"America is rich materially, but there remains too much poverty and despair amidst abundance. Government can rally a military, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives." President Bush (Pictured is the President's visit to a faith-based program in New Jersey)   Rallying the Armies of Compassion Faith-Based Initiatives Blueprint pdf version (185 kb) Report on Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to Participation by Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Federal Social Service Programs Unlevel Playing Field Report pdf version (443 kb) News and Speeches Statement by the President About Faith-Based and Community Initiatives President Discusses Faith Based and Community Initiative at Habitat for Humanity Event President Commends House for Action on Faith-Based and Community Initiative President Commends House Committee for Progress on Faith Based and Community Initiative Progress Statement by the Press Secretary on the Request by the Salvation Army for an OMB Circular President Bush Speaks to Participants of America's Promise Statement by the President President Discusses Faith-Based Initiative at Conference of Mayors Fact Sheet: President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative Wins Key Endorsement President Bush Speaks to St. Augustine Parish in Cleveland, Ohio President Bush Speaks to National Leadership of the Hispanic Faith-Based Organizations Remarks by the President in Commencement Address - Notre Dame, Indiana President Bush Welcomes Bipartisan Faith-Based Proposals President Bush Tours Youth Entertainment Academy at the Grace Episcopal Church in Plainfield, New Jersey Joint Session to Congress Address Remarks by the President in Submission of Faith-Based Services Proposal Remarks by the President in Announcement of the Faith-Based Initiative Agency Responsibilities with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Executive Order: Establishment of White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Faith-Based & Community Initiatives: Rallying the Armies of Compassion

En Español

The Problem
Our Nation has a long and honorable commitment to assisting individuals, families, and communities who have not fully shared in America’s growing prosperity. Yet despite a multitude of programs and renewed commitments by the Federal and state governments to battle social distress, too many of our neighbors still suffer poverty and despair amidst our abundance.

Consider:

• As many as 15 million young people are at risk of not reaching productive adulthood -- falling prey to crime, drugs and other problems that make it difficult to obtain an education, successfully enter the workforce, or otherwise contribute to society;
• More than 2 million children have a father or mother in prison or jail;
• More than half a million children are in foster care, and more than one fifth of those children are awaiting adoption;
• In 1997, more than one million babies were born to unwed mothers, many of whom are children themselves; and
• More than one out of six American families with children live on an annual income of $17,000 or less.

Millions of Americans are enslaved to drugs or alcohol. Hundreds of thousands live on the streets. And despite the many successes of welfare reform, too many families remain dependent and many of those who have left the rolls can barely make ends meet.

A great and prosperous nation can and must do better. Americans are a deeply compassionate people and will not tolerate indifference toward the poor. But they also want compassionate results, not just compassionate intentions.

Welfare Reform
The American people support a vital role for government, but they also want to see their Federal dollars making a real difference in the lives of the disadvantaged. Americans believe our society must find ways to provide healing and renewal. And they believe that government should help the needy achieve independence and personal responsibility.

To achieve these goals, Federal assistance must become more effective and more tailored to local needs. We must not only devolve Federal support to state and local governments where appropriate, but also move support out to neighborhood healers and helpers who need it most. Traditional social programs are often too bureaucratic, inflexible, and impersonal to meet the acute and complex needs of the poor. Reforms must make the Federal Government a partner with faith-based and community caregivers that are close to the needs of people and trusted by those who hurt. These organizations perform everyday miracles, boast uncommon successes, but they are outmanned and outflanked. We must identify and strengethen these quiet heros, both sacred and secular that are achieving great civic results.

Building on Success
This Administration proposes a different role for government in social policy — a fresh start and a bold new approach. We will realign Federal policy and programs to better mobilize, empower, and collaborate with grassroots and nonprofit groups. We will reinforce and support programs that work and increase their scale. We must also commit ourselves to spark an outpouring of private giving — from individuals, corporations, foundations and others — to the armies of compassion that labor daily to strengthen families and communities.

We must continue to ask: What are the Federal Government’s social responsibilities? How much of our Federal budget should be allocated to social programs? These are vital questions. Yet equally vital is the question of how the Federal Government should fulfill its social task. In social policy, the independent sector — secular and religiously-affiliated providers, civic groups, foundations and other grant-givers — has long been an indispensable and valued partner of government. We seek to add to, not take away from, their good work.

We will focus on expanding the role in social services of faith-based and other community-serving groups that have traditionally been distant from government. We do so not because of favoritism or because they are the only important organizations, but because they frequently have been neglected or excluded in Federal policy. Our aim is equal opportunity for such groups, a level playing field, a fair chance for them to participate if their programs are successful. We will encourage Federal agencies to become more hospitable to grassroots and small-scale programs, both sacred and secular, because they have unique strengths that government can’t duplicate.

The Federal Government must continue to play a prominent role in addressing poverty and social distress. But that role must move beyond funding traditional, weathered programs, and instead helping the helpers who live in the hearts of distressed neighborhoods. Americans deserve a rich mix of options because when it comes to conquering addiction, poverty, recidivism, and other social ills, one size does not fit all.

The Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has the lead responsibility to promote the President's agenda to strengthen and expand grassroots and faith-based services. The Office works with federal agencies, Congress, and state and local governments to promote policy, legal, and regulatory changes. It also works with private philanthropies, the nonprofit sector, businesses, America's many faith communities, and neighborhood groups to encourage, inform, and strengthen a renewed commitment to community service.

Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
The President has established Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in five major cabinet agencies to promote the administration's faith-based and community agenda by changing how the federal government operates. These Centers will evaluate policies, funding programs, and agency communications and technical assistance strategies to ensure that they emphasize effectiveness and hospitality to faith-based and community-based organizations.

Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives --

• Health and Human Services
• Housing and Urban Development
• Justice
• Education
• Labor