Grants
Two categories of grants will be available on a rolling basis beginning April 1, 2016. Applications for this round are due June 1. Applications received after that time will be considered in the fall.
In the last triennium, Mission Enterprise Zones received grants of $20,000 and new church starts received $100,000. The Advisory Group on Church Planting is using those existing parameters to assist in making grants, but is open to proposals of differing amounts as fits the needs of the new initiative.
Category I: Discernment Grants
Discernment Grant Application [English / Spanish]
These grants are for dioceses, missioners, and church planters interested in exploring and assessing the possibilities for church planting and mission within their region with a coach or consultant. These grants are designed to fulfill the preliminary requirements of those applying for funding grants.
Category II: Funding Grants
B. Mission Enterprise Zone (MEZ)/Missional Initiative
Mission Enterprise Zones primarily gather around ministries of service, justice, and mercy with communities of a particular demographic. Mission Enterprise Zones are experimental in nature; witness in the world is the entry point. Mission Enterprise Zones may or may not require a full-time staff person and may be designed to run for a limited amount of time. The funding required for these projects is typically less than that of a Church Plant or New Congregation. Examples: The Stamford Supper Club, Stamford CT; Laundry Love, Santa Monica, CA
C. MEZ-Church Plant Hybrid
This category is perhaps the most flexible and creative - intended for innovative and entrepreneurial communities in which the celebration of word and sacrament is explicitly and inextricably bound to mission in the neighborhood. Southside Abbey, Chattanooga, TN; St. Gabriel's, Leesburg, VA; The Abbey, Birmingham, AL
For more information, please contact us at churchplanting@episcopalchurch.org
