The U.S. Department of Labor, Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Council of State Governments Justice Center published this resource for state government officials and representatives of faith-based and community organizations. This guide offers information on how to create and sustain collaborative efforts to reduce recidivism and to help people returning to the community from prisons or jails lead productive and law-abiding lives.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives just released this document, and the Center at The Department of Labor is pleased to pass it along to you. This document provides one more vital resource for the Faith-Based and Community Organization (FBCO) community. Previous works from both DOL as well as other federal agencies have highlighted working with the U.S. Government, local businesses and other community organizations. The publication provides one more tool for FBCOs to use. The guide provides practical information for State and local officials, as well as tribes and tribal-serving organizations, on developing and enhancing effective partnerships with FBCOs.

The Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families has released critical documents to inform State, Tribal and Territorial Title IV-B and IV-E agencies and Indian Tribes and Indian Tribal Organizations of the enactment of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 and to provide basic information about the provisions of this law.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released an effective toolkit for sustainability ideas and practices for faith-based and community organizations. It covers topics such as financial planning, fund development and raising, evaluations, and marketing strategies.

This report was funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and provides data from a survey of 1,200 faith-based and secular nonprofit social service agencies. The results show FBOs that integrate religious elements into service delivery and secular nonprofit organizations are more accessible to poor populations than FBOs that do not integrate religious elements into service provision. FBOS are currently providing the safety net to support TANF leavers on a path to self-sufficiency.

Authored by ICF International, this paper was funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance. The paper presents the preliminary findings from an ongoing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsored study of successful TANF and Faith-Based and Community Organization partnerships. First, overviews of five partnerships are presented, then common themes among them are identified, and finally the implications are discussed for possible future collaborations in social services provision for low-income and at-risk families.

This report was funded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the U.S. Department of Justice and completed through the Urban Institute. The Gang Reduction Program is an initiative that is focused on reducing crime associated with youth street gangs in four urban areas across the United States. This report offers findings from the implementation process and outcome evaluation of the initiative.

This resource is from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and provides information on succession planning for nonprofit organizations. Specifically, agencies should focus on aligning staff development with its vision, mission, and goals. Such alignment can ensure agency stability by building a strong foundation for staff, including executives and managers.

This Web site offers teleconferences on various topics. On May 31st, 2007 they offered a teleconference titled "Building and Maintaining State-Tribal Partnerships to Improve Child Welfare Programs". During the teleconference, representatives from two States discussed their relationships with Tribes and how to maintain a productive partnership. The representatives discussed challenges and successes in that they had experienced while cultivating these relationships.

This issue brief was part of the Strengthening Rural Families initiative from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Rural Family Economic Success (RuFES) framework is “Earn it, Keep it, Grow it,” and designed to help families increase their income, stabilize finances, and build assets. Specifically, this piece looks at Franklin County, Maine, which developed a consortium of local partners to bring community college courses and other job-skills training to the area.