The Quiet Revolution: The President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative: A Seven-Year Progress Report Letter From President Bush

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON

February 2008

On January 29, 2001, I established the Faith-Based and Community Initiative. This new strategy placed faith-based and community organizations at the center of Government's response to human need. Through the efforts of America's armies of compassion, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is impacting countless lives across our Nation and around the world.

Over the past 7 years, the Initiative has championed innovated and unprecedented efforts to enable Government partnerships with grassroots religious and secular charities. The Initiative helped establish a level playing field for faith-based organizations and set clear, constitutional guidelines for their use of public funds. It has also delivered training to more than 100,000 social entrepreneurs on ways to enhance their effectiveness and gain access to funding opportunities. Through the Initiative, the Federal Government has funded thousands of effective organizations — 18,000 in 2006 alone — that serve at-risk youth, disaster victims, recovering addicts, returning prisoners, individuals with HIV/AIDS, the homeless, and many others. Many of our Nation's Governors have recognized the value of Faith-Based and Community Initiative, and 35 are replicating this governing strategy within their States.

As this report documents, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative has advanced a "quiet revolution" in America's approach to helping our neighbors in need. And although it has often been carried out with little fanfare, this work is something every American can be proud of — as communities are revitalized, lives are restored and hope is renewed.