Articles, Excerpts, Tips & More
Toolkit for Government-FBO Collaboration: This toolkit will orient practitioners to the issue of financial collaboration between government and FBOs. It provides summaries of legal research on the state of the law as well as practical guidance on making collaboration with government fruitful.
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Fruitful Collaborations: Survey of Government-Funded Faith-Based Programs in 15 States (Exec Sum): This short report highlights findings from a survey of nearly 400 FBO contractors regarding their assessment of their relationship to the government agency financing their social service programs.
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Collaborations Catalogue: A Report on Charitable Choice Implementation in 15 States (Exec Summary): This 2002 report details the extent of government contracting with FBOs under the charitable choice rules in 15 states, providing information on the amounts of contracts and the types of services funded.
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Mini-Profiles of Mayoral-FBO Partnerships in Prisoner Reentry: The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Center on Faith-Based Initiatives produced these brief profiles of creative partnerships in Philadelphia, Charleston, Washington, Minneapolis and other cities.
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Q&A on Legal Issues Involved in FBO-Government Partnerships: Q&A on Legal Issues Involved in FBO-Government Partnerships: This document lists general rules and frequently asked questions regarding government-faith collaboration. It tackles issues raised when FBOs receive direct grant or contract funding from government and those that come into play when FBOs receive indirect public funding (e.g., through vouchers).
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Pros and Cons of Receiving Government Funding: This short article will help faith leaders evaluate the potential promises and pitfalls of financial collaboration with government.
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Self-Assessment: Ten Questions to Determine Whether Your Congregation is Ready to Compete for Public: If your faith-based organization considering whether to seek public funding for your social service program? Use these questions to help you assess whether your organization is ready, and the service is appropriate, for potential government funding.
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Due Diligence Tips: Once your FBO has secured a government contract, what practices and procedures can you put in place to help ensure that your partnership is successful? This short article offers several tips based on research at dozens of program sites as well as findings from the Hudson Institute/Bliss Institute’s 2002 survey of nearly 400 faith-based government contractors.
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Web Resources for Research and Information Concerning Faith-Based Initiatives and Legal Issues: Use this directory of website links to connect you to governmental and nongovernmental organizations that offer up-to-date information on faith-based initiatives.
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Faith in the City: Patrick McCrory and the Mayors Mentoring Alliance: In Charlotte, NC, Mayor McCrory has successfully mobilized corporate and faith-based volunteers to mentor at-risk youth. This case study from FASTEN partner Harvard University highlights successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
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Building Effective Cross-Sector Collaborations: A Learning Module : This learning module includes a set of resources to enhance faith community-city hall collaborations. The resources are grounded in real-life leadership situations, presented here in a set of “living cases” which capture the innovative leadership of mayors and religious leaders in the process of its unfolding. These resources are organized around two key areas: (a) strategies for leadership; and (b) substantive policy areas.
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Charitable Choice: Top 10 Tips for Public Officials: This list notes 10 recommendations for public officials who want to ensure that their programs are in compliance with Charitable Choice.
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Recommended Books
Religion-Based Employment Discrimination in Charitable Choice: A Guide for the Perplexed: A Guide for the Perplexed. This article is good background information on applying the Charitable Choice rules to your organization.
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Charitable Choice for Welfare & Community Services:: An Implementation Guide for State, Local, and Federal Officials. This is a focused introduction to the finer points of compliance with the Charitable Choice guidelines of the 1996 federal welfare reforms.
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Recommended Links
Faithworks Indiana: This is a resource-rich website for both FBO leaders and public administrators regarding public funding of faith-based service organizations.
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SHARE Network: Located in North Dakota, this is a model of networking various agencies involved in workforce development. The site’s goal is to help North Dakota job-seekers to find resources that will help them secure training and find gainful employment.
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