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The environmental scan takes a look at what is currently happening in your state in order to understand what the role of the State Commission, State Office, State Education Administration (SEA), and other CNCS grantees might be in implementing the Faith-Based and Community Initiative. Are there any current state or local initiatives or coalitions in place related to this initiative? Who are the players? Are you working with local officials? What opportunities and needs exist? Planning documents, previous surveys, or needs assessments of the nonprofit, volunteer, and faith-based communities will also provide important information about current levels of service, gaps in service, and strategic opportunities.

Challenges

• Knowing where to look, what to look for.
• Where to find information about nonprofits in the state.
• Identifying existing collaborations, ecumenical or interfaith groups.
• Identifying FBCI appointed by cities or states.
• Identifying what is already happening in the state related to this initiative.
• Identifying what other state agencies are doing.
• Cost-effective gathering of information on FBOs/CBOs.

Benefits

• Identifies potential partners and intermediaries.
• Identifies the potential role for the Commission as a leader, convener, or partner.
• Allows for the development of synergy and collaboration with other state agencies also charged to implement the Faith-Based and Community Initiative.

Strategies

1. Identify what FBO/CBO coalitions, policy groups, or FBCI liaisons might already be in place in your state. See See Toolkit: Faith-Based States Appendix J.
2. Reach out to the FBCI liaisons in your state agencies equivalent to HUD, HHS, Labor, Education, and Justice to coordinate activities and reduce duplication of effort.
3. Work with your local officials.
4. Identify what existing related initiatives are underway with leadership, funding, or activities already clearly in place (i.e., legislative, city, county, statewide coalitions, local coalitions, FBO/CBO networks).
5. Identify any emerging or existing interfaith, ecumenical, or collaborative efforts. See Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. In addition, seek out area seminaries and ministerial groups.
6. Identify broad efforts around specific community issues that could serve as effective intermediaries to deploy AmeriCorps members on behalf of participating community organizations (secular and faith-based) (i.e., Weed and Seed, Drug Free Communities Coalitions, Mentoring Collaboratives, No Child Left Behind).
7. Identify previous statewide surveys or needs assessments that have been conducted of the faith-based, volunteer, or nonprofit sectors.
8. Where needed, conduct additional surveys or needs assessments to understand how best to partner with community organizations (secular and faith-based). See Toolkit: Montana-Survey of Nonprofits Appendix K.
9. Utilize the GuideStar database website to identify nonprofits in your state that meet the definitions established by the State Commission for community organizations (secular and faith-based).
10. Identify other CNCS or State Commission initiatives that could work in tandem with this initiative such as increasing civic engagement, homeland security, USA Freedom Corps, or expanding the diversity and geographic distribution of Commission resources.
11. Look at ways the Unified State Plan can bring CNCS resources together in a synergistic way to support outreach to community organizations (secular and faith-based).

Outputs

1. Key state-level stakeholders identified, including local officials.
2. Analysis of FBO/CBO audiences completed.
3. Expanded pool for outreach developed.

Title: FBCI Liaisons and CNCS Contacts
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: A list of liaisons for potential collaboration on key community-building initiatives.
Location: Appendix J

Title: 2004 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
Tool Type: Book
Purpose: Contains references to faith-based organizations and is a useful tool to determine what organizations might already be located in target service areas.
Location: Contact www.electronicchurch.org

Title: Montana-Survey of Nonprofits
Tool Type: Example
Purpose: Provides an example of survey used to collect key information on area's volunteerism.
Location: Appendix K

Title: GuideStar
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: A list of 850,000 registered nonprofits for potential collaboration.
Location: www.guidestar.org

Title: Jewish Charities Online
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: A list of Jewish nonprofits for potential collaboration.
Location: www.j-col.com

Title: Faith-Based Outreach to At-Risk Youth in Washington, DC
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: Report provides useful baseline information about the extent of faith-based programs in one city.
Location: www.manhattan-institute.org

Title: Islam Online
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: A list of Islamic nonprofits for potential collaboration.
Location: www.islamdir.com

Title: Putting Faith in Neighborhoods: Making Cities Work through Grassroots Citizenship
Tool Type: Reference
Purpose: Former mayor Steve Goldsmith explains how Indianapolis invented a national model for creating vibrant urban centers through encouraging citizenship and engaging faith-based organizations.
Location: Excerpts at Increasing the Impact of Faith-Based Organizations; Ways of Helping

TOOLKIT STEPS
Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7
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