Resource Development Commission
2024 Budget
More information about Empowering Leadership Grant and Empowering Congregations Grant.
Guidelines for grants Empowering Congregations and Empowering Leadership
Introduction
By action of the 2015 Southern Ohio District Conference a percentage of the interest on monies received from The Nature Conservancy for their portion of the sale of the Camp Woodland Altars property will be set aside each year for use as grants to Empower Congregations and to Empower Leadership within the District. These Guidelines provide information on the nature of those grants.
Purpose of the Grants
The intended purpose of the grants is twofold: 1. To provide financial support to any congregation within the District which seeks it for the development of new or expansion of existing missional efforts; 2. To provide financial support for any member of a District congregation who is in a leadership position and wishes to obtain further training to enhance their leadership role or any member of a District congregation who wishes to seek training to prepare them for future church leadership.
Amount of the Grants
Grants amounts will not exceed $3000. Grant applicants must provide at least one-fourth of the cost of their proposed activity. (i.e. the grant will be a maximum of a three to one match of the applicant’s contribution.) Should a congregation or individual believe the 3-1 match limitation places a hardship on them, they may appeal to the District Board to have this provision waived.
The amount offered a grantee will be restricted by the amount of money available from the interest described above, the number of grant applications received in each application period and the judgement of the Empowerment Grant Review Committee as to the merits of the request.
Review of Applications and Disposition of Grants
It will be the responsibility of the Resource Development Committee of the District Board to establish an ongoing Empowerment Grant Review Committee. This Review Committee will be made up of at least one Board member and at least three at large members. The Review Committee shall have a mix of clergy and lay persons among its membership.
The Empowerment Grant Review Committee will receive all applications for grants. It will be its responsibility to carefully and thoughtfully review each application on its own merits. The Committee will have the capacity to request additional information from an applicant if such is deemed appropriate by the Committee. After consideration of the application, a representative of the Committee will bring the Committee’s recommendations to the next scheduled meeting of the District Board. The District Board will make the final decision regarding action to be taken on the grant. Following Board action, a member of the Grant Committee will notify the applicant by letter as to the disposition of the grant.
Should a member of the Grant Committee or a member of the District Board be a family member or close associate of an applicant, they shall recuse themselves from participating in the consideration of that application.
Application for Grants
Congregations and individuals interested in pursuing an Empowerment Grant need to complete an Empowerment Grant Application form and submit it to the address noted on the application form. Individual applicants will also need to include two letters of support from persons knowledgeable about their aspirations. Empowerment Grant Application forms are available on the District website sodcob.org. Grant applications will be received and reviewed twice during each calendar year. Deadlines for submission of grants will be March 1 and August 1 annually.
Follow-up by Grantees
Once an individual or a congregation has received an Empowering Grant it is their responsibility to submit a brief update on the use of the grant six months from date of receipt. A more detailed progress report how the grant has been used shall be submitted one year post grant distribution. Both the six month update and the one year report are to be submitted to District Board either via email to sodcob.brethren.org or by paper report sent to Southern Ohio District Board, c/o The Southern Ohio District Church of the Brethren, P.O. Box 785, Greenville, OH, 45331.
