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Collections
Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization records
Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization records
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Collection Data
- Description
- The records of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), 1966-1984, document the origin and development of the organization within the context of the social and religious turmoil of the late 1960s, a period which gave rise to Third World theological perspectives, and the radical critique of racism and materialism in American society. IFCO records consist of files for the various programs and projects IFCO developed to assist poor and disadvantaged peoples gain justice, self-determination and economic independence, primarily in the United States, and to a lesser extent, Africa. Included are hundreds of proposals submitted by community, educational, health care and other organizations to IFCO's Grant Making Program, which provide documentation of community empowerment organizations in the United States from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s.
- Names
- Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (U.S.) (Creator)
- Clement, Marilyn (Creator)
- Douglas, Ann (Creator)
- Forman, James D. (Creator)
- Walker, Lucius, 1930-2010 (Creator)
- Alaska Federation of Natives (Creator)
- American Indian Movement (Creator)
- Amilcar Cabral Training Institute (Creator)
- Black Economic Research Center (Creator)
- Community Organization Training Institute (Creator)
- Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade (Creator)
- Michigan Ohio Community Organization Council
- National Black Economic Development Conference
- National Black United Fund, Inc. (Creator)
- National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America (Creator)
- National Welfare Rights Organization (U.S.) (Creator)
- Relief for Africans in Need in the Sahel (New York, N.Y.) (Creator)
- Westside Mothers (Organization : Detroit, Mich.) (Creator)
- Dates / Origin
- Date Created: 1966 - 1984
- Library locations
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
- Shelf locator: Sc MG 227
- Topics
- African Americans -- Civil rights
- Church and social problems
- Church and social problems -- United States
- Church work with African Americans
- Church work with Indians
- Church work with Mexican Americans
- Church work with migrant labor
- Church work with minorities
- Community organization -- United States
- Federations, Financial (Social service)
- Indians of North America -- Civil rights
- Mexican Americans -- Civil rights
- Minorities -- Civil rights
- Notes
- Biographical/historical: The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) is an interdenominational "parachurch" agency, created in late 1966 to open lines of communication between mainstream American churches and disenfranchised minority communities in the United States. Established by the United Presbyterian Church, the original membership consisted of nine religious groups and one foundation, only one of which represented a minority community. By the mid-1970s, however, IFCO had developed into the largest minority-controlled foundation in the country. IFCO was a logical outgrowth of policies pioneered by the Board of National Missions of the United Presbyterian Church which, in April 1966, directed its Division of Church Strategy and Development to "pursue cooperation with other interested denominations in establishing and funding enabling structures for training organizers and for united support of local community projects". Up to that time no single national organization existed that coordinated financial support and program assistance for the many religious institutions interested in helping disadvantaged communities. Past attempts to enlist interdenominational support for local community development had always been frustrated, resulting in duplication and overlapping by the various missions. Nevertheless it was widely recognized that an ecumenical intermediary was needed through which interdenominational monies could be channeled. Originally set up as an autonomous agency, IFCO later became affiliated with the Division of Church and Society of the National Council of Churches in 1976. The founding documents state that IFCO was established to find solutions to the problems that cause poverty through such vehicles as community and economic development, training in community organizing, and cooperative programs in communities where disadvantaged minorities lived. IFCO aimed to meet these objectives by engaging in direct fund raising, coordinating the involvement of member and cooperating agencies, conducting and commissioning research, reviewing requests for funding, and providing grants to community organizations that met the criteria. The original ten member organizations were: the American Baptist Home Mission Societies; American Jewish Committee; Board of Missions of the United Methodist Church; General Board of Christian Social Concerns of the United Methodist Church; Catholic Committee for Urban Ministries; Executive Council of the Episcopal Church; Board of Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ; National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice; Board of National Missions of the United Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.; and the Foundation for Voluntary Service. Member organizations paid $1,000 annual dues and were entitled to appoint two representatives to the board. At the time of IFCO's formation, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) was the only minority organization, and Rabbi Marc H. Tannenbaum, the national director of Interreligious Affairs of the AJC, became IFCO's first president. By 1967 the economic and social