Marriage advocates eye federal funding

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Pro-marriage advocates say the upcoming $150 million in federal grants for healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs is a great beginning, but more is needed to meet the demands for such programs.

As a result, many groups are talking about seeking a portion of state welfare funds for marriage and fatherhood programs.

Former Health and Human Services (HHS) official Chris Gersten is spearheading efforts to get 1 percent of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for family-strengthening programs.

Two of TANF's stated purposes are to "encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families" and "prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies," said Mr. Gersten, who now leads the Fatherhood and Marriage Leadership Institute.

"If only 1 percent of all TANF funds were used to marriage-strengthening programs, over $400 million annually would be available," said Mr. Gersten, who has been organizing conference calls with groups in 27 states and the District that are interested in accessing funds from TANF, as well as the federal Promoting Safe and Stable Families family-preservation grant program.

The marriage movement is pleased with the new $150 million a year in grants -- winners of which will be announced in September -- but the demand is overwhelming, said Diane Sollee, founder of the Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, which runs the annual "Smart Marriages" conferences.

More than 1,600 groups applied for the new grants, but only one of nine applicants can win a grant, she said.

"How do we keep these other people in the fold and working ... especially if they are hanging on by their fingertips?" she said.

State TANF funding is a logical target for family-strengthening programs because many states have surplus TANF funds resulting from reduced caseloads.

According to HHS data, the District and 35 states, including Maryland, had a total of $1.8 billion "unobligated" TANF funds at the end of fiscal 2004.

These funds haven't gone unnoticed: A wide range of advocates, including those for health care, child care, youth, housing and nutrition programs, are asking states to steer surplus TANF funds their way.

While about a dozen states have used TANF funds for marriage and relationship skills, the marriage movement needs to become much more organized and build alliances in communities and political circles to attract state and local funding, Mr. Gersten said.

Once a few more states realize the value of marriage education and start investing in it, others will follow, said California Healthy Marriages Coalition co-founder Dennis Stoica. Relationship-skills education "is a great poverty reducer" because it not only benefits people in their personal relationships, but in the workplace too, he said.