Introduction
Access to even the most essential services can be difficult in rural areas. The downsizing of healthcare services and shortages of providers in rural communities in recent years has left many communities with inadequate or nonexistent healthcare services. The lack of social services infrastructure such as childcare and employment and training programs deepen the effects of poverty in rural areas. In these rural communities, alternative means of providing and strengthening healthcare and human service delivery need to be explored. One such alternative is for the expanded use of faith-based and community groups to facilitate the provision of healthcare services and human services programs within their communities. For many years, faith-based and community groups have been assisting people in need. Through the use of volunteer labor and member donations, faith-based and community groups can often provide essential services that would not be economically feasible for for-profit entities to provide.
Efforts are focused on populations such as at-risk youth, ex-offenders, welfare-to-work families, food and nutrition, substance abusers, health, and the homeless.
Many federal grant opportunities exist that rural faith-based and community groups can tap to support economic development activities, prevention programs, and other valuable projects for their communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Funding
Presbyterian Hunger Program
The Presbyterian Hunger Program provides grants in the five areas: 1) Direct Food Relief; 2) Development Assistance; 3) Influencing Public Policy; 4) Life-style Integrity; and 5) Education and Interpretation.
Walgreen Community Grant Program
Funding for access to health and wellness, pharmacy education programs and mentoring initiatives, civic and community outreach and emergency and disaster relief.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Amendments to Executive Order 13199 and Establishment of the President's Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Sponsoring organization: White House
Documents changes made to the previously-named, White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Executive Order 13199.
Date: 02 / 2009
Breakthrough Performance: Ten Emerging Practices of Leading Intermediaries
Sponsoring organization: White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Highlights the outcomes from the Intermediary Summit held in February 2008. Presents ways in which grassroots faith-based and community organizations can collaborate to implement practices relevant to their communities.
Date: 06 / 2008
Congregational Health Ministry Survey Report
Sponsoring organization: National Council of Churches
Documents the amount of congregational activity addressing health issues; portrays the range and distribution of health and health care-related activities in congregations across the country; and describes the characteristics of congregations that are most involved in the provision of health services.
Date: 2007
Core Competencies for Clergy and Other Pastoral Ministers in Addressing Alcohol and Drug Dependence and the Impact on Family Members
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Consists of a set of basic knowledge and skills clergy need to help addicted individuals and their families.
Date: 05 / 2003
Demystifying the Rehabilitation Act: What Faith-Based and Community Organizations Need to Know About Using Federal Financial Assistance to Serve People with Disabilities
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Labor
Provides information for faith-based and community organizations that received financial assistance to serve people with disabilities from the United State Department of Labor. Includes a list of national resources that can help organizations deliver services to people with disabilities.
Date: 2008
Faith in Action Health Coalition
Author(s): Jo Heather, C. Layton
Sponsoring organization: Faith in Action National Network
Describes the Faith in Action Coalition program in North Dakota, a volunteer caregiver program which provides transportation, light housekeeping, yard work, and holistic health care services.
Journal citation: North Dakota - Rural Health Updates Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages: 3
Date: 08 / 2004
Guide to Charitable Choice
Sponsoring organization: Center for Public Justice Charitable Choice
Presents the Rules of Section 104 of the 1996 Federal Welfare Law Governing State Cooperation with Faith-Based Social-Service Providers. Also available in PDF format.
Date: 1997
H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Community and Faith-based Organizations
Sponsoring organization: Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center)
Offers action steps to take to help keep communities healthy. Helps to inform about both 2009-2010 seasonal and the 2009 H1N1 flu.
Date: 09 / 2009
Maximizing Program Services Through Private Sector Partnerships and Relationships: A Guide for Faith and Community-Based Service Providers
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Provides faith and community-based organizations with guidance about the aspects of engaging corporate givers and foundation grantmakers.
Date: 2005
National Service: A Resource for Faith-Based and Community Groups
Sponsoring organization: Corporation for National and Community Service: For Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations
Discusses how the corporation works with faith-based and secular community organizations.
