Grants & Assistance for Churches
Grants and assistance for churches span everything from community service grants to disaster relief funds, from church construction loans to vocational ministry fellowships. Churches have many financial resources available to them through private foundations and denominational granters, and most churches can also qualify for low-interest loans through private banks as well as through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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Relief
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Many organizations provide emergency and disaster relief to churches, both in the form of grants and loans. The Salvation Army, for example, maintains emergency preparedness, provides immediate emergency response and supports long-term disaster recovery for churches and communities. Similarly, the LifeWay Christian Resources assist Southern Baptist churches that have been impacted by natural disasters and crisis situations. Both the Oldham Little Church Foundation and the Bonner Foundation also provide for temporary needs, such as supporting hunger ministries and construction projects.
Service
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In addition to government grants for social service programs, churches have a number of funding opportunities for the support of community ministries and programs. The Catholic Charities USA supports ministries aimed at family assistance, poverty reduction and community development, while the Evangelical Lutheran Church provides grants for domestic hunger programs and immigrant and refugee services. The nondenominational Faith in Action Program, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative, funds interfaith programs that provide care and assistance to the chronically ill and aging.
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Outreach
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Many organizations provide grants and other types of assistance to support outreach and evangelism programs and church initiatives. The Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation funds everything from the distribution of Bibles, tracts and Christian literature and the operation of technical, audio and audio-visual programs, to the training and development of missionaries, pastors and evangelists. Other organizations that provide funding for outreach and evangelism include the Maclellan Foundation, the FourSquare Foundation Gospel Grants and the Timothy Fund for Church Planting Apprenticeships.
Development
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Grants and assistance for church development and growth span a broad spectrum, including support for improving church property and funding for ministry programs. The Wisconsin-based Ziegler Capital Markets Group and the California-based Bank of the West, for example, have both been providing low-interest loans for church building projects for almost 100 years. Granting institutions that support church development projects include the Raskob Foundation, the Roger Clemens Foundation and the Ambrose Monell Foundation, as well as a number of denominational granters, like the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and the Reformed Church in America.
Education
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Some organizations focus on funding education for ministry training, providing support both to existing pastors and to future pastors. The Fund for Theological Education provides grants for church community programs that support youth interested in vocational ministry. The Henry Luce Foundation and the Chatlos Foundation both give to a wide variety of faith-based educational initiatives, from the local church level to the university. Pastors of established churches can take advantage of the National Clergy Renewal Program, a fellowship funded through the Lilly Endowment that provides for extended sabbaticals for ministry leaders.
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