In January 2007, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI), headed by Jay Hein, launched a series of monthly Compassion in Action Roundtable meetings to highlight organizations, programs, and policies addressing critical social needs. The roundtables convened and facilitated discussion between policymakers, government officials, philanthropists, and faith-based and community service providers around targeted issues.
The events revealed President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative as a broad-based, community-centered reform agenda, showcased innovative projects and promising practices, and drew attention to government efforts to expand and support the work of faith-based and community organizations actively engaged in serving their neighbors and communities. The initiative enabled some of America’s most effective social service providers to compete fairly for Federal funding, in order to make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.