crises in the United States had focused most sharply among African Americans, and in recognition of this, IFCO established funding for projects affecting the black community as its top priority. Membership on the board was expanded to include greater minority representation and non-religious groups from all regions of the United States. Thus, by 1971 IFCO's policy decisions were being made by a board comprised of representatives from fifty-two member organizations: thirty-five African American, three Mexican American, two Native American, and twelve white organizations. A board of directors served as IFCO's governing body and was responsible for raising funds, creating the financial plan, and determining policy. Other board committees were established to deal with communications, training, screening, planning and strategy, and personnel. In addition, two bodies were named to help formulate policy with regard to programming for American Indians: the American Indian Task Force-advisory committee and the Indian Consultation Board. The board also established policies and criteria for the grant making aspect of IFCO's program through its Proposals Advisory Committee (PAC). Although PAC evaluated grants and proposals with the executive director, the executive director was empowered to "make awards of grants within the policy and criteria limitations imposed by the Board". The primary sources of IFCO's funds between September 1967 and March 1970 were the American Baptist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the United Presbyterian Church, and the North Carolina Fund. Contributions from these sources totaled $2,630,000, with additional funding being provided by other foundations, churches, and individuals. From 1967 to 1975 IFCO granted funds totaling $4,170,000 to hundreds of national and international organizations. Although the demand for funding was consistently high, IFCO was never sufficiently funded to meet the requests of deserving programs. In 1969 alone, one hundred twenty-five programs requested over $11 million in funding, however, IFCO was only able to fund forty-eight grants totaling $862,000. The Rev. Lucius Walker, an American Baptist clergyman, was appointed IFCO's first executive director in 1967 and continued in this capacity until 1973 when he left to serve as Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches (1973-1978). Ann Douglas assumed the position of executive director in 1974, and Marilyn B. Clement functioned as IFCO's associate director in 1976. Walker returned to IFCO in 1979 to resume his former position where he continues at present. Howard Stanbeck served as interim director in 1982. From the beginning IFCO was embroiled in controversy over its funding of community groups involved in militant and protest activities. The most well known controversy was over IFCO's sponsorship of the National Black Economic Development Conference (NBEDC) in Detroit in April 1969. The conference was an outgrowth of IFCO's black economic development programming which was to be a vehicle for fostering the empowerment of the black community. It was at this conference that James Forman, head of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), first proclaimed the Black Manifesto, which demanded $500 million in reparations from America's white churches and synagogues to be used to address problems in the inner cities. The response to the Black Manifesto resulted in negative publicity for IFCO, and led to the resignation of Rabbi Tannenbaum, who also withdrew the membership of his organization because IFCO's board refused to "take a clear-cut position on the revolutionary ideology and racist rhetoric of the Black Manifesto." By 1971, however, IFCO had given into the outside pressure and cut off funding to the NBEDC. Despite this early history with the NBEDC, IFCO did not shy away from supporting controversial groups with funding and technical assistance. Other groups they supported were: the American Indian Movement; the Committee for a Unified Newark and JIHAD Productions in Newark, New Jersey (founded by poet and radical activist Amiri Baraka); Cesar Chavez' United Farm Workers Union; the Woodlawn Organization, Chicago, Illinois; films in support of the revolutions in Angola and Mozambique; the militant National Welfare Rights Organization; and the United Command of Zimbabwe African Peoples Union. Although most of the projects funded by IFCO aided efforts in the black community, early on the board of directors had approved staff recommendations to expand funding and services to Native American and Mexican American communities. Native Americans were initially represented in IFCO in 1969 via the American Indian Task Force that was comprised of urban and rural Native Americans. IFCO was also instrumental in helping shape the American Indian Movement (AIM). In addition, as early as 1968, IFCO was aiding Mexican Americans by funding projects ranging from assistance to migrant workers and improving education and housing, to training community development workers to function in their, or neighboring localities. The board also set a high priority on funding economic development projects in both communities. IFCO established several organizations and training institutes, at both the regional and national level in this country and in Africa. In 1976 IFCO sponsored a National Organizers' Conference to bring together grass roots organizers with representatives of churches and funding agencies. The themes were economic crises and political repression and the implications for social change. Approximately four hundred participants from the network originally formed by IFCO, as well as others who were working for social change, convened in New York City. Workshop subjects included organizing strategies representing five different philosophies and