Feds announce over $135 million in marriage grants.....with more to come/Christian Leaders Praise Initiative - 5/06

[Smartmarriages]

- FEDS ANNOUNCE OVER $135 IN HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE GRANTS
- CHRISTIAN LEADERS DEPLORE DIVORCE, PRAISE BUSH INITIATIVE

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- FEDS ANNOUNCE OVER $135 IN HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE GRANTS

The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy
Claire Hughes, Roundtable Correspondent
May 23, 2006

Marriage educators and promoters are facing a problem that, a mere four
months ago, they could only have wished for in their wildest dreams:

There's so much money, but so little time.

Last week, the federal government announced the availability of no less than
seven grant programs totaling more than $135 million for projects that are
focused on, or related to, Healthy Marriage initiatives. The new
announcement follows a similar $4.4 million grant announcement made two
weeks before. The deadlines for applications range from June 2 to July 17.

The funding comes after years of work by those in what is often referred to
as a national "marriage movement" that seeks to increase public funding of
marriage education programs as a way to combat poverty and improve the
welfare of children. Supporters point to research that claims marriage
benefits society, including increased wealth for married people over
singles, and the improved well-being of children who grow up in two-parent
families.

Opponents, however, say that government-sponsored marriage promotion could
encourage women to stay in abusive relationships, or disparage single
parents who are working hard to raise their children. They also argue that
marriage is a private realm that should remain protected from government
intrusion.

President Bush has pushed for a Healthy Marriage Initiative since 2002, and
federal efforts to promote marriage have included conferences and resources
aimed at populations with particularly high rates of divorce or
out-of-wedlock births, such as African-Americans, Hispanics and Native
Americans.

But it took until February of this year for $100 million in funding to be
approved specifically for marriage promotion programs. At the same time,
Congress agreed to spend $50 million a year for projects that promote
responsible fatherhood, some of which also include marriage programs.
Funding for both efforts was included in the reauthorization of the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance program.

The most significant of the newly announced grants is a $75 million package
of awards for Healthy Marriage Demonstration projects. It includes funding
for eight types of projects, such as pre-marital skills training,
high-school classes and publicity campaigns. Individual grants, which
require a 10 percent match, range from $225,000 to $5 million a year, with
funding expected to be renewed over the next five years. In addition to
information about the type of training they provide and who they will
target, applicants must show that participation in their programs will be
voluntary, and describe how they will address issues of domestic violence.

Healthy Marriage Demonstration grants will be awarded by Sept. 30, the end
of the federal fiscal year, and funded projects are expected to be running
within 90 days after that, according to Grant Collins, deputy director of
the federal Office of Family Assistance (Click here for the Roundtable's
weekly federal grant roundup which contains complete information on each).

While Congress approved $100 million this year for the Healthy Marriage
Initiative, not all of it is being used for grants. The remaining $25
million has been allocated for uses such as research and technical
assistance to help build the capacity of grantees, Collins said.

Elsewhere, a $32 million fund aimed at promoting responsible fatherhood is
offering 89 grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million a year, with funding
expected to be renewed over five years. Eligible projects include those that
focus on healthy marriages, responsible parenting and household economic
stability.

The criteria for the healthy marriage projects under the Responsible
Fatherhood grants are similar, though not identical, to those under the
Healthy Marriage Demonstration grants, noted Dennis Stoica, president of the
California Healthy Marriages Coalition, a nonprofit organization that has
received federal funding to provide training to faith-based and community
organizations.

In a May 22nd teleconference aimed at assisting groups understand the
various funding sources suddenly available for marriage, Stoica stressed
that marriage educators and supporters should not dismiss the Responsible
Fatherhood funding in the interests of focusing solely on the dedicated
Healthy Marriage money.

"We may miss an opportunity to get this additional marriage funding that's
sitting out here in this grant opportunity," Stoica said.

Other grants that include partial funding for marriage projects have been
announced through the Refugee Healthy Marriage Program, as well as through
the Compassion Capital Fund (click here for related story). Those funds are
separate from the newly appropriated Healthy Marriage and Responsible
Fatherhood monies.

The sudden flurry of grant announcements has caused some tumult and
confusion within the marriage movement community. Stoica said that he has
received numerous requests from callers expressing sentiments along the
lines of: "Seven RFPs have hitŠ we can't process all this information, which
one makes sense for us?"

And a listserv for marriage supporters, moderated by the Coalition for
Marriage, Families and Couples Education, has also received postings from
those who are frustrated. "Why do we only get 45 days for one of the most
important grant issues in the last 25 years?! This is an outrage," one
wrote.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the Coalition's annual Smart
Marriages conference -- which has become something of a mecca for marriage
educators and promoters -- is scheduled for June 22-25. But Diane Sollee,
the Coalition's founder and director, reminded readers to celebrate the
availability of funds.

"I know you are excited about the money and just distracted by the boulder
rolling towards you," she wrote.

As it turns out, that boulder may pick up added weight, suggested Bill
Coffin, special assistant for marriage education at the federal
Administration for Children and Families. He said the Administration for
Native Americans and the Children's Bureau will also soon be posting
marriage-related grant announcements for which funding was approved earlier.

"Although we've opened up this stream -- thanks to Congress eventually
working -- that doesn't mean the other pre-existing streams get shut off,"
Coffin said.

