Executive Order 13397: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
President: George W. Bush
Established a DHS center to coordinate access for faith-based and other community organizations.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13397 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13397 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13397 do?
EO 13397 instructed DHS to establish a center with a director, identify barriers to participation, coordinate outreach and report on efforts; it set a 45-day startup and 180-day initial report deadline. A February 2025 order establishing the White House Faith Office amended EO 13397’s names and referred to the DHS center among agency Centers for Faith.
Before and after
Before the order
Earlier faith-based initiative orders created White House and other agency structures for coordinating participation in social-service programs.
After the order
EO 13397 instructed DHS to establish a center with a director, identify barriers to participation, coordinate outreach and report on efforts; it set a 45-day startup and 180-day initial report deadline.
A February 2025 order establishing the White House Faith Office amended EO 13397’s names and referred to the DHS center among agency Centers for Faith.
What did the signed order change?
Earlier faith-based initiative orders created White House and other agency structures for coordinating participation in social-service programs. EO 13397 instructed DHS to establish a center with a director, identify barriers to participation, coordinate outreach and report on efforts; it set a 45-day startup and 180-day initial report deadline.
What happened later?
White House — Establishment of the White House Faith Office documents this later development: A February 2025 order establishing the White House Faith Office amended EO 13397’s names and referred to the DHS center among agency Centers for Faith.
What does that evidence establish?
EO 13397 concerned administrative coordination; it did not itself award grants or waive eligibility and nondiscrimination requirements. The 2025 order amended terminology and White House coordination, not the historical signing date. The later name change is not evidence that a specific applicant received DHS funding. The signed order controls its original terms.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security and its faith-based initiatives center | Reviewed barriers and coordinated participation and outreach under governing law | Under the signed order and governing law |
What happened next
EO 13397 signed.
A February 2025 order establishing the White House Faith Office amended EO 13397’s names and referred to the DHS center among agency Centers for Faith.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
EO 13397 concerned administrative coordination; it did not itself award grants or waive eligibility and nondiscrimination requirements. The 2025 order amended terminology and White House coordination, not the historical signing date.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — official executive-order record (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 26, 2026. How we research →