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OPA News Release: [04/17/2002]
Contact Name: Elissa
Pruett
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Secretary Chao Unveils First Federal Grants Available to Faith-Based
and Grassroots Organizations Three New Sets of Grants Will Assist Faith-Based
and Community Organizations Helping Americans Find Good Jobs
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today
announced three new Department of Labor grants specifically designed to link
faith-based and grassroots community organizations to the nation’s
One-Stop Career System. The grants will be administered and funded through the
department’s Employment and Training Administration and the new Center for
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
“We are opening the Department of Labor’s doors, and its
funds, to those faith-based and community groups who are transforming America
one life and one heart at a time. These organizations can serve as a critical
component of our workforce system and can provide an effective bridge to the
employment and training system,” said Chao at an afternoon news
conference. “We are proud that the department is making the
president’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative a reality. This is the
first new grant program in the entire federal government targeted specifically
at the faith-based and community groups.”
The grants are a central component of President George W. Bush’s
effort to realign federal policy and programs to ensure accessibility for all
qualified organizations to compete for government funds.
Secretary Chao announced the following three grant solicitations:
· 25 grants of $20,000 to $25,000 to faith-based and community
groups that provide employment, training and other services. Simplified
application and reporting requirements will make sure these dollars are spent
effectively and efficiently.
· $5 million in grants for regional intermediaries to develop
networks of faith-based and community organizations to become partners with the
existing One-Stop Career System.
· $10 million in grants to encourage state workforce programs to
link faith-based and community groups to the One-Stop employment centers. The
grants will encourage states to develop special plans to reach out and include
grassroots, faith-based and community organizations to fill the gaps in their
delivery systems.
The Department of Labor is one of five federal cabinet agencies with a
Faith-Based and Community Initiative Center.
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