By Justin O’Brien
March 10, 2008

USCM Vice-President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was joined by Jay Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and other city and community leaders to announce new opportunities available to Miami’s faith-based organizations during a press conference held February 1 at Miami-Dade Public Library in downtown Miami.

Awarded the three-year, $1.5 million grant 2007 Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program Grant by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Miami, through the Mayor’s Office for Faith-Based Initiatives & Community Outreach, will administer the grant to eligible faith and community-based organizations (FBCOs).

The Compassion Capital Fund (CCF), created in 2002, has been a key component of President Bush’s faith-based and community initiative. CCF helps faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) increase their effectiveness and enhance their ability to provide social services to those most in need by building their organizational capacity, diversify their funding sources, and engage to collaborate and partner to better serve those in need.

CCF and Miami recognize that faith-based and community organizations are uniquely situated to partner with the government in serving poor and low-income individuals and families. Miami’s partnership with faith and community-based organizations has been instrumental in Diaz’ successful counter-poverty, homeownership, homelessness continuum-of-care ‘Miami Cares’ and myriad child development programming. Miami is the first city government to receive and administer a CCF grant.

CCF is a key component of the Bush administration’s faith-based and community initiative. Recipients of CCF grants provide training, technical assistance, and sub-awards to a diverse range of faith-based and community organizations seeking to increase their ability to provide social services to those in need. Technical assistance activities are offered free of charge and focus on capacity-building including strategic planning; financial management; board development; fundraising; and outcome measurement.

Miami NICE (Network for Integration, Compassion and Empowerment) represents a wide-ranging collaboration between Miami, Miami-Dade County Office of Strategic Business Management and several key area non-profit organizations, including The Children’s Trust, Center on Nonprofit Effectiveness (C-One), Alliance for Human Services, Family and Children’s Faith Coalition of South Dade, and the United Way of Miami-Dade. Through the Miami NICE partnership a variety of training and technical assistance workshops/seminars will be offered to FBCOs throughout the Miami metro area.

Competitive sub-awards ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 will be available to eligible organizations that provide services in one or more priority areas of CCF: children and youth development, offender re-entry, elderly in need, homelessness, substance abuse rehabilitation services to addicts and offenders including prisoners, families transitioning from welfare to work; and healthy marriage initiatives. Sub-awards will fund capacity-building activities that produce measurable impact resulting in more sustainable organizations. At least $200,000 per year must be distributed to small faith-based and community organizations in the form of sub-awards.

Eligible organizations include any non-profit, faith or community-based organization that provides services to Miami-Dade residents or that is located in Miami-Dade and provides services to county residents, will be eligible to receive free training and technical assistance.

Eligibility criteria for FBCOs to apply for sub-awards include an operational budget between $50,000 and $500,000 and must have been in operation at least two full calendar years. The organizations may or may not have 501(c)3 status but must have not received federal funding previously. FBCOs seeking funding must submit an application and detailed proposal documenting how the funds will be used to increase the organization’s effectiveness and/or sustainabilty.