Date: 07 / 2005
Successful Strategies for Recruiting, Training, and Utilizing Volunteers: A Guide for Faith and Community-Based Service Providers
Author(s): Jocelyn Whitfield, Gregory K. Alex, Mike Ennis, et al.
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Designed for community groups and faith-based organizations seeking to maximize the skills of volunteers, expand their services the community, and enhance their effectiveness.
Date: 2005
Sustaining Grassroots Community-Based Programs: A Toolkit for Community- and Faith-Based Service Providers
Author(s): Jocelyn Whitfield, Ernestine Coghill Howard, Mike Ennis, Renee Artis, Bill Link, Kevin Monroe
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Designed to help community and faith-based treatment and recovery providers plan for long-term survival. Contains six booklets covering strategic planning, organizational assessment, effective marketing, financial management, fund development and results-oriented evaluations.
Date: 2008
USDA Faith-Based and Community Initiatives - Helping America Thrive: Alleviating Hunger, Revitalizing Communities and Helping the Environment
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Contains contact details for and information about the USDA's Faith-Based Programs on food and nutrition, daycare, homeless shelters, and housing.
Date: 09 / 2005
Weed and Seed Implementation Manual
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Justice
Serves as a guide for communities attempting to implement a weed and seed strategy, which is a community-based, multi-agency approach to addressing violent crime, gang activity, drug use, and drug trafficking.
Date: 08 / 2005
What Congregations Should Know about Federal Funding for Child Care
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
Explains the child care voucher system for low-income families, and how to participate in the voucher program as a child care provider by providing services to eligible families.
Date: 07 / 2009
Organizations
Administration for Children and Families: Faith-Based and Community Initiative Division (ACF FBCI)
Federal government
Provides information on faith-based funding opportunities including family assistance, child care, child welfare, and information on numerous faith-based grants.
Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center)
Federal government
Works to enable community and faith-based organizations to partner with the government and access the necessary tools to reach those in need.
Corporation for National and Community Service: For Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations (CNCS)
Federal government
Engages Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to help strengthen communities. Helps connect faith-based and other community groups, ensuring that these groups have the capacity, tools, and volunteer power they need to help America's communities flourish.
Faith in Action National Network
National organization
Promotes the sharing of knowledge, experience, and ideas that can help to establish, strengthen, and support local Faith in Action programs. This in an interfaith volunteer caregiving program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Health Ministries Association (HMA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Offers a support network for people of faith who promote whole-person health through faith groups in the communities they serve including providing information, guidelines and resources.
National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC)
National organization
Supports rural people, family farms, and local
businesses that promote sustainable community
development.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Academic/Research
Conducts analysis and nationwide research on faith-based social service programs.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (SAMHSA FBCI)
Federal government
Supports faith-based and community organizations that benefit people with or at risk for mental and substance abuse disorders.
White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (WHOFNP)
Federal government
Serves as a resource for nonprofits and community organizations, both secular and faith based, looking for ways to make a bigger impact in their communities, learn their obligations under the law, cut through red tape, and make the most of what the federal government has to offer. A project under the Obama administration.
Terms & Acronyms
Center for Faith-Based & Community Initiatives (CFBCI) Centers that help their neighbors enter, succeed, and thrive in the workforce.
Community Groups Local organizations which focus on supporting projects within their communities, for example churches, junior leagues, and civic associations.
Community-Based Organization (CBO) Small, grassroots neighborhood types of organizations that emerge to address community needs.
Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) A $30 million fund that is targeted to assist small, grassroots faith-based and community organizations.
Faith-based community economic development Process whereby a community engages in social, economic, housing and other asset development - activities that build and lead to community and personal health (spiritual, financial and physical) and empowerment - through strategies that encourage cooperation and interdependency as expressions of religious or spiritual ministry, calling or beliefs.
Faith-Based Community Initiatives (FBCI) The official term for this federal policy initiative.
Faith-Based Organization (FBO) An organization, group, program or project that provides human services, and has a faith element integrated into their organization. They might be sponsored by a religious congregation or agency.
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