New Groups Have Access to Federal Funds

There is hope for new faith-based organizations wishing to procure grant money from government sources, according to experts participating in this week's non-profit symposium at North Park University. The annual event is part of The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management program.

A number of regional and national experts representing social services agencies and other governmental entities assured participants that government funding is available for faith-based organizations willing to comply with federal standards. The trick, they said, is to know the rules, know the organization's mission and know how to separate religious from non-religious services provided by a given faith-based organization.

Amy Sherman, a senior fellow at the Welfare Policy Center of the Hudson Institute and urban ministries advisor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, discussed her experiences as founder and director of Abundant Life Ministries, a cross-cultural, holistic outreach program in a low-income urban neighborhood. Sherman also shared information gathered as part of a nine-state Charitable Choice study with Stanley Carlson-Thies, associate director for law and policy in the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives in Washington, DC.

Mary Nelson, the founding president of Bethel New Life, Inc., a community development organization working on Chicago's west side, and Linda Baker, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services, also shared in the panel discussion entitled "Faith-based Approaches to Social Services: Lessons Learned."

There are five characteristics of successful collaborative efforts between faith-based organizations and the government, according to Sherman:

• Groundfloor-up involvement in partnership between faith-based organizations and government
• Teachability - both entities committed to learning from each other
• Sympathetic respect that acknowledges the merits of each entity
• Connected autonomy that allows faith-based organizations to ask the government for supplementary help
• Strategic internal organization that makes faith-based organizations more accountable in documenting its activities, helping government to better appreciate the flexibility that faith-based organizations offer in delivery of services

According to a study researched in part by Sherman, About 57 percent of grants being given to faith-based organizations have been to organizations applying for the first time, according to a study researched in part by Sherman. That statistic provides hope to fledgling groups desiring to make inroads with the government to obtain funding. Sherman believes ministries will experience varying degrees of success in wooing government dollars.

Sherman believes organizations she describes as "salad ministries" are more likely to win government aid. She likened those ministries to a salad containing lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers - each ingredient edible separately, but best served in combination. Computer technology was one example of a component that can be offered without a religious influence and thus qualify for federal funding. Other elements of a welfare-to-work program like Bible studies could be offered at the faith-based organization's own expense, but participants would retain the right not to participate - a perfectly legal scenario.

"Brownie ministries" on the other hand are less likely to receive government aid, Sherman said. These programs have components that are so intertwined that the religious and non-religious elements cannot be separated. A drug program incorporating mandatory Bible studies or mandatory chapel attendance was one example offered.

How can the government more effectively collaborate with faith-based organizations? Sherman believes liaisons could provide an easy way for government to contact agencies. Government incentives could help faith-based organizations become more open to collaboration. And, an expanded bidding process for smaller government projects could encourage more competition among faith-based entities.

How can faith-based organizations improve the relationship with government? First, she said, "we must obey the law." One study found 37 states that were not in compliance with Charitable Choice laws, according to Sherman. She noted that some churches do not follow guidelines once grants have been received.

Sherman chided churches for overselling their ministries to get a government grant and then not delivering on their promises. "We need to be mission driven and not money driven," said Sherman. "We need to be in a situation where we (organizations) can walk away from government money if it doesn't follow its mission."

Nelson, doesn't believe government funding is the definitive answer for faith-based organizations, particularly small ones. She suggested that organizations partner with local churches and corporations to meet their financial needs, suggesting that such partnerships provide glue (a binding element), gas (energy for the long haul) and guts (a shared interest to put lives on the line).

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