Grant Programs For Churches!

Several local churches and nonprofits recently received aid for programs and construction from an Endowment Funding Program!

The philanthropic organization announced grants totaling more than $250,000 to eight local churches and nonprofit organizations, a small piece of the $98 million the endowment has distributed in its first two quarters.

Those grants will go toward a range of projects for six United Methodist churches as well as operational costs for a Children's Home and the Baptist Children's Home.

Two of the churches will use their grant money funds for a family life center and fellowship hall, respectively. The pastor of one of the churches said that their church's new fellowship hall, which will cost a total of $2.2 million, will seat 400 and feature a stage, kitchen, basketball goals and storage space! "It will provide more space for our congregation to assemble for fellowship. We hope it will impact the community and grow the church."

The church has also received an additional $100,000 from the endowment earmarked to make the facility environmentally friendly. Upon its completion the 12,000-square-foot facility will be a marvel of energy efficiency, using natural light, low-flow toilets and a number of other "green" features to minimize the building's effect on the environment.

The organization that funds these endowment grants, which have been handed out yearly since they were established go toward education, health care, child care and rural Methodist churches. The grants for the six churches came from a church division of the endowment's funding program.

Several of the grants, which range from $15,000 to $50,000, will go toward establishing or supporting church-sponsored after-school programs. One spokesperson has said that the endowment funds will go a long way toward supplying materials for the children it serves and will help underprivileged children be a part of it in the form of tuition aid. "It's going to make it possible for (families) who can't afford child care," she said.

One of the organizations that received the grant funding which got off the ground with the help of endowment funds last year, serves children five days a week between 2:30 and 6 p.m. and also provides all-day care during the summer months. The church applied for the grant last year and received a three-year commitment from the Endowment Program for $50,000 a year. Those funds have helped the church attain its goal of reaching out to families throughout the community.

For more information about this funding program or to see whether or not your organization is eligible to apply you can visit the website to find out more.