2012 Outreach Grants at St. Luke’s

Thank you for your interest in the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Outreach Grants Program.  A goal of outreach at St. Luke’s is to enable parishioners to fulfill their Baptismal Covenant to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to uphold the dignity of every human being, and to strive for justice and peace among all people. While the funds we have available for grants are an important part of our outreach efforts, we hope that you also will seek ways in which our parish might become involved in your efforts through volunteer work or in-kind donations. We provide volunteer, financial, and/or in-kind support to a range of programs within St. Luke’s, to our downtown Atlanta neighborhood, and in communities across the country and around the world. 

The funds which make up our outreach grants program come from several endowments, and the majority of available funds are restricted to the purpose of health care services to underserved populations. There are additional, smaller funds available for more general support of underserved populations, but our primary focus is on health-related services.

In 2011, we funded 16 grants, totaling $150,720. Grants ranged in size from $4,320 to $28,000 and our average grant in was $9,420.

Grant applications are welcome from any organization which meets the following requirements:

• The organization qualifies for tax-deductible status under 501(c)(3) or has a qualifying fiscal    agent
• The organization provides health care services and/or serves the homeless, urban poor, or other underserved communities (note: a significant portion of our funds are restricted to the support of health care services).  

Specifically, we seek to provide support to organizations that meet as many of the following criteria as possible:

1. provides direct services to underserved populations
2. has a grassroots, entrepreneurial (non-corporate) nature
3. has an annual and/or program budget such that a gift from St. Luke’s will make a real impact
4. is a faith-based organization
5. is located in our “neighborhood” (within 2-3 miles of St. Luke’s) 

In light of the current economic conditions which have caused a substantial reduction in our available funds, we encourage prospective applicants to make special note of these five criteria when considering completing a grant application.  We want everyone to make the best use of their time, so we recommend that you not apply if you do not meet most of these guidelines. Additionally, St. Luke’s cannot provide funds for debt reduction or endowments, nor do we help fund local, state, or federal government programs. 

We hope that, in addition to applying for a grant, you also will consider the many other ways that the St. Luke’s community may be able to help your organization fulfill its mission. Through our various communications mechanisms we can help recruit volunteers and place notices of your events. Many organizations utilize space at St. Luke’s, and we are happy to talk to you about space usage for your organization. And, as always, wherever you are in your spiritual journey, you are always welcome to worship with us and participate in the broad range of programs and activities at St. Luke’s.

The 2012 grant cycle is as follows: 

1. Applications must be received by Monday, September 19, 2011 for the 2012 grant year.  To download an application click here.
2. All applications will be reviewed by the Budget and Grants Subcommittee of the Outreach Committee.
3. A member of this committee may contact you to request a site visit or interview.
4. Funding decisions will be announced by Wednesday, November 30, 2010, and funds will be disbursed in February of 2012.
5. One interim report explaining how your organization has used the grant money  will be due by June 30, 2012.
6. A final report will be due by December 31, 2012.

If you have any questions about whether your organization qualifies or about the application process, please contact Amy Doyle, chair at 5inthehall@bellsouth.net or The Rev. Liz Schellingerhoudt, associate for outreach and pastoral care at liz@stlukesatlanta.org.