President's Faith-Based & Community Initiative Wins Key Endorsement

Presidential Action:

Today the President will travel to Detroit, Michigan to accept a key endorsement from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for his faith-based and community initiative.

150 Mayors are highlighting their commitment to establishing faith-based and community partnerships to work more effectively with charitable organizations in delivering effective, results-oriented social services to needy Americans.

Key Organizations Support Faith-Based and Community Initiatives:

Today's endorsement by the U.S. Conference of Mayors is just the latest in a steady stream of respected national charities, ministries and philanthropic organizations that have announced their support for key provisions of the President's faith- and community-based initiative, including:

• Boys and Girls Town
• Center for Public Justice
• Empower America
• Habitat for Humanity International
• National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., Housing Commission
• National Association of Evangelicals
• National Center for Community Economic Development
• National Center for Faith-Based Initiative
• National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry
• New York Hispanic Clergy Association
• National Hispanic Religious Partnership
• Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development
• Salvation Army
• Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
• U.S. Catholic Conference

Key Elements of the President's Effort to Rally America's Armies of Compassion and H.R. 7:

Stimulate an outpouring of private giving to nonprofits, faith-based programs, and community groups by expanding tax deductions and other initiatives:

• Granting a charitable tax deduction to 80 million non-itemizing American taxpayers -70% of American taxpayers
• Promoting corporate in-kind donations such as equipment, facilities, vehicles, and real property
• Permitting charitable contributions from IRAs without penalty
• Increasing food assistance by expanding the deduction for charitable food donations
• Designating Compassion Capital Funds to provide technical assistance and other support to programs achieving strong civic purposes

Eliminate federal barriers to effective faith-based and community-serving programs through legislative, regulatory, and programmatic reforms:

• Expanding established Charitable Choice principles to enable private, charitable and religious organizations to compete, on a nondiscriminatory basis, for federal funds for social service programs such as:
• Juvenile Justice and crime prevention
• Housing assistance
• Job training
• Elder care
• Hunger relief
• Domestic violence prevention
• After school and adult education services
• Community Development Block Grant

Empowering low-income families to save and build assets through Individual Development Accounts

For more information please contact White House Press Office at (202) 456-2580