Civil rights and civil liberties

Executive Order 13280: Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

President: George W. Bush

Assigned Agriculture and USAID specific responsibilities for faith-based and community initiatives and required coordination with the wider federal network.

Status: In effect as amended.

Is Executive Order 13280 still in effect? Yes. Active as amended; successor agency faith centers continue.

What does Executive Order 13280 do?

The order assigned these duties: Department of Agriculture, USAID and the White House faith-based initiative — Assigned Agriculture and USAID specific responsibilities for faith-based and community initiatives and required coordination with the wider federal network.

Checked the USDA faith-based initiative against the signed order and EO 14205. The guide distinguishes agency outreach and equal-access rules from guaranteed funding or exemption from program requirements.

Administration position: The order’s policy rationale is drawn from the official presidential document. Implementation and legal observations are based on the cited government records.
SignedDecember 12, 2002
IssuerPresident George W. Bush
Lead agencies or officialsDepartment of Agriculture, USAID and the White House faith-based initiative
Express timingAgency centers and implementation plans on an ongoing basis

Before and after

Before the order

EO 13198 and EO 13279 established a network, but Agriculture and USAID needed explicit responsibilities.

After the order

Both agencies created or maintained liaison structures and incorporated faith-based participation into grant and assistance programs; later orders amended the terminology and structure. EO 14205 amended the faith-based initiative framework in 2025; statutory program rules, constitutional limits and nondiscrimination protections continue to govern agency action.

Later executive orders, statutes and agency rules could amend or replace the presidential direction.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Department of Agriculture, USAID and the White House faith-based initiativeAssigned Agriculture and USAID specific responsibilities for faith-based and community initiatives and required coordination with the wider federal network.Agency centers and implementation plans on an ongoing basis

What happened next

EO 13280 signed.

USDA — Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

EO 14205 amended the federal faith-based initiative framework, including this order.