White House Announces Date of Conference on Grant Makers and Religious Giving

By Grant Williams

The Bush administration has set the date for its White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

The conference will be held on March 9 in Washington and "will highlight the important role corporations and foundations play in funding social service groups," said Alyssa J. McClenning, a spokeswoman for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

The national conference will serve as a 'philanthropy summit' and will emphasize the effectiveness of partnerships between private givers and grass-roots groups," said Ms. McClenning. "The conference will examine ways for private grant makers to improve their outreach to faith-based and community organizations," she said, and also "provide tips for social-service providers to strengthen their ability to compete for private grants."

Details about the conference will soon be released, Ms. McClenning said.

Last summer, nonprofit officials gave mixed reviews to President Bush's plan to hold the conference.

While several charity observers applauded the president's goals, others questioned whether the effort would actually succeed in pushing grant makers to support Christian or other religious groups (The Chronicle, August 4).