Tips on Grant Writing for Faith-Based Entities

 

Citing the president’s desire that faith-based groups should be welcomed partners in addressing needed change within communities, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives spent much of 2006 offering regional day-long overviews on grant writing and the implications of partnering with the Federal government.

 

“The question should not be on who you are but what you do,” Dominique Ludvigson, associate director for the entity, told Texas faith-based representatives who gathered in Austin in July.

 

Ludvigson underscored the need to work within Constitutional guidelines, specifically noting that the government cannot pay for inherently religious activities such as prayer, worship, religious instruction or evangelism.

 

“Don’t preach on Uncle Sam’s dollar,” she said during her presentation on the “Do’s & Don’ts for Faith-Based Organizations.”

 

Yet organizations were advised that religious activities could still be conducted by organizations receiving funding as long as those activities were covered by private funds.

 

She offered several tips for keeping religious activities separate:

  • Keep content focused on program topics
  • Hold inherently religious activities at a different time or location than government-funded services
  • Maintain careful accounting
  • Remember that program participants can be invited to join in religious services or events but the participation must be voluntary and the decision to participate can have no bearing on services delivered.

 

To keep the “faith” in faith-based, she offered that religious organizations can keep religious symbols on walls, retain the name of the organization, keep its mission statement and engage in religious activities as long as they are “privately funded, separate, and voluntary.”

 

Addressing frequently asked questions, Ludvigson offered the following instruction:

 

  • On sharing one’s faith (if asked) – “You may answer briefly. But if you wish to have a longer discussion, set up a time to speak with that person later.”
  • On practicing religious activities with staff and volunteers in the presence of program participants – “Staff and volunteers may engage in religious activities but make sure that the activity is voluntary for program participants.”
  • On whether receiving funds means changing hiring practices – “In most cases, no. The Civil Rights Act recognizes the right of religious groups to hire employees who share their faith. But some programs may have different rules.”
  • On whether federal funds can be used to pay staff salaries – “As long as the staff person spends her time on program activities. . . . If a staffer splits time between program and church activities, keep careful records.”
  • On choosing not to provide services to some people – “No. If you take federal money you must provide services to all who are eligible.”
  • On receiving government funds if religion is integrated throughout the program – “In most cases, no.”

 

Violation of any of the rules set forth by the government would result in losing the grant funds, the need to repay any funds received, and possibly legal action.

 

For more information, visit www.hhs.gov/fbci.