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.

New! Obama Offers Glimpse into Vision for White House Faith-Based Office

If elected President, Sen. Barack Obama would maintain the federal effort to encourage government partnerships
with religious groups but make changes that he said would improve the endeavor by making it more effective and
substantive. According to his remarks and a campaign fact sheet, an Obama Administration would create a
Council of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, following on some of the work of the White House Office
of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which President George W. Bush created in 2001. But Sen. Obama
criticized the Bush Administration for falling short of the Initiative’s promise, by consistently underfunding social
services for the poor and needy, using the faith-based office to promote partisan interests, and short-changing the
smaller congregations and community groups that it was established to empower.

A former director of the Bush White House’s faith-based office took issue with those statements, saying Obama’s
interest in the federal effort is a validation of the President’s success.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here for a roundup of other news articles on Obama's announcement.

New! White House Celebrates Faith-Based Initiative as President’s Term Nears End

In an address to an audience comprised largely of supporters of his Faith-Based and Community Initiative,
President George W. Bush last week ranked the effort to encourage more partnerships between government
and religious groups among the most significant of his term. “I truly believe the Faith-Based Initiative is one of
the most important initiatives of this Administration,” President Bush told an audience of about 1,500 people at
a White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives’ conference entitled “Innovations in Effective
Compassion,” held at a Washington, D.C. hotel on June 26-27. Originally billed as a research conference, the
event served as more of a showcase for the achievements of the effort – something the President said will become
part of his legacy.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes.

Click here for a roundup of other news articles on the event.

New! An Interview with Chip Lupu and Bob Tuttle on Changes in Rules
Governing the Faith-Based and Community Initiative

Ira C. Lupu is the F. Elwood & Eleanor Davis Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School.
Robert W. Tuttle is Professor of Law and the David R. and Sherry Kirschner Berz Research Professor of Law
and Religion, George Washington University Law School. Professors Lupu and Tuttle are the co-directors of legal
research for the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy.

Professors Lupu and Tuttle track and analyze legal developments in government aid to faith-based social welfare
organizations. Their work also interprets the significance of broader constitutional law developments concerning the relationship between religion and the Constitution. In this interview, they discuss their paper, “Constitutional
Change and Responsibilities of Governance Pertaining to the Faith-Based and Community Initiative,” presented
June 27 at the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conference on Innovations in Effective Compassion.

Click here to read the interview.

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 Labor, the Corporation for National
and Community Service, and by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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

Click here for the grants digest.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Report Shows Compassion Capital Fund Program Assists Families and Communities in Need
Media Newswire (media-newswire.com)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8468

Squeezed By Economy, Too, Charities Being Asked For More
SunHerald.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8469

Healthy Marriages Save Taxpayer Dollars; Churches Tapped To Help Educate Couples
The Baptist Standard

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8470

Black Churches Take Up Fight Against HIV
Tennessean.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8471

Access Granted
Naples Daily News (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8472

Locals Examine Charity Housing
FLORIDA TODAY (Brevard County, Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8473

Faith-Based Group Revamps Because Of Lack of Funds;
Organization Will Offer Limited Services, Hours
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Georgia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8474

Hospice Plans Unit For Terminally Ill;
Catholic Hospice Will Open A 20-Bed Unit to Cater to Residents in Northwest Miami-Dade
The Miami Herald

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8481

Group's Petition for Health Care Ends
The Detroit News (Michigan)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8482

Faith-Based Event to Focus On Home Ownership Basics
The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8483

Economic Stimulus Checks Fund Faith Projects;
Church Groups Urge Members to Donate Federal Tax Rebates to Charity
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8475

D'Iberville Rebuilding Celebration Episode no. 1143
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8476

Faith Or Croynism In The White House Faith-Based Initiative?
Los Angeles Times

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8477

Reaping What They Sow -- The Sierra Club Honors the United Methodist Ministries for 23 Community Growing Sites
Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8478

Charitable Giving Is Up, But Will It Keep Up With Need?
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8479

Manna Ministries' New Shelter To Offer Extended Care For Men
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8484

Faith-Based Recording Studio Opens In Owings Mills
The Daily Record (Baltimore, MD)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8485

Lucas County Backs Training Program, Rocket Ventures
The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8486

Grant Targets Gang Prevention
The Fayette Observer (Fayetteville, North Carolina)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8487

It's about Sacrifice; Christian Network's Doctors Earn Less to Serve Poor
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8480

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 7/1/2008
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_7_1_08.cfm