2001 George W. Bush - Faith Based Community Initiative

On February 7, 2002 President Bush announced his plan for "faith-based initiatives".   At a National Prayer breakfast, Bush explained his proposal for government to encourage faith based social-service programs to flourish.  While his plan to federally fund faith-based programs upset some die-hard secularists, it received bi-partisan support and the support of approximately 70 percent of Americans.   President Bush created Faith-based Community Initiatives because he believed that faith-based and community organizations which had a long tradition of helping Americans in need were in danger of being over-regulated with complicated rules preventing them from competing for funds on an equal footing with other organizations.   His initiative would ensure that federal funds were awarded to the most effective organizations, regardless if they were public or private, large or small, faith-based or secular.   In the first two years of the program, the total dollar amount of all grants awarded to faith-based initiatives increased by 21 percent.  And in 2005, more than $2.2 billion in competitive social service grants were awarded to faith-based organizations.   In 2009, President Obama renamed the initiative to the President's Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

In his first annual address to a joint session of  Congress, President Bush urged Congress to consider his faith-based initiative with these words:

"We must encourage and support the work of charities and faith-based and community groups that offer help and love, one person at a time. These groups are working in every neighborhood in America to fight homelessness and addiction and domestic violence, to provide a hot meal or a mentor or a safe haven for our children. Government should welcome these groups to apply for funds, not discriminate against them.

Government cannot be replaced by charities or volunteers. Government should not fund religious activities. But our Nation should support the good works of these good people who are helping their neighbors in need. So I propose allowing all taxpayers, whether they itemize or not, to deduct their charitable contributions. Estimates show this could encourage as much as $14 billion a year in new charitable giving, money that will save and change lives."

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-george-w-bush-announces-plan-for-faith-based-initiatives
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/fbci/president-initiative.html
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/10.25-37?lang=eng
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/images/faithbased.jpg