Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative

Executive Order 13831 of May 3, 2018

Establishment of a White House Faith and
                Opportunity Initiative

                By the authority vested in me as President by the
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of
                America, and to assist faith-based and other
                organizations in their efforts to strengthen the
                institutions of civil society and American families and
                communities, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Faith-based and community
                organizations have tremendous ability to serve
                individuals, families, and communities through means
                that are different from those of government and with
                capacity that often exceeds that of government. These
                organizations lift people up, keep families strong, and
                solve problems at the local level. The executive branch
                wants faith-based and community organizations, to the
                fullest opportunity permitted by law, to compete on a
                level playing field for grants, contracts, programs,
                and other Federal funding opportunities. The efforts of
                faith-based and community organizations are essential
                to revitalizing communities, and the Federal Government
                welcomes opportunities to partner with such
                organizations through innovative, measurable, and
                outcome-driven initiatives.

                Sec. 2. Amendments to Executive Orders. (a) Executive
                Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency
                Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and
                Community Initiatives), Executive Order 13279 of
                December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for
                Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by
                Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental
                Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships
                with Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations),
                Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002
                (Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and
                the Agency for International Development With Respect
                to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), Executive
                Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the
                Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the
                Small Business Administration with Respect to Faith-
                Based and Community Initiatives), and Executive Order
                13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the
                Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-
                Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended
                by:

(i) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for
“White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time
it appears in those orders;

(ii) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for
“White House OFBCI” each time it appears in those orders;

(iii) substituting “Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives” for
“Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time it appears
in those orders; and

(iv) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for
“Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” each time it
appears in those orders.

                    (b) Executive Order 13279, as amended, is further
                amended by striking section 2(h) and redesignating
                sections 2(i) and 2(j) as sections 2(h) and 2(i),
                respectively.

                Sec. 3. White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
                (a) There is established within the Executive Office of
                the President the White House Faith and Opportunity
                Initiative (Initiative).

(i) The Initiative shall be headed by an Advisor to the White House Faith
and Opportunity Initiative (Advisor). The Advisor shall be housed in the
Office of Public Liaison and shall work with that office and the Domestic
Policy Council, in consultation with the Centers for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives established by Executive Order 13198, Executive Order
13280, Executive Order 13342, and Executive Order 13397, to implement this
order.

(ii) The Initiative shall, from time to time and consistent with applicable
law, consult with and seek information from experts and various faith and
community leaders from outside the Federal Government, including those from
State, local, and tribal governments, identified by the Office of Public
Liaison, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Centers for Faith and
Opportunity Initiatives. These experts and leaders shall be identified
based on their expertise in a broad range of areas in which faith-based and
community organizations operate, including poverty alleviation, religious
liberty, strengthening marriage and family, education, solutions for
substance abuse and addiction, crime prevention and reduction, prisoner
reentry, and health and humanitarian services.

(iii) The Advisor shall make recommendations to the President, through the
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, regarding changes to
policies, programs, and practices that affect the delivery of services by
faith-based and community organizations.

(iv) Executive departments and agencies (agencies) that lack a Center for
Faith and Opportunity Initiative shall designate a Liaison for Faith and
Opportunity Initiatives as a point of contact to coordinate with the
Advisor in carrying out this order.

(v) All agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide such
information, support, and assistance to the Initiative as it may request to
develop public policy proposals.

                    (b) To the extent permitted by law, the Initiative
                shall:

(i) periodically convene meetings with the individuals described in section
3(a)(ii) of this order;

(ii) periodically convene meetings with representatives from the Centers
for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives and other representatives from across
agencies as the Advisor may designate;

(iii) provide recommendations regarding aspects of my Administration's
policy agenda that affect faith-based and community programs and
initiatives;

(iv) help integrate those aspects of my Administration's policy agenda that
affect faith-based and other community organizations throughout the Federal
Government;

(v) showcase innovative initiatives by faith-based and community
organizations that serve and strengthen individuals, families, and
communities throughout the United States;

(vi) notify the Attorney General, or his designee, of concerns raised by
faith-based and community organizations about any failures of the executive
branch to comply with protections of Federal law for religious liberty as
outlined in the Attorney General's Memorandum of October 6, 2017 (Federal
Law Protections for Religious Liberty), issued pursuant to Executive Order
13798 of May 4, 2017 (Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty); and

(vii) identify and propose means to reduce, in accordance with Executive
Order 13798 and the Attorney General's Memorandum of October 6, 2017,
burdens on the exercise of religious convictions and legislative,
regulatory, and other barriers to the full and active engagement of faith-
based and community organizations in Government-funded or Government-
conducted activities and programs.

                Sec. 4. Revocation of Executive Orders. Executive Order
                13199 of January 29, 2001 (Establishment of White House
                Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), and
                Executive Order 13498 of February 5, 2009 (Amendments
                to Executive Order 13199 and Establishment of the
                President's Advisory Council for Faith-Based and
                Neighborhood Partnerships), are hereby revoked.

                Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
                applicable law and subject to the availability of
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
                other person.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    May 3, 2018.