HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 60 new grants totaling $8.1 million to help faith-based and community organizations expand and strengthen their ability to provide social services to those in need.

In addition, HHS will provide about $24 million to support 21 continuing grants under HHS' Compassion Capital Fund, which is designed to help build the capacity of faith-based and community organizations to enable them to provide increased services to low-income and other vulnerable populations. The Compassion Capital Fund also is designed to help faith-based and community organizations compete more effectively for private and public resources, including federal sources of funding such as HHS.

"The people who commit themselves to bettering the lives of our nation's most vulnerable citizens represent our compassionate soul, and we must do more to help them succeed," Secretary Thompson said. "Today's grants will help many faith-based and community organizations to expand services to better help homeless families, at-risk children, people fighting addiction and others in need."

Today's awards support President Bush's faith-based initiative and strong commitment to supporting community groups as they strive to deliver needed health and social services to neighbors in need.

The grants include 50 one-time, $50,000 grants to help faith-based and community organizations expand their ability to serve the needs of at-risk youth and homeless people. The awards will enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of programs, help the grantees to access funds from other sources and promote the implementation of model programs and best practices. Organizations in 35 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands received grants, and each grantee has at least one year of experience serving at-risk youth or homeless people.

In addition, larger grants are being awarded to "intermediary" organizations with established relationships with local grassroots agencies. These grantees will provide training and technical assistance to strengthen faith-based and community groups. They also will award at least 25 percent of their grant money to grassroots organizations to build their capacity to assist individuals with particularly serious problems, such as homelessness, addiction or incarceration of a parent.

"These capacity building funds will reap benefits far beyond our initial investment," said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. "By building organizational capacity, we are creating the right conditions for faith and community-based agencies to grow and get better at what they already do, with or without additional government funding."

President Bush first announced his faith- and community-based initiative in January 2001. HHS' Compassion Capital Fund was created two years ago and has a $35 million budget for the current fiscal year. In addition to today's grants, HHS is providing $24 million in continuing grants to earlier Compassion Capital Fund grantees.

President Bush's budget proposal would increase support for the program to $100 million in fiscal year 2004. Through this initiative, the administration is working to remove unnecessary barriers that may prevent these organizations from competing fully for federal funding, and to create a "level playing field" between faith-based and community organizations and other groups that receive federal funds to provide social services.

The list of new grantees and the amount of their awards follow:

Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program Grants
Grantee Name	City	State	Grant Amount
United Way of Tucson & Southern Arizona	Tucson	AZ	$686,982
National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise	Washington D.C.	DC	498,403
We Care America, Inc.	Washington D.C.	DC	712,020
Kentucky River Foothills Development Council, Inc.	Richmond	KY	511,298
Louisana Association Nonprofit Organizations	Baton Rouge	LA	401,022
Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches	Minneapolis	MN	532,000
Citizens Committee for New York City	New York City	NY	312,348
Foundation for Community Empowerment	Dallas	TX	578,892
Northwest Leadership Foundation	Tacoma	WA	740,438
Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ	Milwaukee	WI	626,598
Total Awarded:			$5.6 Million

Compassion Capital Fund Mini-Grants
Applicant Name	City	State	Ammount To Be Awarded
Big Brother Big Sister of Southeast Alaska	Juneau	AK	$49,907
Montgomery S.T.E.P. Foundation	Montgomery	AL	50,000
St. Clair Children's Advocacy Center, Inc.	Pell City	AL	50,000
Lee County Family Resource Center	Marianna	AR	48,185
Rural Human Services, Inc.	Crescent City	CA	49,430
Contra Costa Opportunity West	Richmond	CA	50,000
Riverside Coalition of Common Ground	Riverside	CA	50,000
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Colorado Springs, Inc.	Colorado Springs	CO	50,000
Community Housing Services, Inc.	Denver	CO	50,000
Council of Churches	Bridgeport	CT	50,000
Hartford Action Plan on Infant Health	Hartford	CT	50,000
City Gate, Inc.	Washington	DC	50,000
Delaware Ecumenical Council on Children and Families	Wilmington	DE	50,000
Trinity Church, Inc.	Miami	FL	50,000
The Center for Drug Free Living, Inc.	Orlando	FL	50,000
Georgia Legal Services Program, Inc.	Atlanta	GA	50,000
Hawaii Pro Bono Attorney Referral Project	Honolulu	HI	50,000
St. Paul AME Church	Des Moines	IA	50,000
Christ Ecumenical Center	Chicago Heights	IL	50,000
Housing Options for the Mentally Ill	Evanston	IL	50,000
Episcopal Social Services, Inc.	Wichita	KS	50,000
We're Reaching Out	Bowling Green	KY	50,000
Hazard Perry County Community Ministries, Inc.	Hazard	KY	50,000
Joy Corporation of Baton Rouge	Zachary	LA	50,000
Emmanuel Gospel Center, Inc.	Boston	MA	50,000
Washington County Comm. Action Council, Inc.	Hagerstown	MD	47,000
Tedford Shelter, Inc.	Brunswick	ME	49,984
Saint Gregory Community Center Council Inc.	Detroit	MI	50,000
Center for Family Health, Inc.	Jackson	MI	50,000
Lao Family Community of MN, Inc.	Saint Paul	MN	50,000
Breaking Free, Inc.	St. Paul	MN	50,000
Cornerstones of Care	Kansas City	MO	50,000
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Montana	Helena	MT	50,000
Telamon Corporation	Raleigh	NC	50,000
Steppingstone Music Opportunities d.b.a. The Sad Café	Plaistow	NH	48,648
Citizens for Affordable Homes	Carson City	NV	48,094
Groundwork Incorporated	Brooklyn	NY	49,913
West Islip Youth Enrichment Services, Inc.	West Islip	NY	50,000
Care Alliance	Cleveland	OH	50,000
Thunderbird Challenge, Inc.	Pryor	OK	50,000
Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon	Portland	OR	49,716
Salem Leadership Foundation	Salem	OR	48,876
The Philadelphia Youth Network, Inc.	Philadelphia	PA	50,000
Christ Lutheran Church	Upper Darby	PA	50,000
The Source: A Boys and Girls Club	Sisseton	SD	50,000
St. Paul's Episcopal Church	Newport News	VA	50,000
Access to Racial and Cultural Health Institute, Inc.	Christiansted	VI	50,000
The Dream Program	Winooski	VT	47,195
Multifaith Works	Seattle	WA	50,000
Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee	Milwaukee	WI	50,000
Total Awarded:			$2.5 Million