About Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
The HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center) is the department’s liaison to the grassroots. The department recognizes that without the engagement of secular and faith-based nonprofits, community organizations, neighborhoods, and wider communities, services will not reach people who need them most. The Partnership Center is a mechanism for the department to engage and communicate with the grassroots, ensuring that local institutions that hold community trust have up-to-date information regarding health and human service activities and resources in their area.
We work to build partnerships between government and community and faith-based organizations, which help HHS serve individuals, families and communities in need. The Partnership Center works in collaboration with HHS agencies, and our goal is to extend the reach and impact of HHS programs into communities.
The Partnership Center is committed to helping grassroots organizations access the necessary tools to reach those in need. While the center exists to supply information and resources, it is important to note that there is no “faith-based funding.” Rather, the center works to enable community and faith-based organizations to partner with the government through both non-fiduciary and fiduciary partnerships to achieve the goals of HHS and the specific goals put forward by President Obama for the Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership Initiative. These are to:
- Strengthen the role of community organizations in the economic recovery and poverty reduction.
- Reduce unintended pregnancies and support maternal and child health.
- Promote responsible fatherhood and healthy families.
- Foster interfaith dialogue and collaboration with leaders and scholars around the world, and at home.
The priorities of the Partnership Center are carried out in a way that upholds and honors our Constitution - ensuring that both existing programs and new proposals are fully consistent with American laws and values. Our nation’s Bill of Rights and important laws respecting both religious liberty and the non-establishment of religion protect not only our democracy, but also the plurality and vibrancy of America’s religious and civic life.