Purpose
At the heart of the Grants Pillar lies a bold and hopeful vision to build community, embrace diversity, deepen accountability, and cultivate sustainable gospel-rooted ministry. This pillar prioritizes collaboration and a focus on sustainability, along with measured mission impact. The proposed changes aim to reflect spiritual practices around community justice and discernment, around forming people instead of just funding, hearing prophetic witness rather than reviewing paperwork, and becoming connectional partners rather than institutional gatekeepers.
Pillar Structure and Focus
Our Grants Pillar strongly supports the Synod of the Northeast’s vision of being a courageous, Spirit-led, inclusive, and missional community by empowering ministries to explore bold new ways of being Church in today’s world. Our budget for grants supports these visions while remaining steadfast in the stewardship of our funds.
New Updates
- The development and marketing of Funders of Faith, a digital newsletter that monthly highlights a grant administered and funded by the Synod of the Northeast.
- A new requirement for grantees to receive training for progress reporting for all grants.
- The creation of a mentor program that matches a current or former successful grantee with a new grantee, so that they may advise and walk with the new grantee during the two-year period.
A Grants Review Committee will be created to oversee the evaluation of grant applications and to make recommendations for approval. The aim is to strengthen the grant program to better support transformational ministries and faithful leaders who will shape the future of the Church. The Committee is composed of two teaching elders, two ruling elders, and three at-large Synod members. The team reviews grant applications and progress reports for funding purposes. They recommend the award amounts and ensure that grants are processed fairly.
Work under the Grants Pillar will be evaluated through the following:
- Participation rates in webinars and trainings
- Number of first-time applicants who successfully complete the application process.
- Number of check-ins with mentors
- On time progress submission rates and completion
- Number of multilingual applications and grantees
- Growth in applications from underrepresented communities.
- Grantees' surveys after training and mentorship
- Embedded reflection questions in annual progress reports.
- Mentees' reflections on mentoring relationships and support needs
- Storytelling and lived impact
Grants Pillar
Funders of Faith
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