Holy Places Grants for New Church Ministries
Your congregation is a new faith community that is growing in mission and is in need of a Holy Place to serve as the primary center for worship and other church activities. You have developed a plan to fund this new Place, but a “boost” in capital funding would help to ensure the long-term sustainability of your new church.
Thanks to generous donors, the Holy Places Fund helps new Disciples congregations like yours acquire a home. Disciples Church Extension Fund now awards Holy Places Grants for the acquisition of an initial long-term Place. The Fund will consider requests from Disciples congregations who understand Place to mean ownership of real property or whose ministry provides for Place in other ways.
Who may apply?
A new Disciples congregation may apply:
- Prior to or subsequent to acquiring its initial long-term place;
- To acquire its Place using its own funds exclusively or using its own funds in combination with a Disciples Church Extension Fund loan for which it may be eligible. A new congregation that has or will acquire its Place using funds from a loan provided by a lender other than Disciples Church Extension Fund is not eligible for a grant.
What is the grant amount?
The maximum grant to any eligible congregation will be the lesser of:
- 20% of the acquisition cost of the Place; or
- 50% of the annual Income Distribution of the Holy Places Fund.
What Holy Places are eligible for a grant?
Eligible Places are:
- Undeveloped land on which the new congregation plans to construct a building;
- A site that is already developed, including a Place that a congregation is leasing;
- A Place that a Disciples Church Extension Fund advisor or Hope Partnership minister has visited and evaluated favorably;
- A Place that has received the endorsement and support of the Region/Area of which the eligible congregation is a part.
When are Holy Places grants awarded?
Eligible new Disciples congregations may apply at any time. Grants are awarded semi-annually.
How do we apply?
Click here for the Holy Places grant application and submission instructions.
For more information, call 800.274.1883 or email ribarra@disciplescef.org.