styles of organizing. In addition, there were workshops focusing on many areas of organizing activity such as health care, land reform, and women's issues. IFCO was also instrumental in consolidating local independent, self-help groups to form the Black United Fund (BUF), whose purpose was to assure that funding reached blacks who needed social and rehabilitative services in their communities, and that decisions would be made by blacks regarding the allocation of revenue received from public charities. IFCO awarded $50,000 to the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade during its first four years of operation in order for it to serve as a model for the BUF concept. Moreover, they provided BUF leaders with training, assisted in the development of local BUFs, and urged the black media nationwide to support the BUF through public relations and information dissemination. The National Black United Fund was incorporated as a separate entity in 1971 and achieved its independence from IFCO in 1974. It continues to be a viable charitable force in today's society. On the regional level, in 1969 IFCO staff spearheaded efforts to develop a coalition of churches, other religious bodies, and community organizations in Ohio and Michigan. Called the Michigan-Ohio Community Organization Council (MOCOC), its support was comprised of local and regional governing units of seven major churches. IFCO envisioned that the Michigan-Ohio Coalition would be the first step toward developing a Midwestern regional coalition that functioned in much the same way as IFCO itself, i. e., churches supporting community organization efforts determined by the groups themselves. IFCO planned to expand the two-state coalition to include Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, however, due to internal problems, by 1970 IFCO elected to close the regional office and return all decision-making to the main IFCO office in Manhattan. In March 1968 the IFCO board voted to institute an international program. The Community Organizers Training Institute (COTI), renamed the Amilcar Cabral Institute in 1973 to honor the assassinated leader of the struggle for liberation of Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands, was the major educational component of the international program. The Cabral Institute consisted of five programs designed to train minority individuals for leadership and staff positions in community organizations, train seminarians in community organizing, and establish Black United Funds. Among the other international programs IFCO supported were the African Liberation Support Committee, a program that mobilized African Americans to support African liberation movements; a grant program to develop educational films for use in communities and churches, such as films about liberation struggles in Mozambique and Angola; and programs that studied the liberation struggles in Asia, Latin America and Africa through IFCO's Cabral Training Institute. Within its international program, IFCO also developed the Relief for Africans in Need in the Sahel (the region in north central Africa, south of the Sahara that is characterized by periodic drought) Project, also known as RAINS. The Cabral Institute developed and subsidized the operation of RAINS, which consisted of twenty-six groups that attempted to secure an effective response to the Sahelian drought. RAINS sought to carry out three objectives: apply political pressure on the U. S. for direct and massive government aid to the countries involved; coordinate fund raising for West African famine relief; and organize research and technical assistance in the drought affected areas. In 1973, through RAINS, IFCO sponsored a coalition of concerned black individuals and organizations to seek massive, immediate relief for drought-stricken countries of the Sahel. From its inception the range of ethnic groups and projects assisted by IFCO was greatly diversified, encompassing Alaskan Eskimos, Native Americans, blacks, Mexican Americans, poor whites, and Africans. It helped bring about community action in projects in such wide-ranging fields as voter education, organization of exploited workers, and community owned cooperatives, job training, urban planning and rights of victimized tenants. In the 1990s IFCO continued to function primarily by conducting research, providing information and financial and technical assistance to community organizing efforts in the United States. Member agencies in more than forty cities currently work in the fields of political organization, housing, education, job training, and legal aid.
- Content: The records of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), 1966-1984, document the origin and development of the organization within the context of the social and religious turmoil of the late 1960s, a period which gave rise to Third World theological perspectives, and the radical critique of racism and materialism in American society. IFCO records consist of files for the various programs and projects IFCO developed to assist economically and politically disadvantaged peoples gain justice, self-determination and economic independence, primarily in the United States, and to a lesser extent, Africa. Included are hundreds of proposals submitted by community, educational, health care, and other organizations to IFCO's Grant Making Program, that provide in-depth documentation for many community empowerment organizations in the United States from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s.
- Physical Description
- Extent: 41 linear feet
- Type of Resource
- Text
- Identifiers
- Other local Identifier: Sc MG 227
- NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b15015910
- MSS Unit ID: 20866
- Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 029b5d60-ba5e-013d-0baa-0242ac110002