E-Newsletter for December 5, 2006

In this issue:

• Roundtable Conference Explores Effectiveness of Faith-Based Services
• Prison Programs, Chaplaincies and Capacity Grants Top Year’s Faith-Based Controversies
• Supreme Court Agrees to Rule on Taxpayer Challenge to the Faith-Based Initiative
• Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community Organization Eligibility
• Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research project
of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State University of New York.

TODAY! Roundtable Conference Explores Effectiveness of Faith-Based Services

In the nearly six years since George W. Bush launched the Faith-Based and Community Initiative,
that effort to expand religious charities’ social service work has sparked heated debate. Supporters
claim faith-based organizations are sometimes best suited to address social problems such as
joblessness, addiction and sexual promiscuity among teens. Opponents raise concerns that faith-
based organizations are not held to the same standards as secular groups, and even claim it is illegal
to funnel tax money to religious groups.

But aside from those generalizations, what is known about how well these government partnerships
with faith-based organizations are faring?

At its annual conference, being held today in Washington, D.C., the Roundtable on Religion and
Social Welfare Policy is addressing that question. "Partnering with Faith: Assessing Government
Alliances with Religious Groups in Key Service Areas" is examining the work of religious charities in
substance abuse treatment, abstinence education, job training, and supplemental educational
services. Information to be presented will supplement the Roundtable’s continuing efforts to provide
the latest data on the performance of faith-based social service providers.

The conference kicks off with a perspective of government partnerships with religious groups from Jay
Hein, appointed Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in
August. Then the Roundtable’s nationally recognized constitutional law experts will offer their annual
update on the legal cases affecting relations between church and state. (See item below for more
information on their "State of the Law: 2006" report.)

Then four separate sessions examine particular service areas. Each panel will include top
government officials, faith-based social service providers, researchers and skeptics. They’ll share
information on current activities, program effectiveness, how partnerships between government and
religious groups really work, and the sometimes controversial issues surrounding taxpayer support
for religious charities.

Click here for details on the day’s sessions.

For more information on the comparative effectiveness of faith-based social services,
click here for the Roundtable’s resource page on that topic.

Watch next week’s newsletter for accounts of the conference and transcripts of our plenary sessions.

New! Prison Programs, Chaplaincies and Capacity Grants Top Year’s
Faith-Based Controversies

The Bush Administration’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative continued this year to face legal
challenges that test its potential reach. Among the most significant cases in 2006 were those
concerning prison programs, government chaplaincies, and grants to help faith-based organizations
increase their ability to win government contracts, according to the Roundtable on Religion and
Social Welfare Policy’s annual "State of the Law" report.

Major controversies over the Initiative and related church-state issues involved both matters of legal
procedure and substantive decisions handed down by judges, say George Washington University
Law Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle, co-directors of legal research for the Roundtable
and authors of the report.

"This year’s most prominent developments provide a rich mix of procedural concerns, both
administrative and judicial, and substantive outcomes," Lupu and Tuttle state in the report.
"(P)rocess and substance interact in ways that profoundly shape the legal milieu in which the Faith-
Based and Community Initiative proceeds."

The report breaks down the most significant legal developments affecting the federal initiative into
five main categories: guidance to faith-based organizations on how to work legally with the government;
government grants to increase faith-based organizations’ capacity; faith-based programs in prisons;
government chaplaincies; and the structure of lawsuits based on the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment
Clause. The report also considers court decisions in Florida and Georgia that may influence policy toward
 faith-based organizations in those states.

Click here to read a press release outlining the report.

Click here for the full report.

Supreme Court Agrees to Rule on Taxpayer Challenge to the
Faith-Based Initiative

One of the structural matters addressed in the legal analysis by Professors Lupu and Tuttle was
elevated Friday December 1, when the Supreme Court announced it had granted a petition from the
Bush Administration and agreed to rule on whether taxpayers may sue to challenge the Faith-Based
and Community Initiative.

