Christian Church Grants
Churches often rely on their parishioners for funding to handle church building expenses and pastoral staff salaries, however, there are other methods by which churches can gain the monetary means to operate. Grants provide one way for churches to keep afloat economically. With the creation of faith-based initiatives, churches have more opportunities to fund their work. Churches can search both public and private philanthropic organizations that are committed to helping churches grow.
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Criteria for Grant Eligibility
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There are certain criteria that churches must often meet to be considered for a grant. Commonly, churches must have a ministry that is in good standing. For example, churches that are being investigated by authorities or churches that have used funds inappropriately in the past may not qualify for grants. Furthermore, it's essential that the church is federally recognized as a 501(c)3 organization. Without recognition as a 501(c)3 and a tax exempt status, a church cannot receive a grant.
Many grants are awarded specifically to churches that are meeting a need. For example, most foundations are interested in providing grants to churches that are active in their community. Some churches will only receive grants if they are engaged in activities such as outreach, discipleship, and economic empowerment for their community.
Considerations for Grant Writing
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Applying for a Christian church grant can be a long and tedious process. Churches can use organizations like the Christian Foundation Grants to learn how to write a grant and gain free access to templates that can be used to create grant proposals. Furthermore, the United States government offers free courses in grant writing.
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The Crowell Trust
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According to the National Grants Conference, churches should consider how The Crowell Trust organization can help their church. The Crowell Trust awards grants for church planting and general Christian church operations. The average size of grants awarded by the Crowell Trust is $40,000, and the largest contribution by the fund to religious work was $750,000.
Grants for Pastoral Care
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Not every church needs grants for operating equipment or bills. Churches that are looking for grants for the betterment of their pastoral staff may want to consider how grants like the Lilly Endowment can help. The Lilly Endowment is a national clergy renewal program that awards grants for pastoral care. Through the Lilly Endowment, pastors are provided funding to temporarily step away from church duties for an emotional and spiritual renewal period. The period is not considered a vacation, but rather a sabbatical.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit view of church. exterior of church image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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There are plenty of organizations out there that offer grants. For example, law firms work with ministries all the time, assisting them on getting their grant application processed. 1. Search the Internet (Google, Bing, Yahoo) by entering the following "(your state) church (building, funding, construction, etc.) grant program". 2. Select a promising page generated by the Internet search. 3. Press Ctrl F to bring up the Find box in your toolbar. 4. Type in your state location again in the Find box for easy locating on the page you are reading. One law firm, Mauck & Baker, supports churches through the process and may offer complimentary assist on select grant applications primarily in the United States. Really it is the next step of the process that is the hardest and has the most obstacles- working with city zoning and ordinances for additions and new construction. That is when you would really need a law firms assistance to move through all the "red tape".
