Iowa Family Policy Center didn’t reject federal funds until last month

Dan82 · Sep 23, 2010

http://iowaindependent.com/43736/io...r-didnt-reject-federal-funds-until-last-month

Iowa Family Policy Center did not notify government officials that it no longer wanted to receive federal funding until six weeks ago — nearly a year later than it originally told the media the decision was made.

In April, The Iowa Independent reported the Iowa Family Policy Center had received more than $3 million in federal funding for a marriage mentoring program. Following the story, the group’s spokesman, Bryan English, told Des Moines Register columnist Rehka Basu that it would no longer accept the funds, saying “the decision [to not take additional funding] was made at a board meeting in September [2009], but just hadn’t been announced yet.” English made a similar statement to Iowa Public Radio.

In early July 2010, a Freedom of Information Act reconsideration addendum was filed by The Iowa Independent specifically requesting proof of relinquishment of federal funds by IFPC. Follow up phone calls to the Administration for Children and Families, the agency responsible for grant oversight, could not confirm the funds had been denied at that time.

Phone calls to English in July and August regarding termination of funding went unanswered. Just last week, the FOIA reconsideration request was finally filled, revealing IFPC did not notify the government they would forgo additional funding until August 10, 2010.

“We believe federal constraints are impeding our progress to help a broader range of couples,” Chuck Hurly, IFPC’s president, wrote in the Aug. 10 letter to the Administration for Children and Families. “We believe organizationally we are in a position to become privately funded...

http://iowaindependent.com/43736/io...r-didnt-reject-federal-funds-until-last-month
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Iowa Family Policy Center didn’t reject federal funds until last month

Dan82 Full Member

Dan82
Full Member