Aimed originally at a series of White House-sponsored regional conferences on federal aid to
religious groups - and known on appeal as Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, et al. -
the lawsuit turns on whether taxpayers have standing to challenge a federal program that aids religion,
but not with funds specifically earmarked by Congress for such organizations. Courts that have considered
 the case so far have drawn different conclusions, and several federal appellate judges determined the law
of taxpayer standing is so fraught with inconsistency and controversy that only the Supreme Court could
make a definitive ruling.

Click here for prior reporting on the story by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes, with links to
documents from parties to the case.

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. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department
of Justice, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs may require specific technical
expertise, or experience with particular foreign countries.

Click here for the grant digest, compiled by Roundtable Correspondent Allison Sarnoff
with Lisa Montiel

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

3 centers may exit Hope; Controversy over online charter school, more scrutiny cited.
A new oversight plan is unveiled to bring 81 learning centers into compliance with church-state separation laws.
Denver Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5628

Proselytizing at the Expense of HIV Patients; In South Africa, some AIDS funds
go to faith-based groups with little expertise
Center for Public Integrity

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5629

Justices to Decide if Citizens May Challenge White House's Religion-Based Initiative
The New York Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5635

Using the Bible as a guide Church: Faith-based personal counseling on tap.
Pottersville Recorder (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5643

Homemade Meals Are Returning To Shelters
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5644

With Perseverance, Coalition Sets Up Loudoun Shelter
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5641

Recovering meth addict now working to help others live sober
The Star Tribune (Terre Haute, Indiana)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5642

Compassion from a knowing heart; Former child of war finds self specially suited to help Katrina survivors
The Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5636

Treatment Programs Backed By U.S. Reach 800,000; U.S. Leaders Emphasize Partnership on World AIDS Day
News Blaze (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5638

Initiative aims to curb violence; Faith-based groups will be heavily involved in effort
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5639

A duty to reach out to the helpless
Albany Times Union (New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5640

Divine Wrath
Boston Magazine

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5637

Churches, businesses join in homeless effort
The Valley Chronicle (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5630

Sanderson hopes state grant helps break the child abuse cycle:
An $80,000 donation from health and family services to go toward substance abuse prevention, child care services
The Paducah Sun (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5631

Child Support to lose funding
Beliot Daily News (Wisconsin)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5632

Justices to review challenge to White House promotion of faith-based charities
Associated Press Worldstream

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5622

Ark. Begins Faith-Based Inmate Program
Associated Press Online

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5623

Faith groups urge cuts to AIDS fund Allege opposition to Christian efforts
The Boston Globe

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5624

Obama's mega-church visit spotlights waning `God gap'
Chicago Tribune

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5625

Answers sought at gang summit; Civic leaders, cops, politicians discuss how to fight scourge
The Modesto Bee (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5626

Summit targets drug abuse
The Herald Dispatch (West Virginia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5627

Legal Group Tells IRS to Back Off Intimidating Churches
WDC Media News

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5611

NEW PROGRAM;More mentors needed for youths;
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5612

Housing Bill Targets Income Diversity; City Builders Would Have To Sell Some Homes At Lower Cost
The Baltimore Sun

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5613

Renovation beginning at home for homeless
Williamsport Sun Gazette (Pennsylvania)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5614

Local pastor working to help AIDS orphans gives check to family
Sun Journal (Maine)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5615

New Orleans Churches Shift From Short-Term Needs to Long-Term Rebuilding
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5616

'Born-Again Heathen' Bikers Run Full-Throttle for Jesus
Religion News Service

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5617

Black Power, Revisited
Richmond Style Weekly (Virginia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5618

Fighting off the freeze; Auburn homeless seek shelter from winter nights
Auburn Journal (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5619

Kids of Honor stars shine
The Daily Times (Maryland)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5620

Community Spotlight: Faith Based Drug Treatment Program
KAIT-8 (Arkansas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=5621

Weekly Opinion Roundup -12/05/2006
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/12-05-2006_opinion_roundup.cfm