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HHS ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS TO ASSIST FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Go Directly To Site: www.hhs.gov/faith/

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the availability of $30 million in funds to help level the playing field for faith- and community-based organizations competing for federal grants and other funding. The Compassion Capital Fund represents the first appropriated federal funds that are specifically targeted to assist grassroots organizations since President Bush announced the faith-based and community initiative last year.

"Today, we are making good on President Bush's commitment to give faith- and community-based organizations the same opportunities to receive federal assistance that larger private organizations have," Secretary Thompson said. "For years, grassroots organizations have helped thousands of Americans in need, often on shoestring budgets and with little assistance from the federal government. Under the President's leadership, that assistance is finally beginning."

Under the Compassion Capital Fund demonstration program, nearly $25 million will be made available to 15-25 intermediary organizations that will provide technical assistance to help faith-based and community organizations to effectively access funding sources, operate and manage their programs, develop and train staff, expand the reach of programs into the community and replicate promising programs. Technical assistance must be offered at no cost to interested organizations.

Intermediary organizations that receive funding will also issue sub-awards to faith- and community-based organizations to support start-up costs, operations or expansion of programs. Priority for sub-awards will be given to programs that address homelessness, hunger, the needs of at-risk children, transition from welfare to work, and those in need of intensive rehabilitation such as addicts or prisoners.

"Community- and faith-based organizations understand the communities they serve, and the contributions they make to society are irreplaceable," said Robert J. Polito, director of the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "But while they may understand their communities, understanding the numerous rules they must follow to qualify for federal grants is much more difficult. These funds will make that process easier."

The remaining $5 million of the Compassion Capital Fund will be used to establish a National Resource Center and to support research into promising practices for intermediary organizations providing assistance to grassroots organizations and into the role that faith-based and community organizations play in their communities.

The National Resource Center will serve as a national repository and clearinghouse for information related to technical assistance and training resources for faith- and community-based organizations. The center will ensure that intermediary organizations funded under the Compassion Capital Fund are adequately equipped with the information and training they need to assist grassroots organizations.

HHS will also support research regarding innovative and promising practices that intermediary organizations are implementing and appropriate methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the assistance that these organizations provide. Additional funds will support research into the services that faith- and community-based organizations provide and about the role they play in communities and in the lives of the people they serve.

President Bush first announced the faith- and community-based initiative in January 2001. Through this initiative, the administration is working to remove unnecessary barriers that may prevent these organizations from competing fully for federal funding and to create a "level playing field" between faith-based and community organizations and other groups that receive federal funds to provide social services.

Information on the availability of Compassion Capital Fund grants will be published June 7, 2002, in the Federal Register. Grant awards will be made this fall. More information about the President's initiative and the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is available at http://www.hhs.gov/faith/.

HHS FACT SHEET

THE COMPASSION CAPITAL FUND AND THE FAITH- AND COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVE

Overview: The Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) is a $30 million fund that Congress appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services in January 2002. The CCF represents the first appropriated federal funds that are specifically targeted to assist the grassroots organizations that are the focus of President Bush's faith-based and community initiative.

The CCF will be used to expand the role that faith-based and community groups play in providing social services to those in need. The CCF reflects the administration's recognition that faith-based and community organizations are uniquely situated to partner with the government in serving poor and low-come individuals and families, particularly those with the greatest needs such as families in poverty, prisoners reentering the community and their families, children of prisoners, homeless families, and at-risk youth.

Information on the availability of CCF grants will be published in the June 7, 2002, Federal Register, and grant awards will be made this fall. More information about the President's initiative and the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is available at http://www.hhs.gov/faith/.

Four Activities Supported by the CCF

#1. Technical Assistance to Intermediary Organizations

  • Nearly $25 million will be awarded to 15-25 "intermediary organizations," which will in turn help smaller organizations operate and manage their programs effectively, access funding from varied sources, develop and train staff, expand the types and reach of social services programs in their communities, and replicate promising programs.
  • In addition to providing technical assistance, these intermediary groups will issue sub-awards directly to qualified faith- and community-based organizations to expand or replicate promising or best practices in targeted areas. Priority for sub-awards will be given to organizations that focus on homelessness, hunger, at-risk children, transition from welfare to work, and those in need of intensive rehabilitation such as addicts or prisoners.
  • To encourage organizations to work in partnership with the federal government, intermediary organizations will be expected to provide at least 50 percent of the amount of federal funds requested (i.e., one-third of the proposed total budget).
  • CCF funds may not be used to support religious practices such as religious instruction, worship or prayer.
  • Intermediary organizations will be selected to receive funding based on a competitive review process. HHS is seeking applications from a diverse range of organizations able to assist a diverse group of faith-based and community organizations that represent different organizational or religious affiliations. Awards will be announced before the end of September 2002.

#2. Compassion Capital National Resource Center

  • Approximately $2 million will be used to establish the CCF National Resource Center.
  • The National Resource Center will work directly with the intermediary organizations to ensure that faith- and community-based organizations receive effective and appropriate technical assistance, and it will develop a comprehensive plan to oversee and coordinate the work of intermediary organizations that receive federal funding.
  • The National Resource Center will also develop tools that will be useful and accessible to all interested faith-based and community groups, regardless of whether they are working with a funded intermediary. For example, the National Resource Center will develop and maintain a Web site that addresses a wide array of topics useful to faith-based and community organizations, such as "best practices" to meet the needs of individuals and families, and evaluation and assessment of program outcomes and effectiveness. It will also develop manuals on specific topics that will assist faith-based and community organizations.

#3. Research Regarding Best Practices and Services of Intermediary Organizations

  • Approximately $1.6 million will be used to support research on the services and best practices of intermediary organizations and the faith-based and community organizations they serve.

#4. Field-Initiated Research Grants

  • Approximately $1 million will be awarded to five to eight organizations to support short-term research projects that will contribute to the knowledge base regarding roles and promising approaches by diverse types of faith- and community-based organizations that focus on homelessness, hunger, at-risk children, the transition from welfare to work, and intensive services for those most in need such as addicts and prisoners.