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Faith-based groups encouraged to apply for federal money
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
July 29, 2003

Jim Towey, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, spoke to the conference and urged social service and education organizations to apply for grants under his program. (MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

Officials in the Bush administration are urging area churches and other religious groups to seek out federal money for their local charities. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted a daylong conference Tuesday in Minneapolis on how to compete for billions of dollars in available funds, including money earmarked for public schools.

Minneapolis, Minn. — Representatives of nearly 1,000 faith-based organizations gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to learn about applying for the grants available from several federal government agencies.

	Education Secretary Rod Paige

President Bush says such groups provide an essential safety net of compassion. In a videotaped speech, Bush told the conference participants they must be able to compete equally with other groups for federal money to provide needed services.

"It shouldn't matter to the government if a group has a cross on the wall, a mezuzah on the door or a mullah on the board of directors," Bush said. "The only question the government should ask is this: are you effective at providing help to needy Americans?"

Bush established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to assist groups that are already feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and counseling recovering addicts. The office's director, Jim Towey, says faith-based groups have a lot of passion and skill for helping the poor. He says they don't always know how to work with the federal government, or how to access funding.

	President Bush on video

"The federal government spends $67 billion a year on federal social services programs, every year. It's a lot of money," says Towey. "A lot of that goes out at the state and local level through grants. And many times, faith-based groups have been stiff-armed and excluded from even being considered."

Many organizations appear eager to start applying for federal grants, even though the money would come with strict rules. Faith-based groups cannot discriminate against anyone seeking assistance through their programs. They also cannot use government money for any inherently religious activity. That means no preaching to participants.

Linda McEwen is interim director of community ministry at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. She says the rules wouldn't pose a challenge for her church and its programs to assist the poor and homeless.

It shouldn't matter to the government if a group has a cross on the wall, a mezuzah on the door or a mullah on the board of directors. The only question the government should ask is this: are you effective at providing help to needy Americans? - President Bush

"We've always tried to be respectful of the people who come to us, and to meet them at the place where they come. So, really I think the rules just define respect between people and organizations," says McEwen.

One new avenue for religious and other community groups to access federal money is by providing tutoring services to disadvantaged students. The federal No Child Left Behind law requires some low performing schools to use their federal Title I funding to provide extra help to struggling students.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige attended the conference to remind faith-based groups they can apply to provide those services.

"The after-school programs, the weekend and community-based programs, where children can be assisted with their literacy issues, their homework. The faith-based community is very good at that. And we'd like to solicit their cooperation to help us meet this very important goal," says Paige.

Minnesota's preliminary list of low performing schools showed 19 locations that must provide supplemental services in the coming year. Stephanie Carlson of Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation says her faith-based organization will apply, because it already offers a successful after-school program in south Minneapolis.

"We also have a huge sports program. So, there's other points of connection within an after-school program that also make the academic tutoring -- the math and English tutoring -- stronger," says Carlson.

Officials with the Minnesota Department of Education will begin taking applications from groups next month. A list of state-approved providers of supplemental services will be posted by late September.

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