If you are a member of a church or congregation in your community that is looking for financial aid, a church grant may be available for you. Church grants are available to all churches or faith-based organizations that have completed the 501(c)(3), which declares them a charitable organization. Church grants are available on all levels, but it may be most important to first look at grants through your church’s denomination or local grantors.
Churches can be more than a sacred place for many individuals; it often serves as an asylum for those in need. Especially in depressed areas, churches often run programs and services to help community members. Church grants offer the financial help to allow churches to keep those programs and services running, especially if they have no other way to keep them going.
Those may include providing care and aide to the homeless in their community, running food pantries and soup kitchens, as well as collecting money for those in need. Most churches have budgets allotted to each program, and based on the demand they may not be able to keep up. Different areas that are more impoverished may have more individuals relying on the churches services day-to-day, but due to the churches lack of funding, it may be difficult to meet the demand.
It is important when submitting a church grant application to specify the needs of the grant money, and what it will go towards. Most church grants are used to help provide programs and services to community members, but most do not award grants to those looking for help with operating expenses. With that being said, there may be church grants available to help aide operating expenses and/or other repair and expansion needs. This is where it becomes important to only apply for church grants in which you meet the qualifications, and that have similar goals so everyone wins.