Health Care Access

This past year the issue of the cost of health insurance and health care has been at the heart of labor negotiations, state budget deliberations, presidential candidacy debates, and the business community’s financial outlook – in addition to family budget struggles. In 2003 the overall cost of health insurance premiums in California rose by nearly 16%. A recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation noted that in the past year premiums for family coverage increased about 42% for employers, but worker contributions for family coverage increased nearly 70%.

The California Council of Churches has recently received a grant from The California Endowment to support a two-year project to help bring the concerns and the debate about universal access to health care into California’s religious community. As a piece of this project, in the next few months we will be creating a study guide to help congregations look more closely at various proposals being put forth at state and national levels.

TANF Reauthorization Project/ First Fruits for California's Working Poor

With the status of social programs the primary news in California's budget crisis, California Council of Churches has prepared a new congregational study guide that will unite the factual issues in the federal and state 'welfare-to-work' programs with faith principles concerning care for the poor.

The guide is the outgrowth of a collaborative project between the Council and California Catholic Charities, and is funded by The California Endowment. The project goal is to bring greater awareness to people of faith about the lives and conditions of those receiving federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) through the state's CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) programs.

Download the Study Guide!!!

Complete the Online Evaluation Form!!!

California Interfaith Energy Assistance Project (CIEAP)

Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

During 2002 and 2003, CIEAP enrolled qualified people in low-income energy assistance programs through their local utilities, and provided energy assistance and conservation program information and education to individuals and households. CIEAP also had the broader long-term goal of encouraging environmental stewardship programs that would provide environmental sustainability and justice through congregations and other community based programs throughout California.

In February of 2004, CIEAP received a six-month continuation grant, from the Hewlett Foundation, that will allow us to provide environmental health outreach and educational activities in conjunction with Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.

California Interfaith Power and Light

CA Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL) is a statewide interfaith global
warming campaign mobilizing religious leaders to take action on the issue of global warming. Clergy leaders are working in their congregations to
address this issue by educating their congregants, reducing their energy use and supporting statewide public policies that address global warming/energy issues. Joining CIPL is simple and free; all a congregation needs to do is sign the CIPL congregational covenant.

Building Bridges of Understanding
An Interfaith Response to September 11th

The California Council of Churches invites you to begin a journey of interfaith understanding with the use of this 6-session study guide and video for congregations which introduces the six major religious traditions in California.. We believe that you will find this a good beginning point in discovering the variety and diversity of religious traditions in the United States today.

A Faith-Based Child Care Capacity Building Project

The Vision is for family access to a safe, nurturing place where all children can learn--and grow. Building on the strong commitment of congregations to the care and early childhood development of children, the California Council of Churches in partnership with Catholic Charities of California, embarked on a project to support efforts to increase the quality and capacity of child care services within the religious community in low-income areas where the need is greatest. This project was made possible through generous grants from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and The California Endowment. Additional funding from the Packard Foundation and First Five of Fresno County is supported Phase 2 of this Project.

Two new projects have now begun regarding childcare: First Five of Los Angeles is supporting the child care capacity building project in Los Angeles. To gain further knowledge of this program, read the first edition of the LA County Faith Based Child Care Providers Network News (*PDF file)

In addition, the Packard Foundation is supporting the continuation of the statewide childcare project with an emphasis on universal preschool.

Public/Private Partnerships & California's Faith Communities

Since 1998, the California Council of Churches and USC's Center for Religion and Civic Culture have conducted "action research" related to public/private partnerships in California that involve faith-based organizations.

Funded by the James Irvine Foundation, these organizations (in cooperation with the Center for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco) completed a major study concerning the willingness and the capacity or California's faith-based organizations to offer human services in programs that are affected by Charitable Choice.