Papers and perspectives

The Faith-Based Public Partnerships Round Table Discussion 9/24/03

Write up by Kalina Bichova, Graduate Assistant

The discussion (the second event of this series) turned out to be a truly open discussion between faith-based organizations (FBO) representatives and representatives of the federal government. The round table setting created a fairly informal atmosphere where the participants spoke freely and frankly.

Central to the discussion were finance-related issues. Particularly, the FBO representatives expressed their concern about the access to federal government funding. Some of them mentioned they had the chance to get some government assistance in the past but in general, they found quite a wide distance between the fundraiser and themselves. First, they do not get much information on what is being offered by the government and that was pointed out as a major problem. Second, they find the grant application a cumbersome procedure, which requires great skills and specially trained staff. They lack qualified people to deal with the purely technical matters of the application process and to do the record keeping for their organizations. It is not an easy task to find such staff on the labor market and make it work for them.

The FBOs defined the problem as a lack of relationship between them and the responsible federal government officials. They feel that building such a relationship may be accomplished by setting up meetings on a regular basis. Establishing a frame for their relationships would eliminate two of the setbacks mentioned earlier – the problem with the uncertainty on the part of the FBO about political forces and the patronage. A process is a process regardless of who comes in office. The FBOs want a more secure foundation for their contacts with the federal government. They feel this would help them overcome some of the difficulties they have to deal with on a daily basis such as finding adequate staff skillful in the management of federal grants.

The government representatives showed equal concern on the problems mentioned. They said they are always open for discussion and proposals for efficient work. It was generally agreed, however, that it is just one government and a large number of small organizations. One way of facilitating the links between the two parties was mentioned: setting up alliances of small organizations or using intermediaries as liaisons. The key word was brought up: connectedness. Connectedness is going to give the small FBO more clout and more ability to negotiate with the federal government.

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