RELIGIOUS GROUPS

The amount of federal money that goes to religious charities has shrunk from 2002 to 2004, despite the president’s support of funding for faith-based groups, according to a new report cited by The Washington Post. The study, conducted by the nonpartisan Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, shows that about 18 percent of federal grants went to religious charities in those years, but the total amount of money available to social-services groups declined. As a result, grants to religious groups declined from $670-million in 2002 to $626-million in 2004. The White House disputed the findings, saying it would release its own figures next month that would show an increase in federal aid to religious organizations.