The Interagency Coordinating Group highlights effective models and best practices for government & nonprofit collaboration. By working together, we can share resources, build capacity for organizations, and increase overall support for the nonprofit sector in Texas. Maintaining open communication and a strong network is critical to achieving the goal of the ICG – to build a strong public sector that ensures social services and resources are reaching Texas communities.

In 2021, the ICG highlighted best practices in collaboration with faith-based and community organizations to ensure a coordinated and widespread response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are three Texas state agencies that took unique approaches to working with fellow public sector organizations to extend their impact.

• Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) excels at building bridges for organizations and providing information and resources to community members. As capacity boosters, TDEM recognizes each organization has its own mission and conducts outreach to consider all perspectives when responding to emergency situations. One of the ways TDEM accomplishes this is by engaging Voluntary Organizations in Disaster (VOAD), a network of faith-based and community organizations that have made disaster work a priority. When a disaster happens, they support VOADs in understanding the needs and facilitate partnership with local organizations to discuss the availability of vital resources. As a result, TDEM brings diverse efforts together and fosters conversations on how the network can collectively serve Texans.
• The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) works with Texas faith-based and community organizations to promote vaccination in local communities. DSHS operates the Texas Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant Program, which addresses vaccine hesitancy in communities. Community organizations were awarded funds to engage their community in COVID-19 vaccine education and other activities to increase the number of vaccinated Texans. The program advises organizations with strategies to increase knowledge of and access to COVID-19 vaccines for those who have been disproportionality affected by COVID-19. DSHS relies on the community expertise of these nonprofits to build stakeholder buy-in within individual communities to best address Texans’ needs.
• The Texas Department of Family Services (DFPS) partners with the faith community, foundations, advocates, and volunteers to improve service delivery for children, families, and adults. The agency has partnered with CarePortal, an interdenominational network of churches that collaborate for the benefit of children and families in their communities. Through the online platform, caseworkers identify needs and submit them through careportal.org, which enables greater reach to local faith communities equipped to fulfill the requests. To date, resources through the CarePortal have helped serve more than 16,000 children across 51 counties Texas, with an estimated economic impact of $4.4 million. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform was expanded include to families in Adult Protective Services to ensure that needs are being met for all Texans.

For more examples of how nonprofit organizations and government collaborate, check out the latest 2021 Interagency Coordinating Group legislative report linked here.

Dinorah Lopez
Program Specialist, Nonprofit Strong

A strong public sector requires government agencies to work closely with nonprofits, churches, and other local organizations to ensure important social services and resources are reaching local communities. To encourage these partnerships to flourish and thrive, the Texas Legislature established the Interagency Coordinating Group (ICG), a convening of Texas state agency liaisons who are appointed to ensure ongoing outreach and cooperation with faith-based and community groups. As chair of the ICG, OneStar convenes these state agencies twice a year to share best practices and report on their work. These meetings have been instrumental in improving communication between agencies and getting the word out about exciting new initiatives.

This month, OneStar released our 2019 Interagency Coordinating Group Legislative Report, which is an inspiring look at how several state agencies have worked with faith-based and community organizations to better serve Texans over the past year. Here are five highlights from the report that you can share and potentially implement in your own local community!

• Texas has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the nation, with an estimated 234,000 victims of labor trafficking and 79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking in the state at any given time. The Office of the Attorney General has been leading the fight against this heinous crime with their Be The One resources, which includes a training film, online platform, and public service announcement. The materials provide an understanding of what human trafficking is (and is not), identify vulnerable populations that are more likely to be victimized by human traffickers, identify indicators of human trafficking and methods of reporting to the authorities, and highlight actual cases of human trafficking prosecuted in Texas. The campaign has been widely shared with other Texas state agencies, schools, churches, and community-based organizations statewide and is publicly available to organizations for training and education purposes. You can find the video and other Be the One resources here and are encouraged to use them in your own organizations!

• The Department of Family and Protective Services engages people of faith to support children in foster care and their families in a variety of ways, such as through the Clergy in the Court for Kids program. This initiative invites members of local faith communities to attend court proceedings and gain first-hand understanding of the child welfare system. By facilitating this connection, faith communities are better able to identify and provide resources to families—including food, counseling services, parenting classes, and other goods and services. You can learn more about how DFPS has effectively partnered with Texas CASA on this program and contact DFPS to get your faith community involved.

• Texas Comptroller’s Statewide Procurement Division has opened up the Texas SmartBuy Membership Program to state-funded nonprofit assistance organizations that offer educational, health or humanitarian services, allowing these entities to purchase equipment and supplies at excellent value and receive discounted rates on fuel and travel, including flights, rental cars, fuel, travel agency services, and hotels. The program empowers local buyers with access to the same competitively bid statewide contracts as Texas state agencies—and without spend thresholds to receive savings. Common purchases include items such as office furniture, vehicles, books, food, and medical supplies. As of this fall, more than 120 assistance organizations participated in this program. You can learn more about the eligibility requirements and benefits and apply now, or contact the Texas SmartBuy Membership Program with any questions.

• Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of adult Texans. To combat this epidemic, the Texas Department of State Health Services operates the Heart Disease & Stroke Program, which partners with local YMCA and food banks & pantries to encourage self-measured blood pressure monitoring among patrons. The program provides participants with automatic blood pressure monitors, education on their use, and tracking logs to record their blood pressure readings. You can find guides and publications for home blood pressure monitoring here to share in your own organization, or e-mail to join the Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Partnership, a statewide network of individuals and organizations with a shared vision of reducing the burden of heart disease and stroke in Texas.

• Texas Health and Human Services Commission makes it easy for nonprofits to engage through their Community Partner Program, a statewide network of nearly 400 community partners that receive support, training, certification, and resources on how to access and navigate the state’s YourTexasBenefits.com website. This online portal allows individuals to apply for and manage their public benefits, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and TANF. This year, Community Partner Program took part in 66 statewide events and facilitated 41 webinars to over 1,500 participants providing information about health and human services programs. You can learn how to become a community partner here and access community partner resources here.

Check out the full report here to explore more resources and opportunities to partner with Texas state agencies.