Meanwhile, the federal government has also put out renewed bids for a
contractor who will develop and maintain the National Healthy Marriage
Resource Center. Funding is slated at $10 million over a five year period.

The center, an information clearinghouse that includes an informational web
site, lost its original operator in September after it was asked to include
a statement by President Bush and a picture of the President and First Lady
on its web site. The Minneapolis-based National Council on Family Relations
stated that those actions would have made the organization appear political,
and compromise its status as a tax-exempt nonprofit.

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=4309
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- CHRISTIAN LEADERS DEPLORE DIVORCE, PRAISE BUSH INITIATIVE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike McManus 301 469-5870

> One city taking this step is Knoxville, TN led by Catholic Bishop Joseph
> Kurtz, who also chairs the Marriage Committee of the U.S. Conference of
> Catholic Bishops. He will note that "The National Association of Catholic
> Family Life Ministers will seek a grant to tap the rich cadre of volunteers
> and staff in Catholic parishes and agencies throughout the country. Such a
> partnership of Church and federal funding for healthy marriages makes great
> sense since so many vulnerable couples have trust in the Church."

Bishop Kurtz and Mike McManus will both present at the Atlanta Smart
Marriages Conference.  - diane

Christians Deplore Divorce, Praise Bush Initiative

The Marriage Protection Amendment is not the only current marriage issue..
"Even more important has to be a strengthening of existing marriages,"
Bishop Harry Jackson a noted African-American leader will declare at the
National Press Club on Thursday. "Two-thirds of black couples were married
in 1970, only a third are today. The $100 million new Healthy Marriage
Initiative of the Bush Administration can fund efforts to turn this trend
around." 
    
Marriage Savers is hosting a press conference with top Catholic and
Protestant leaders at 1:30 pm May 25 at NPC's Zenger Room.

"The fight to preserve traditional marriage as one man, one woman is
essential," Dr. Richard Cizik, Vice President of the National Association of
Evangelicals will say.  "But the fact remains that the marriage rate itself
has plunged in half since 1970. There've been 38 million divorces shattering
the lives of 35 million kids since 1970.  The new federal money to
strengthen marriage is an amazing opportunity to do something practical that
can make a difference in the personal lives of millions. Seven cities have
cut their divorce rates in half by creating Community Marriage Policies -
Austin, Kansas City, KS and El Paso."

One city taking this step is Knoxville, TN led by Catholic Bishop Joseph
Kurtz, who also chairs the Marriage Committee of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. He will note that "The National Association of Catholic
Family Life Ministers will seek a grant to tap the rich cadre of volunteers
and staff in Catholic parishes and agencies throughout the country. Such a
partnership of Church and federal funding for healthy marriages makes great
sense since so many vulnerable couples have trust in the Church."

Nor do Southern Baptists think there is a need to separate church and state
when it comes to marriage. Dr. Barrett Duke, Vice President of the church's
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, will confess, "We are distressed that
the South has the highest divorce rate in the country. I encourage all
Southern Baptists to seek funds made available through the Healthy Marriage
Initiative of the Bush Administration.  It offers an excellent opportunity
for Southern Baptists to develop services that will help save and strengthen
marriages."

Mike McManus, President and Co-Chair of Marriage Savers, who will host the
press conference ­ will describe how the clergy of  202 cities have created
Community Marriage Policies ­ agreements across denominational lines to make
marriage a priority in their churches.  About 10,000 pastors and priests in
43 states have signed these covenants pledging to require:

Rigorous marriage preparation of 4-6 months that include taking a premarital
inventory that surfaces 150+ issues for discussion with a trained Mentor
Couple, who also teach skills of communication and conflict resolution.  At
Mike & Harriet's church, Fourth Presbyterian in Bethesda, of 288 couples who
prepared for marriage in the 1990s, 53 decided not to marry.  But of those
who did, there have been only six divorces.  That is a 2.6% failure rate, a
97.4% success rate over a decade.  That's marriage insurance

Enrich every existing marriage with an annual retreat

Restore four out of five troubled marriages with trained couples whose own
marriages once nearly failed to mentor couples currently in crisis.

Reconcile the separated using a self-guided workbook course, "Reconciling
God's Way" that  heals more than half of the separated.

Help stepfamilies succeed by creating "Stepfamily Support Groups" that give
couples with children from a previous marriage a place and a plan to learn
how to be successful.  Instead of losing 70% of stepparents to divorce, this
program saves 80% of remarriages.

Results of Community Marriage Policies: The Institute for Research and
Evaluation reports that of the first 114 cities to adopt a Community
Marriage Policy (CMP), divorce rates fell 17.5% in seven years. Seven cities
reported a 50% drop in divorces ­ Austin, Kansas City, KS, Modesto, CA, El
Paso, Salem OR.  An estimated 50,000 marriages were saved through 2001.
With five more years and 90 more CMPs, perhaps 75,000 to 100,000 divorces
were averted.

Cohabitation rates also fell in CMP cities by 13% while they rose 19% in
very similar cities from 1990-2000.  Thus, CMP cities ended the decade with
cohabitation rates one third lower than comparison communities.

For more information, see marriagesavers.org. Or call Mike McManus 301
469-5870.


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10th Annual Smart Marriages Conference, Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel,
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