Projects
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.
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