Innovations in Compassion - The Faith-Based and Community Initiative: A Final Report to the Armies of Compassion

[Excerpt] This Final Report to the Armies of Compassion prepared by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives offers an account of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI or Initiative) to the dedicated faith-based and other community organizations (FBCOs) that have joined in the battles against poverty, disease, and other social ills. The report emphasizes what matters most about the FBCI: measurable results achieved for millions in need across America and around the world through vibrant partnerships with the “armies of compassion” – the thousands of FBCOs that have partnered with government to serve their neighbors in need. It also offers a look at key government reforms and innovations that made these results possible. The report finishes with a glimpse toward the future of the FBCI and the foundation upon which the next generation of government and community leaders can build to achieve even greater good in the decades to come. Changing Lives highlights twelve areas of critical human need that have been particularly affected through expanded Federal partnerships with faith-based and other frontline nonprofits. The chapter highlights key results across these wide-ranging areas of need and stories revealing the deeper impact of the FBCI for individual organizations and the people they serve. Transforming Government explains how reforms led by the FBCI have secured a level playing field for faith-based organizations and reduced barriers to help small FBCOs or those new to partnering with government compete for Federal funds. The chapter also highlights some of the innovative funding models advanced by the FBCI that enable more effective partnerships between government and grassroots nonprofits, such as vouchers, mini-grants, and intermediary model grants. Strengthening Partners describes the Initiative’s diverse methods for building the capabilities of nonprofit organizations and the social entrepreneurs who lead them. These efforts range from technology-based instruction and in-person training events to the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in capacity- building and technical assistance grants. Volunteerism and Private Giving highlights President Bush’s efforts to expand volunteer service and private financial support for America’s FBCOs. Taking Root in States and Cities reveals how the principles of the FBCI are being replicated outside of Washington. Governors and mayors across America are embracing the vision championed by the FBCI as a practical way to engage the toughest challenges faced by their communities. These “laboratories of innovation” will play a key role in the future of the FBCI

Bush, Obama and a faith-based US foreign policy

In a calculated move to appeal to his core constituency during his first term, President George W. Bush launched domestic and international faith-based initiatives designed to leverage public finance for religious groupings to carry out social and welfare functions formerly performed by government or secular organizations. In December 2002 the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) was extended to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Center's intention was to 'create a level playing field' for faith-based and community groups to compete for foreign assistance funding. These presidential initiatives are problematic, however, calling into question the first amendment-the separation of church and state. Upon taking office Barack Obama set up the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, promising a greater emphasis on community/neighbourhood programs. The CFBCI remains a fixture in USAID and Obama shows as much enthusiasm for the initiative as his predecessor. Faith-based international relations and political science scholars have sought to build on these initiatives and call for a greater role for faith in US foreign policy. On the eve of the 2012 presidential election, this article considers the claims for a faith-based foreign policy by examining the construction of a faith-based discourse by academics and successive presidents. Using faith-based initiatives and USAID as a case-study, the article discusses criticisms of the policy and focuses on the role of a conservative evangelical organization, Samaritan's Purse, to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of faith-based approaches. © 2012 The Author(s). International Affairs © 2012 The Royal Institute of International Affairs

Can an Office Change a Country? The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: A Year in Review

Places the White House OFBCI in the context of the institutional presidency and identifies the challenges it presented. Examines campaign creation, transition planning, and future prospects for the OFBCI

(Un)holy alliances: The UK’s hostile environment in faith-based spaces, and its implications for refugee protection

This paper aims to interrogate the United Kingdom (UK)’s so-called ‘hostile environment’ and its implications for refugee protection. The work looks in particular at the mixed-status setting of faith-based spaces, which with the advent of the ‘hostile environment’ have gone from being one of few places where people with a range of statuses could access support to becoming a locus of immigration control. It is argued that the reimagining of faith-based spaces as an arena for immigration enforcement is key to the functioning of the ‘hostile environment,’ a policy package ostensibly targeting undocumented people which in fact impacts on people with a range of statuses, with worrying consequences for refugee protection. Semi-structured interviews with faith-based community volunteers who engaged with the Home Office are analysed alongside data disclosed by the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act. Combined with analysis of the legal barriers to accessing protection, this work questions how voluntary the ‘voluntary’ returns being promoted in faith-based spaces really are, given the lack of options available to those unable to regularise their status

Getting a Piece of the Pie: Federal Grants to Faith-based Social Service Organizations

Research delves into the grantmaking of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, established under the Bush Administration in 2001

The faith community response to the Bush administrations faith-based initiatives

Since George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 one of his top domestic priorities has been to elevate the role of religion in America. He is attempting to correct a perceived wrong that the federal government has hindered religious group\u27s ability to compete on a level playing field with secular groups in acquiring funds for social service programs. Bush believes that faith-based groups hold the answer for healing society\u27s ills. As a result his administration has set up The White House Office Of Faith-based and Community Initiatives to accomplish the goal of a more faith friendly public square; Theological, political and practical matters influencing the administrations Faith-based initiatives are examined in this thesis. Responses to the initiative from six American churches are analyzed based on two factors: theological teachings and practical institutional matters (staffing, facilities etc.). This ultimately reveals how each church views the reasons for poverty. Ethical issues are considered and the conclusion that the Faith-based Initiative, though well intended, is not a good idea for America

