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E-Newsletter for November 25, 2008In this issue:
An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research project
New! Q&A on the Legacy of the Bush Administration’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative President George W. Bush launched the Faith-Based and Community Initiative in 2001 to encourage small, grassroots religious charities to provide social services in partnership with government. As reported in last week’s Roundtable e-newsletter, the Initiative has met with mixed reviews. What is certain is that the federal effort took hold in a fashion that went largely unrecognized by most Americans. Lacking congressional support, President Bush advanced his plan through the issuance of executive orders creating the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and centers in 12 federal agencies to advance government partnerships with religious and secular nonprofits. The Initiative’s activities included providing training and assistance to religious and secular nonprofits, arranging for small grants to help grassroots nonprofits increase their organizational capacity, and advancing the use of vouchers so government funds could support intensely religious programs. The Roundtable has asked three experts who have been involved with some aspect of the Initiative to assess the legacy that it leaves to the Obama Administration. Responding are John Bridgeland, who heads the public policy firm Civic Enterprises and formerly served as the first director of the USA Freedom Corps, created by President Bush; Robert L. Woodson Sr., president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, which has trained thousands of faith-based and community organization leaders; and Harris Wofford, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and civil rights advocate who has been at the forefront of the national service movement since helping to launch the Peace Corps in 1961. Register Now! Roundtable Experts to Assess Legal Outlook for Faith-Based Initiatives Due in part to the policies set and the rule changes advanced by the Bush Administration, President-elect Barack Obama will inherit a different legal landscape in which to forward his own proposed Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. At a Roundtable event next week, Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle, constitutional law experts who have closely watched this federal effort, will offer their insights about the changes that have been wrought over the last eight years and the key questions that remain going forward. They will also look at significant legal developments of 2008, including those affecting taxpayers' rights to sue over church-state violations, faith-based prison programs, and public support for structures where religious activities take place. The event accompanies the release of their final “State of the Law” report, a publication that has become a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the legal environment in which the Faith-Based and Community Initiative has progressed. Professors Lupu and Tuttle will present their findings at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, December 2 at 9 a.m. Attendance is free. Click here to register for the event. Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community Organization Eligibility The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs administered by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Labor, and Health and Human Services. Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise. Click here for the grants digest. 
Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories
Charitable Services Groups See Spike In Requests http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9142
Economy Keeps Some Habitat for Humanity Homes Empty http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9168
City Rule May Close 2 Island Faith-Based Homeless Shelters http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9169
Pathway to Redemption http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9143
Men of God Set Sights On Gangs http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9144
Hard Times and Long Lines; Thousands Turn Out For Offerings of Food in Montebello and Mortgage Help in Van Nuys http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9145
Are Faith-Based Programs Flawed? http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9146
NY Churches Ordered Not To Shelter Homeless http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9147
Medefind Minds Bush’s Faith-Based Store http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9148
La. Aid to Food Banks Stays Flat; But Unmet Needs Rise During Hard Times http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9149
Churches Prepare To Provide Thanksgiving http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9150
Charity Empowers Homeless, Single Moms http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9151
Orlando-Area Food Bank Begs Religious Leaders to Help Feed Hungry http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9152
Study: 5,000 Living On San Gabriel Valley Streets http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9153
Busy Nights on the Cold Front; Officials Predict More Demand for Reopened Shelter http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9154
City Council Still Undecided on Eve's House Zoning Matter http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9155
Pr. William Board Wants To Help Provide Loans; Focus Is On Entry-Level County Workers http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9156
Churches Step Up To Help the Needy http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9157
Activists Join For Prayers In D.C.; Putting 'A Face On The Abstract' Of Foreclosure Crisis http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9158
Faith-Based Homeless Shelter Network Adds 8th Church http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9159
A Family-Style Feast http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9160
Group Plans For Help In Face Of Need http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9161
Clergy Rally In D.C. For Homeowner Protections http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9162
Churches Learn To Be Prepared For Disaster http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9163
More Charitable Giving In Forecast; Higher Tax Rate Equals Bigger Break for Donors http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=9164
Weekly Opinion Roundup - 11/25/2008 http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_11_25_08.cfm
The Roundtable
on Religion and Social Welfare Policy promotes informed debate
on the issue of publicly funded faith-based social service. Supported
by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Roundtable provides independent, non-partisan
research on the scope and scale of faith-based social services, their
effectiveness, how public resources are being used in providing such services,
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