonprofit organizations that are trusted institutions providing valuable services, regardless of whether 

they have a history of partnering with government. 

Specifically, CFBCI works to remove administrative and regulatory barriers to FBCO participation in DOL grant programs. It also shapes DOL’s 

community outreach and grant-making policies to utilize the strengths of FBCOs and the role they play in their communities. CFBCI works 

with various DOL agencies to foster innovative partnerships between DOL-funded programs and FBCOs. Further, CFBCI educates FBCOs 

about local opportunities to collaborate with government and about opportunities to participate in Federal grant programs. CFBCI also works 

with public workforce system administrators and staff to integrate FBCOs into their strategic planning and service delivery process.

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative Timeline at DOL 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

ID Barriers to FBCOs (pg. 7) 

VETS Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Grants (pg. 39) 

ETA Grants to States for FBCOs (pg. 11) 

ETA Grants to Intermediary FBCOs (pg. 21) 

Job Corps-FBCO Demonstration Project (pg. 11)

ODEP Home Modifi cation/Mentoring Youth Grants/Employment Training and 

Service Grants (pg. 43)

 

ETA Grants to Grassroots FBCOs (pg. 19, 34) 

ILAB Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education (pg. 40) 

Touching Lives and Communities (pg. 13) 

Ready4Work (pg. 30) 

Equal Treatment and Religion-Related Regulations (pg. 8) 

ETA Grants to Local Workforce Investment Boards (pg. 15) 

President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative (pg. 26) 

Project Reach Out (pg. 16) 

SHARE Network (pg. 12) 

Results-Based Management Training (pg. 23) 

Preparing Ex-Offenders for the Workplace Through Benefi ciary-Choice 

Contracting (pg. 22)

 
Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

at the U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave., NW, Room S-2235

Washington, DC 20210

Phone: (202) 693-6450

Fax: (202) 693-6146

www.dol.gov/cfbci