by minimus 41 Replies latest jw friends
The problem is that religious people are prone to lying and deception. They will out-right lie about how the money is being used.
I am a grant writer. The process of applying for government grants is extremely competitive - its not simply getting in line with your hand out. You must demonstrate in detail what you are going to do with the money then be prepared to show results. There is a great deal of accountability.
People who are suspicious of this don't understand how it works. Bush originally extended eligibility to churches to apply for federal grant funds and Obama's initiative expands on those opportunities. The funds are for services to the community that many churches are best able to provide such as day care, meals for the disadvantaged, etc. It does not fund strictly religious programs or the church itself.
Given the criteria, JWs who give nothing to their communities, would not qualify for funding.
Is there any way to obtain a list of those organizations who applied and/or received funds? Although the funds are to be allocated to groups for specific purposes, there are ways that almost any group can fudge within the criteria. Is the funding to be a one time - must use allocation - or can it be used for example, in rebuilds when houses are damaged. (So if a house is damaged, all volunteers go and fix the home and the society convinces the homeowner to give them the insurance after the fact, might an organization still not qualify if the government doesnt know?) What are the guidelines - is it a grant or a loan? Also, having worked in governmental finance before, some departments may have grants that are not accountable - for example, the maximum an organization might be allowed to used at their discretion and without having to report it, might be $30,000. If they want more, lets say $100,000 - they would have to track, account for and report that amount, so they opt for the lower amount and request it on an annual basis if they can.
If we can get a list then we should be able to see who is on it. sammieswife.
One of my clients is an association of six YMCAs. Another is a Catholic home for pregnant women. Yes, the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Catholic Charities, etc., are non-profit and compete for grant funding alongside secular non-profits. One big happy family actually - we all know each other and work together.
Thanks BizzyBee and Sammie, I understand better now.
I was trying to answer sammieswife's questions and got the quotes all screwed up. I think purps post below will answer a lot of those questions.
I found this earlier and then went all over the web....lol
http://www.faithbasedcommunityinitiatives.org/
FaithBasedCommunityInitiatives.org
LOGON SUCCESSFUL
| Welcome to FaithBasedCommunityInitiatives.org. During the upcoming months as more details emerge from the new White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI), we will be aggregating and disseminating information about the new office and its programs. Our Vision is to educate and assist new and existing Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to apply and qualify for competitive Federal Funding. Effective immediately, the Federal Government has adopted a new attitude to honor and not restrict faith-based and community initiatives, to accept rather than dismiss such programs, and to empower rather than ignore them. In welfare and social policy, the Federal Government will play a new role as supporter, enabler, catalyst and collaborator with faith-based and community organizations. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has been established to make Federal programs more friendly to faith-based and community solutions and to make federal funding more accessible. By Executive Order, effective immediately, each of the following Cabinet agencies will create its own Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to work in tandem with the White House OFBCI, to make federal grants available to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives nationwide.
FaithBasedCommunityInitiatives.org is a convenient web gateway providing direct links to each of these 5 federal agencies and their respective grant programs. We also provide direct links to Charitable Choice Organization for Faith Groups as well as a List of State Liaisons for Faith-Based Initiatives. Grant descriptions, applications, instructions, qualifications, and deadlines are now just a click away. Check back often as we will be posting additional links and information as it becomes available.
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Faith-based programs were funded long before W. Think Catholic Charities.
The difference Bush made is......he allowed them a lot more funding and a lot more leeway. CC used to not have crosses in their human service agencies, but put them all back when W's administration allowed it. (I am talking about one local agency.)
He also defunded some successful human service programs and moved the funding into religious organizations that fit his personal religious beliefs. He took money from organizations that serve homosexuals and gave it to organizations that teach kids to abstain from sex instead. etc. He threw a lot of money at his favorite fundamentalist organizations.
Personally I'd like to see no funding for faith-based programs at all, but I'd settle for going back to the way things were pre-Bush.
He also defunded some successful human service programs and moved the funding into religious organizations that fit his personal religious beliefs. He took money from organizations that serve homosexuals and gave it to organizations that teach kids to abstain from sex instead. etc. He threw a lot of money at his favorite fundamentalist organizations.
I really question this rebel. This type of cherry-picking would be pretty hard to do since federal grants have many, many layers of administration and oversight.
Personally I'd like to see no funding for faith-based programs at all, but I'd settle for going back to the way things were pre-Bush.
Personally, I think it is a good and smart thing for Obama to expand this provision. It is not about religion. It is about providing food, shelter, clothing, child care, etc.
Faith-based programs were funded long before W. Think Catholic Charities.
Rebel, strictly speaking, Catholic Charities are a privately funded affair. I do not take issue with this.
BTS
Do they fund rehabilition programs too?
