Faith-Based Service Providers in the Nation's Capital

Brief #2 from the series "Charting Civil Society," by the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Urban Institute, its board, its sponsors, or other authors in the series

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Welfare reform has prompted policymakers to turn to nonprofit organizations—religious congregations, in particular—to increase their assistance to the needy. Congress has encouraged faith-based groups to enhance their role in serving the poor at a time when little is known about the services they now provide or about their capacity to meet increased demand. To begin filling this information gap, the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy surveyed the religious community in the greater Washington, D.C., area in summer and fall 1997 to examine the services it provides and its capacity to expand them.⁽¹⁾

The 266 religious congregations that responded to the survey provide over 1,000 community services.⁽²⁾ About three-quarters of the responding congregations provide short-term emergency services including food, clothing, and financial assistance. Because of limited financial and human resources, they are much less likely to provide long-term or professional services such as job training or substance abuse treatment. Much of the $19 million that responding congregations spent on services and programs in 1997 came directly from congregation members and individual donors. Only two-thirds of the responding congregations were able to estimate the number of people they served, but they reported serving a total of over 250,000 individuals in 1996. As for congregations' capacity to expand their services, the majority of survey respondents believe they do not currently have the facilities, staff, or funds to satisfy an increase in demand; about one in five congregations report already operating at full capacity. Below are more detailed survey findings.

Notes

1. This research was supported by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and the United Planning Organization (the District of Columbia's community action agency).

2. The response rate was 25 percent of roughly 1,100 congregations surveyed, or 266 congregations. Of these, 40 percent (or 106) are located in Maryland, 35 percent (or 93) in Virginia, and 25 percent (or 67) in the District of Columbia.

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