FAQs

Grant Guidelines

The goal of the Center for Congregations' Resource Grants Program is to help central Indiana congregations find and use the best resources. The Resource Grants Program helps congregations pay for resources like books, magazines, videos, CD's, computer software, consultants, educational programs, and workshops. Grants can only be awarded to individual Indiana congregations. Church federations, parachurch organizations and so forth are not eligible to receive Center grants. The grants are made possible by a grant to the Indianapolis Center for Congregations from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Resource Grant Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.   Does our congregation have to use any of its own money?

A.   Yes, these are matching grants - the Center gives $1 for each $1 the congregation budgets for the resource and project.

Q.   Who can get a grant?
A.   Grants are given to a local congregation if:

  • it is located in a Center grant region.
  • it can show how the request fits the congregation's priorities or mission.
  • its proposal shows how the project or resource will strengthen the congregation's mission and ministries into the future.
  • its congregational leaders can show that others in the congregation have talked about this issue and agree that this is a need.
  • its completed application is endorsed by the senior clergy leader and the chair of the congregation's chief governing board or council to show that the congregation has approved the application.
  • it tells how it intends to provide the matching funds.
  • it is able to show proof of its tax-exempt status.

Q.   Is there anything we can't spend the grant money on?
A.   Yes. Grant funds can't be used for:

  • Private parochial schools (i.e. grammar schools or high schools run by congregations)
  • Computer hardware
  • Office equipment
  • Audio/vusual equipment
  • Musical instruments
  • Office and program supplies
  • Salaries or payments to congregational staff members or potential staff members
  • Meals/refreshments
  • Hosting city-wide or regional conferences or events whose main audience is the general public.
  • Facility rental
  • Printing
  • Copies of DVDs, CDs, videotapes, or other media
  • Advertising (media buys - newspaper space, airtime, etc.)
  • Postage
  • Operating funds
  • Capital expenses
  • Fund drives (except for consultant expenses)
  • Projects or activities already underway and/or previously paid for

Though the Center doesn't give grants for operating budgets, capital expenses or other types of fund drives, we do give funds to help with the cost of a fundraising or building consultant.

Q.   How long does it take to receive notice if our grant is awarded and how will we receive the funds?
A.   Grants are awarded monthly (except December). If your grant is approved, a letter of agreement containing the grant's terms will be sent to the senior clergy and board/council chair for their signatures. Please allow around eight (8) weeks to receive the grant check.

Q.   How does the resource grant process work?
A.   First you contact the Center and arrange for an appointment with one of our resource consultants. Then, if your idea fits the resource grants criteria, several steps follow:

  • The resource consultant will give you a copy of these guidelines and the proposal form. You may wish to receive these via email as a Word document so that you may complete the form on your computer. That way the answer boxes and tables expand to fit your information.
  • You submit a draft of the proposal to your resource consultant.
  • Your resource consultant reviews your draft and offers suggestions for strengthening the proposal or noting missing information.

    (these two steps may be repeated a number of times)
  • When your resource consultant feels that the proposal is ready for submission, you will be asked to submit a final hard copy with signatures and all supporting documents. This material must be received by the first of the month in which you wish your proposal to be considered (i.e., March 1 for the March grants committee meeting).
  • You will be informed of your grant's status within two days of the grants committee meeting. An official agreement letter will be issued. Upon receipt of fully signed copies of that letter, the grant funds will be released to your congregation.

We encourage you to stay in contact with your resource consultant throughout this process, either to ask questions or for advice. He or she will be happy to work with you to ensure a good application.

Q.   What if our congregation doesn't have the matching funds needed for the project?
A.   Many congregations come up with creative ways of finding funds for their part of the project. These include taking special offerings, doing a fund raising activity (like a street fair or car wash), or asking individuals to pledge specifically to the project.

Eligibility

Resource grants are open to any congregation located in an eligible county. Check with your Center resource consultant to determine eligibility. Applications must be made by a local congregation (not a church school, retreat center, denominational office, etc.) and signed by the senior clergy leader and the chair of the congregation's chief governing board or council. Congregations must include a copy of the previous fiscal year's year-end financial statement and the current year's budget.

Tax-Exempt Status

Congregations also have to show proof of their tax-exempt status. They can do that in one of three following ways:

 

  1. Send us a copy of the Internal Revenue Service letter determining that your congregation is exempt from federal income taxes under IRS Code section 501(c)(3) and is a congregation as described in Code section 170(b)(1)(A)(i).
  2. Provide us evidence that your congregation is listed in a group exemption for your denomination. (Many congregations, while they have never asked for nor received an IRS letter as mentioned above, have been granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status through a group exemption given to their denomination. If your congregation is part of such an exemption, your local or national denominational office can send you evidence of this. One way is a list showing your congregation in the current list of congregations in your denomination.)
  3. A letter, addressed to the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, written and signed by an attorney stating that, in the lawyer's professional opinion, based on appropriate factual and legal inquiry, that yours is a congregation as defined in IRS Code sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(i). (See Internal Revenue Manual 7752 (Private Foundations Handbook), Section 220, for criteria to establish congregational status.) That letter must also say whether federal or state officials have, in the preceding five years, questioned or denied tax-exempt status to your congregation. If that has happened, the letter has to also fully explain any such instance and how that applies to the attorney's opinion.

You need to know that an Indiana Department of Revenue Sales Tax Exemption certificate does not meet the proof of tax-exempt status requirement for this grants program. If you have questions about these options or this requirement, please contact the Indianapolis Center at (317) 237-7799 and we'll help you in any way we can.

Selection Criteria

Grants are given only to congregations who work with the Indianapolis Center in its resource consulting and/or resource discovery process. The projects, resources and what the congregation expects to learn must have the potential of providing useful and helpful information to other congregations who might be facing similar challenges or opportunities. The congregation must also show how the project or resource will strengthen its mission and ministries into the future. The grant application needs to show how the congregation expects to come up with their part of the matching funds required (from the regular budget, a special fund-raiser, endowment fund, or so on).

Amount and Length of Grants

Resource grants are up to $15,000 for projects with a total cost of up to $30,000 or more. Grant funds are to be spent within one calendar year from the time the grant is awarded. If your congregation needs to extend its grant period beyond one year, you must request that in writing. Grants are announced monthly. Grant applications received after November 1 will not be considered until the following calendar year.

Expectations

Congregations receiving a resource grant agree to send the Center a final report of their project when it is completed or within one year from the time the grant was awarded. The report must include a complete financial report, too. This final report needs to sum up the program's activities, describe what your congregation learned, tell how what you learned could help other congregations, and list any next steps or future projects that came about because of this project or using the resource. Failure to submit an acceptable final report could jeopardize your congregation's ability to be considered for future grants or other Center opportunities.