Reading Room Document

Department of Housing and Urban Development Restrictions on Grants to Religious Organizations That Provide Secular Social Services

The Establishment Clause of the Constitution does not require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to deny grants to religious organizations that engage in religion-based employment discrimination or to deny grants for rehabilitation, reconstruction, or construction of facilities that are owned by religious organizations. Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibition on use of grant funds for religious counseling or use of grant funds to provide services in a facility in which sectarian or religious symbols are displayed is not more restrictive than the Establishment Clause requires. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/24121/download.

September 14, 1988