The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the creation of a Center for Faith, signaling a reversal of policies implemented during the Biden administration that restricted faith organizations from accessing disaster relief loans.
The SBA stated in a Monday press release that the Center for Faith aims to "empower faith-based businesses, community organizations, and houses of worship with access to capital, counselling, and government contracting opportunities."Janna Bowman, who serves as the director of faith outreach for the SBA, leads the new center.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler expressed enthusiasm about the initiative, saying, “We are thrilled to announce our first-ever Center for Faith at the SBA to improve access to agency resources for the faith community, ensuring that all SBA programs are accessible to eligible Americans regardless of their religious affiliation.”
She also emphasized, “We are proud to uphold the principles of religious freedom that our nation was founded on — and look forward to forging lasting relationships that bring new small businesses into the SBA ecosystem.”
Additionally, the SBA will rescind a regulation that was maintained by the Biden administration, which prevented entities "principally engaged in teaching, instructing, counseling, or indoctrinating religion" from applying for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
These loans are available to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in declared disaster areas that are unable to meet financial obligations and pay necessary operating expenses and are only granted if the SBA determines the entities cannot obtain assistance elsewhere.
The SBA, under the Trump administration, has declared that the Biden-era regulation was unconstitutional, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2017 decision in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer.
In that case, the court ruled it unconstitutional for a Missouri agency to refuse reimbursement to a church participating in a program that used recycled tires for playground surfaces, while similar secular organizations received benefits, citing First Amendment protections.
Loeffler vowed the Center for Faith is “committed to ending the era of weaponized government that has systematically discriminated against Americans of faith — even denying them access to vital disaster relief in times of tragedy.”
Following President Trump’s February 7 executive order creating the White House Faith Office, several federal agencies have established Centers for Faith to promote religious engagement and support.
