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Use of Federal Funds for Religious Activities - FAQs:
Faith-based organizations who received funding are allowed to:
- Use facilities without removing religious art, icons, scriptures or other religious symbols
- Retain religious terms in organization's name
- Select board members on a religious basis
- Include religious references in their mission statements and other governing documents
- Retain their federal exemption under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which allows them to hire on a religious basis, except in cases where the federal program statute forbids it
- Retain their authority over internal governance
Learn More:
Not only do faith-based organizations need to abide by the Equal Treatment and Charitable Choice regulations, but all organizations are required to provide the same assurances and restrictions on the use of HHS funds so that they are applied equally to secular and religious providers.
For information about the Equal Treatment and Charitable Choice regulations, visit http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/about/regulations/
Yes. A faith-based or religious organization does not need to change its identity, including its name or chartering documents, to qualify for a Federal grant. Nor does it need it to remove religious art, icons, scripture, or other religious symbols from its property or its publications, although all of these must have been purchased with private funds.
Learn more:
If you violate the requirements specified in your grant or otherwise improperly use the funds you receive, you may be subject to legal action. Among other things, you may:
- Lose your grant funds,
- Be required to repay the funds you received, and
- Pay any damages that might be awarded through court action.
If an organization uses its funds fraudulently, it could be subject to criminal prosecution.
If you have information regarding a grant fraud specific to HHS, please contact the HHS Fraud Hotline at 1-800-447-8477.
Learn More:
- Fraud Prevention & Detection (Office of the Inspector General)
- Frequently Asked Questions about Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
