agencies that have already been doing that crucial work for decades, including agencies whose commitment to serve arises from profound religious convictions. (3) By providing safe and welcoming homes to vulnerable children, adoptive and foster care parents serve the best interests of children and contribute to the common good of our communities in ways that are irreplaceable. Such parents should be empowered to adopt children based on their merits as parents, without being thwarted by discriminatory obstacles. (4) By finding safe and welcoming homes for vulnerable children, religious and other providers of adoption and foster care services, facilitate connections between good parents and vulnerable children. In doing so, such providers also contribute to the common good of our communities in ways that are irreplaceable. (5) The indirect funding program created by this section is intended to be a permanent and fully funded program that links vulnerable children to good parents in order to serve the best interests of children. This indirect funding program will do so by ensuring that diverse adoption and foster care providers, including religious providers, will continue to receive Federal financial assistance. (6) Therefore, it is the policy of the Federal Government to protect the best interests of at-risk children by establishing minimum Federal standards that guarantee the equal treatment of qualified families seeking to offer foster care or adoption and an equal respect for the diversity of private agencies, including religious agencies, that provide adoption and foster care services. This section shall be construed in a manner consistent with these findings and declaration of policy. (b) Nondiscrimination requirements Federal financial assistance for adoption, foster care, or related services is subject to section 601, unless otherwise provided in this section. Any entity that receives Federal financial assistance to perform adoption or foster care placements or related services, or that contracts with an