Establishment of the White House Office of Faith- Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Establishes a White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships within the Executive Office of the President, replacing the Trump-era White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative and restoring a coordination office that has existed in various forms since 2001.
Creates a dedicated office to connect faith-based and secular community organizations with federal, state, and local government partnerships for delivering social services and international humanitarian work.
What this order does
What it orders
The order establishes the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (White House Partnerships Office) within the Executive Office of the President, supported by the Domestic Policy Council and the Office of Public Engagement. The office is directed to set policies and priorities for federal engagement with faith-based and secular community organizations, coordinate the Administration's policy agenda on community programs, promote awareness among civil society leaders about partnership opportunities, and ensure agency programs involving grants or contracts to faith-based groups comply with constitutional requirements. The Executive Director may seek the Attorney General's opinion on constitutional questions involving such programs. The order also amends five prior executive orders to update terminology, substituting current naming conventions for older office titles throughout.
The order revokes Executive Order 13831, which had established the Trump-era White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. It does not create any enforceable legal right or benefit for any party, and implementation is subject to available appropriations.
Who it affects
Faith-based organizations, secular nonprofits, and community-serving groups seeking federal partnerships or grant funding; federal executive departments and agencies required to designate liaisons and cooperate with the new office; and low-income and underserved communities the office aims to serve.
Why it matters
Federal agencies must now designate liaisons and coordinate with the new office, reshaping how community and faith-based organizations access federal grants and partnerships. Organizations that previously engaged through the Faith and Opportunity Initiative will deal with a rebranded and restructured White House point of contact.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The White House Partnerships Office must be operational within 30 days of signing and will be led by an Executive Director and Deputy Director. Every federal agency must designate a liaison to the office and provide requested support. The Executive Director, acting through the Counsel to the President, can seek the Attorney General's legal opinion on constitutional questions about faith-based grant programs. The office may form interagency committees or task forces as needed. No independent enforcement authority is created; the office functions as a policy coordination and outreach hub.
Actions and deadlines
- Begin operations of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
- Each executive department and agency must designate a liaison and point of contact for the White House Partnerships Office
- All agencies must cooperate with and provide information, support, and assistance to the White House Partnerships Office
Agencies directed to act
Authority and reach
What this order changes
Revokes Executive Order 13831
Amends Executive Order 13198