Integrating religious engagement into diplomacy: challenges and opportunities

The last few years have witnessed a flurry of interest and activity around religion and religious engagement in diplomatic circles on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2013, the US State Department established a new Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives as part of a broader national strategy on religious leadership and faith community engagement led by the White House’s National Security Council. Within the same year, the European Union issued new guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief; the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development opened a new office focused on similar issues; and the French Foreign Ministry sponsored a major conference on the question of religion and foreign policy with a keynote address delivered by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

Civil Religion and Pastoral Power in the George W. Bush Presidency

American presidents have maintained an equilibrium between the role of church and state in government affairs via the nation’s civil religion and a “rhetorical contract” between those secular and sacred interests. While other presidents have incorporated religion in their rhetorical execution of office, George W. Bush has done so in a manner different from his predecessors, emphasizing the role of faith in his administration’s beliefs, actions, and policies. Such rhetoric upsets the tenuous relationship between sectarian and secular affairs. Bush’s breach of the rhetorical contract can be explained by Foucault’s notion of pastoral power. Using practices once associated with the church, the savvy government leader may better control his public. I argue that President Bush has shifted the balance of power between organized religion and government, specifically by means of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, thereby corrupting traditional notions of civil religion in the process of implementing his unique form of new pastoral power

With Heart and Soul: Closing a Faith-Based Refugee Resettlement Office

This paper begins with a brief review of the literature on nonprofit and faith-based service organizations, many of whom rely on government grants and contracts. The following section summarizes refugee resettlement policy and partners in the U.S and examines how its implementation relies on local communities and nonprofit agencies. Only a few social scientists have begun research directed at understanding the process and impact of refugee resettlement (Ives, Sinha and Cnaan 2010; Nawyn 2006, 2010). Yet this topic connects to several key dimensions that are of current concern in the broader discussions of public-nonprofit partnerships, faith-based services, inter-organizational coordination, human service networks, and so on. The study is based on document analysis, personal observation, and in-depth interviews with current and former employees of the nonprofit agency, its national headquarters, and other agencies. By examining the case of a faith-based agency in North Carolina, I show how an agency that was largely reliant upon federal and state funding became so financially fragile that it resorted to closing its most successful and visible refugee resettlement office. This paper is the beginning of a broader study of the complex U.S. refugee resettlement system, policies, and programs

Formative Evaluation of Job Clubs Operated by Faith- and Community-Based Organizations: Findings From Site Visits and Options for Future Evaluation

Over the past several decades, job search support groups, commonly referred to as “job clubs,” have evolved into one of several important activities used by the public workforce system and faith- and community-based organizations to enhance worker readiness and employability, as well as to provide ongoing support to unemployed and underemployed individuals as they search for jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor\u27s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) contracted in September 2012 with Capital Research Corporation, Inc. and George Washington University to conduct an assessment of job clubs sponsored by faith-based and community-based organizations (FBOs/CBOs). The overall purpose of this evaluation effort was to systematically describe the key characteristics of job clubs being offered by a range of faith- and community- based organizations, document how they differ from and are similar to the job clubs operated by publicly-funded workforce agencies (such as at American Job Centers [AJCs]), and identify potential approaches that might be used for more rigorous formal evaluation of impacts and effectiveness. Findings from the telephone interviews with stakeholders and in-person interviews with facilitators during the site visits indicate that job clubs operated by FBOs, CBOs and public workforce agencies are alike in many ways, with all of them emphasizing the critical importance of: (1) networking during the job search; (2) offering ongoing peer support and sharing of similar experiences among participants; and (3) providing instruction and guidance on the basics of the job search process (e.g., elevator pitches, resume development, job interview practice). Noteworthy differences between the FBO/CBO job clubs and those operated by public workforce agencies are related to staffing patterns and available resources for program operations and services. While public workforce agency job clubs are led by paid professional staff, supported by the full complement of workshops, activities, and other services typically available through AJCs/One-Stop Centers, FBO/CBO job clubs, in most cases, operate with limited budgets or no funding whatsoever. Additionally, compared with public sector agencies, FBOs/CBOs typically collect little in the way of participant-level data, such as participant identifiers, demographic characteristics, service receipt, or outcomes. Finally, although this report suggests several approaches to future rigorous experimental/non-experimental and process/implementation evaluation of FBO/CBO-sponsored job clubs, there are likely to be formidable challenges to implementation of rigorous evaluation methods because these job clubs rarely collect identifying information on participants, such as Social Security numbers, and are generally opposed to random assignment for their programs