Al Gore, Democrat

Views on charity issues: Says he wants to eliminate

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Charity: a Campaign Front-Runner

the legal barriers that prevent religious groups from receiving government money for programs that deal with drug abuse, homelessness, youth-violence prevention, and many other social problems.

Wants to encourage more companies to allow faith-based organizations to compete for donations, including through employee matching-gift programs.

In his own words: “Let us put the solutions that faith-based organizations are pioneering at the very heart of our national strategy for building a better, more just nation. Many people in the faith-based organizations want their role to be not exemplary, but strategic; not to be merely a shining anecdote in a pretty story told by a politician, but to have a seat at the national table when decisions get made. . . . If you elect me President, the voices of faith-based organizations will be integral to the policies set forth in my Administration.”

Charity affiliations: Created the Coalition to Sustain Success, which brought together national non-profit groups — including Goodwill Industries International, United Way of America, and YMCA of the U.S.A. — to better coordinate their services to deal with the 1996 changes in the welfare law. Has long worked with a variety of non-profit groups on environmental issues.

Spouse’s non-profit interests: Tipper Gore has worked with many non-profit groups, including Christ House, in Washington, as an advocate for the homeless and mentally ill; helped found Tennessee Voices for Children, in Nashville.

Campaign Web site: http://www.algore2000.com