By setting up a statewide office to administer faith-based grants it received from the federal government, Ohio, in 2003, was showing it took seriously then President Bush's initiative for states to fund nonprofit groups who were trying to correct social problems. Soon after, private organizations in Ohio were starting their own faith-based grant programs. As of 2011, faith-based groups in the state were still receiving millions of dollars in grants to provide underprivileged communities with life-sustaining resources.
Eligibility
State law and private donors set the eligibility criteria for faith-based grants. Under Ohio's Code 107.12, faith-based organizations are those that perform charitable work and are exempt from federal income taxes. In addition to the state government's criteria, individual grantors can set their own eligibility requirements, which typically serve to promote the grantor's founding mission. For example, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, which serves Ohio's poor, awards grants to faith-based groups that perform the same work of helping needy residents. Similarly, the Coalition for a Nonviolent Columbus, which encourages citizens to fight crime in their neighborhoods, earmarks its grants for projects that will improve neighborhood safety.
Focus on the Family
Some Ohio faith-based organizations use grants for programs aimed at strengthening the family. The Ohio Commission on Fatherhood (OCF), which receives funds from the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, helps fathers become more involved in their children's lives. Ninety percent of OCF's total budget goes to Ohio's underprivileged communities in the form of grants. According to a January 2011 report, in 2009 and 2010, the OCF awarded 19 grants totaling more than $3 million to programs that help men improve their parenting skills. The Talbert House, a private organization, receives federal grants that it turns over to faith-based groups in southwest Ohio. In January 2010, the Talbert House gave $200,000 in grants to 30 faith-based groups that help low-income families find jobs, furnish their homes and pay bills.
Support the Children
Faith-based grant sponsors exist who want to make sure children in Ohio have enough food and resources to live productive lives. A government sponsor is the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which receives grants from the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The department awards these grants to organizations that sponsor "Feed Ohio," a summer food service program available to low-income children throughout the state. Recipients of "Feed Ohio" grants must provide children with a meal and a learning enrichment program that helps them develop skills necessary to become successful students, citizens and leaders. Other child-centered grants are available to faith-based groups through the Ohio Afterschool Network (OAN), a statewide group of child advocates who want to provide children with learning opportunities outside the classroom. In 2011, OAN was sponsoring 21 grants to fund environmental projects, reduce child hunger, teach kids about good nutrition, help students improve school attendance and behavior, and increase math and science skills for grades K-12 students.
Community Health Issues
Public and private sources of faith-based grants also focus on community health issues. Religious ministries in Ohio are eligible for grants through the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund. In 2010 alone, this fund awarded faith-based grants to 24 organizations that teach residents about good nutrition and fitness, physical therapy, oral health and ways to fight depression. Through a faith-based program known as "N.E.S.T.," which stands for Nutrition, Education, Sleep and Therapy, the Ohio Department of Health addresses health problems that affect African Americans in particular. Goals of N.E.S.T. include helping African Americans to combat substance abuse and mental illness.
Ensuring Public Safety
To create safer neighborhoods, Ohio state and local governments award faith-based grants that help rehabilitate former prisoners and encourage citizens to fight crime. With a federal grant of $13 million in 2010, the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) is continuing a program in which faith-based groups partner with government services to teach ex-prisoners become productive members of society. Since 2007, faith-based groups have used the grant money from ODADAS to help more than 6,000 former inmates return to community life by finding homes and jobs and battling their addiction to drugs and alcohol. In the city of Columbus, Ohio, the Coalition for a Nonviolent Columbus is a neighborhood organization that awards grants to faith-based organizations focusing on crime prevention. To receive the grants, applicants must show how their crime-stopping ideas will maintain clean neighborhoods, educate parents about the dangers of drugs and gangs, and foster faith-based intervention teams to ensure public safety.
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