Grow Your Church
The New Spiritual Communities and ReNewing Churches grant program of the United Church of Christ seeks to enact the Vision, Mission, and Purpose by investing in programs and ministries which live into the ethos of the United Church of Christ’s becoming. Ministries that are meant to be sustaining, as well as ministries that are meant to be impactful for a particular time and place, are encouraged to apply. Grants are awarded based on how the ministries are impacting their local communities in alignment with the Vision, Mission, and Purpose of the UCC.
We are delighted to be part of a UCC COMMON APP for congregations. Please use the link here to apply for New and Renewing Church Funding. The deadline for New and Renewing Congregations Granting is October 1st, 2021.
If you are a new church plant pastor (church is 10 years or younger), please note the New Church Benefit Support (NCBS) grant, and you can use the same link to apply in a separate application. The deadline for NCBS is September 12th, 2021.
When you begin the application, we recommend that you answer first in a word document and copy and paste your questions into the application above.
APPLICATION: Application can be found here.
For your convenience, a document with the short answer questions is available for download, here.
Please note: Only applications completed in SmarterSelect will be considered.
For more information about previous years’ grantees, and information about process, please see the following special reports:
New Spiritual Communities and ReNewing Churches Grant Report for 2018 Awardees: Innovation and Inspiration: What’s New in the UCC?!
New Spiritual Communities and ReNewing Churches Grant Report for 2019 Awardees: https://www.ucc.org/meetingmeasuring
When you begin the application, we recommend that you answer first in a word document and copy and paste your questions into the application above.
For your convenience, a document with the short answer questions is available for download, here.
Please note: Only applications completed in SmarterSelect will be considered.
DETAILS AND REQUIREMENTS
This grant is available to faith communities affiliated with the United Church of Christ. If the applicant is not a Member in Discernment or UCC minister in good standing, a UCC accountability structure must be described and agreed upon through the local conference or committee on ministry.
References MUST be in before you can “submit” the application. It is recommended that applicants contact references early on in the process so as to meet the deadline of the first Friday of September
The New and Renewing Grants can be matching UP TO $40,000; or UP TO $20,000, non-matching; for the calendar year of 2020. Each community and/or applicant is eligible for up to $100,000 grant lifetime, from this program.
If awarded, it is understood that grant recipients will also have ongoing coaching support throughout the term of the grant.
PREPARATION WEBINARS:
In 2018, we arranged the following (recorded) webinars for potential grantees to help structure their applications:
Watch Articulating your Mission and Vision