Today's Cleveland Jewish News carries an article praising Ohio's version of the faith based initiative. The Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GOFBCI) will grant $11 million to religious and community groups in fiscal year 2009, double its spending in 2008. Most of the funds come from the federally funded TANF program. GOFBCI has developed a web-based program, the Ohio Benefit Bank, that it makes available to nonprofit agencies. The agency can use it to assist clients in determining their eligibility for a variety of state benefits without the client having to visit various state offices. The GOFBCI website also makes it simple for non-profit agencies to search for available federal, state and private grants.
GOFBCI Director, Greg Landsman, says his agency insists that funded programs "be devoid of inherently religious activities." He says, "There can be religious symbols on the wall. But you can’t do anything religious during the time when public dollars are at play." Joyce Garver Keller, director of Ohio Jewish Communities, who is encouraging more Jewish groups to apply for faith-based funding, is trying to dispel the notion that the program is about "giving money to evangelical Christians to proselytize."
