This grant will assist the Center for Community Change in its efforts to build the field of community organizing. While the field of community organizing has been growing, significant gaps in reach and effectiveness currently prevent it from becoming a more powerful catalyst for fighting poverty. With this grant, the Center for Community Change's work will focus on three major areas: 1) strengthening low-income, grassroots organizations in selected regions of the country; 2) building community organizing infrastructure in specific states; and 3) establishing a community organizing "pool of talent" for the field. The ultimate goal of this organizing work is to increase resources and build permanent capacity in the targeted regions to increase the ability of low-income residents to shape the programs and policies that affect their lives.

Louisiana Interfaith Together is a statewide organizing project of PICO National Network. Louisiana Interfaith Together works on a variety of issues of concern to residents with an emphasis on education and housing. Previous grants supported statewide education organizing and the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This grant will provide continued support for work to improve public education and promote affordable housing.

The Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project began as a project of Sacramento Area Congregations Together, an affiliate of PICO National Network. The project proved to be successful and in 2002, the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project was separately incorporated in order to facilitate the expansion of the project. Working with local community groups, project staff provides training to parents and teachers for effective home visits which have improved student outcomes. The success led the California State Legislature to appropriate funds for teacher pay and training to districts throughout California, and the project is being replicated in other localities across the country.