Special Program Grants
SPECIAL PROGRAM GRANTS (formerly the Commission on Ethnic Local Church Concerns grants and the Common Table “Healing the Hurts” grants) are designed for programs outside of normal conference and local church funding processes. They are intended to provide funding for the first three years of innovative programs of tangible and caring outreach that is beyond a local church’s current financial resources.
SUSTAINING PROGRAM GRANTS are designed for programs outside of normal conference and local church funding processes. They are intended to provide funding for the sustaining of innovative programs of tangible and caring outreach that is beyond a local church’s current financial resources. They are for churches of all ethnic groups and should help the church requesting the funding to relate to the ethnic groups within its community.
The purpose of these grants is to encourage churches of all ethnic groups to move from an emphasis on self care to an emphasis on reaching out into the local community in the name of Christ. In every ethnic group, vital and creative outreach ministries by United Methodist churches produce vital, self-sufficient, and growing local churches. Because it is important that outreach ministries have the support of the whole church, the church council or other appropriate body must approve the project prior to submission for a grant request.
These grants are for program expenses and not for building projects. Program expenses would include “consumables” necessary to facilitate a particular ministry and only under the most unusual of circumstances include salaries or compensation for workers or coordinators of the ministries beyond the local church.
Normally, a project will not be funded for more than three years. All local church programs should strive for self-sufficiency within the three-year period. Funding is paid in the month following each quarter and is contingent upon the receipt of satisfactory quarterly reports from the project. If a quarterly report is not received, the next payment cannot be made. Please note that no application will be considered without the District Superintendent's approval and signature. Applications are available below. They are due in the Office of Connectional Ministries by August 1.
Guidelines for 2014 Special Program Grants (Word)
2014 Sustaining Program Grant Application (Word form)
2014 Sustaining Program Grant Application (pdf)
2014 Special Program Grants Application (Word form)
2014 Special Program Grants Application (pdf)
2012 Special and Sustaining Program Grants to Local Churches/Faith Groups Reaching Out into Communities (pdf)
|