Few Black churches going for faith-based government aid

Here's a story from January that I missed: Black churches missing out on federal aid: only 2.6% received funding for programs.

One extract from the story:

In January 2001, President Bush signed into law an executive order creating the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The order directed federal agencies to streamline or lift, if possible, federal regulations that made it difficult for churches to obtain grants to provide services. Still, few black churches have benefited from the plan thus far, while skepticism about accepting federal dollars and a lack of understanding about how to apply for the money may keep many congregations from going after the funds.

"The biggest surprise in the study was that the grants were more likely to go to more liberal churches in the Northeast. These are the same states that Bush lost in the 2004 election," says David Bositis, senior political analyst for the Joint Center. "The study found that if there were any political intent in terms of this program, it is not working."

Do you have a generally favorable orunfavorable view of the Faith-Based Initiative?
......................................Favorable % Unfavorable %
Baptist .............................55 .................21
Methodist ........................54 ................28
Evangelical/Pentecostal 68 ............11
Nondenominational ........60 ............13
Progressive theology .....55 .............22
Moderate Theology .......46 .............27
Conservative Theology ..70 ............13

SOURCE: JOINT CENTER FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES