The FBCI is built on the premise that government can most effectively address human services needs when it draws on the strengths of every willing partner. In January 2001, it was clear that two types of groups were not always partnering with the government: nonprofit organizations motivated to service by their faith and community organizations lacking grant-writing skills and insight into the Federal grant process. The FBCI has worked to overcome participatory barriers and promote partnership models that use the unique strengths and abilities of faith-based and community-based organizations.
Removing Barriers
The FBCI works within federal agencies to eliminate barriers to government partnerships with faith-based or community-based organizations capable of effectively delivering services to the needy. This section describes the federal barriers faced by faith-based and community-based organizations that inhibited their ability to serve neighbors in need. It also describes the actions taken to address these barriers, such as policy reforms and new regulations.
- Barriers to Partnerships provides a list of barriers discovered early in the FBCI that inhibited government partnerships with faith-based and community-based nonprofit organizations. Identifying these barriers served as a blueprint for sweeping change.
- Standard for Transformation describes how the Charitable Choice principles have been adopted across the Federal Government through regulations adopted by Federal agencies that host Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
- Results of Transformation summarizes the most recent data and provides links to the reports indicating the successful implementation of the FBCI.
Expanding Partnerships
A principal contribution of the FBCI has been the design, operation, and evaluation of innovative program models to solve this partnership dilemma. This section describes how these proven models allow government to tap into small and novice nonprofit organizations to address vexing social ills on a national and international scale.
- The Mini grant model of grant making provides smaller amounts of funding—typically under $75,000—to smaller faith-based and community-based organizations to meet the needs in their communities. Often these organizations have not previously partnered with the Federal government.
- The Intermediary model describes a grant-making model that empowers a third party to provide training and subgrants to small faith-based and community-based organizations according to specific criteria or within a specific service area.
- The Choice-Based model describes a funding mechanism based on the genuine and independent choice of the client receiving services.
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