In March 2024, DHS and eight other federal organizations published a joint final rule entitled “Partnerships with Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations,” with the goal of expanding the availability of social services to America’s communities, including historically underserved and marginalized communities. This regulation, also known as the “Faith-Based Rule,” imposes certain non-discrimination requirements in order to achieve this goal while protecting religious freedom and equity.
The Faith-Based Rule requires that in providing social services to America’s communities:
- Faith-based organizations receive equal protection of the law in applying for DHS financial assistance, AND
- Beneficiaries of services from faith-based organizations receiving DHS financial assistance are not discriminated against on the basis of religion.
The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) oversees enforcement of the Faith-Based Rule at DHS. An important requirement of the Faith-Based Rule is organizations that receive DHS financial assistance to provide social services, must provide notice to individuals who participate in these services of their right to be free from religious discrimination. The notice provided by the DHS funded organization must state the following:
- The organization may not engage in discrimination based on religion, religious belief, or lack thereof.
- The organization may not require participation or attendance in any religious activity (any participation in such activities must be purely voluntary).
- All programs and services offered by the organization supported by DHS financial assistance must be separated in time and space from any privately funded religious activities.
The required notice is available in 10 languages. For additional information or questions about the Faith-Based Rule, please contact us at crcl@hq.dhs.gov.
To file a complaint regarding violations of the Faith-Based Rule, including denials of services or benefits, please contact CRCL through the following methods:
Online: https://engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint
Email: CRCLCompliance@hq.dhs.gov
Fax: 202-401-4708
Mail: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Compliance Branch, Mail Stop #0190
2707 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. 20528
For written translation or oral interpretation of this information or any publicly available DHS CRCL document, or to request documents in alternate formats such as Braille or large print, please contact us at crcl@hq.dhs.gov.