Christian Funding Directory Upgrades Announced

Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting & Church Grant Writing is proud to celebrate 10 years of grant writing for Christian ministries, churches, and other nonprofit. To celebrate, we are offering some HUGE discounts on our pricing. Please visit our website at www.npfunds.com for more details.

 

We have also implemented some significant upgrades to the website and specifically to the Christian Funding Directory, the world's largest Christian grant directory of funding for Christian ministries and Churches.

 

First, changes have been made to the layout of our website to allow for a better browsing experience and to better serve the subscribers to the CFD.

1. Navigation of our website is now located at the top of the page and “mousing over” each menu item will give you further drop down menu options.
2. We have moved the CFD login feature to the very top of the page in the blue shaded area.
3. A print page feature has been added, giving you a more printer friendly version of the page you are viewing.

Second, we are pleased to announce significant upgrades to the Christian Funding Directory:

1. The Christian Funding Directory now features 7,500 listings making it the world’s largest directory of funding sources for Christian ministries and churches.
2. A review of our listings has just been completed and all listings that had not been updated in the past 12 months have now been updated.
3. As noted above, the CFD Login has been moved to the blue shaded area at the top of the page.
4. You can now Download to Excel the search results of a particular search performed with the CFD.
5. When viewing a listing, you can now choose to print the listing to have a hard copy for your records or further research.
6. By clicking the header at the top of the search results, you can now sort the results by City, State, or Funding Source. The results can be shown by ascending or descending alphabetical order.
7. We have added an * to the end of the name of foundations that state they are “not accepting applications.”

 

We hope that the upgrades described above will help to make the CFD even more useful to your organization. Please know that we are always striving to improve and welcome any suggestions as to how we can better help you meet your goals.

In His Service,
Jeffrey

 

Jeffrey J. Rodman, MEd, CFRE, CGS
President and CEO
Here-4-You Consulting & Grant Writing
Grant Writing & Funding Development for Christian Ministries and Churches
http://www.npfunds.com/ ~ grantwriter@npfunds.com
P.O. Box 2361, Front Royal, Virginia 22630
540-635-3518 ~ 866-HERE-4-U-1 (Toll Free) ~ 413-702-9031 (Fax)

20 Biggest Grant Making Foundations for Christian Organizations

The question of what foundations to turn to for funding is one Christian ministries and churches ponder over all the time. There are of course various factors to consider. The degree of compatibility between your mission and the aims of a foundation remains the most important consideration. But at a time when foundation funding is declining, it helps to know which foundations are giving the most – along with knowing a little about their overall purpose, the kinds of Christian organizations they fund, and the kinds of programs that interest them.

The following are the top 20 Christian grant funding sources in terms of funding generosity.

1. Of all the Christian grant foundations accepting applications at this time the Alharetta, Georgia-based National Christian Foundation (NCF) provides the most funds. Seeking to further the gospel of Jesus Christ, its funding territory is national. This is largely a donor advised fund. A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a third party and created for the purpose of managing charitable donations on behalf of an organization, family, or individual. A donor-advised fund offers the opportunity to create an easy-to-establish, low cost, flexible vehicle for charitable giving as an alternative to direct giving or creating a private foundation.

NCF helps individuals and families plan their giving through such programs as the Legacy Fund (after death giving). It advises them on asset giving (cash, stocks, real estate, business interests, restricted securities) and shows them how to balance income needs and estate planning goals (through charitable trusts and charitable gift annuities.)

The Single Charity Fund allows supporters to donate all kinds of assets; the Professional Advisors group – comprised of financial planners, CPA’s, attorneys, and more – advises supporters in the art of tax-efficient giving. Website: http://www.nationalchristian.com/

2. The Christian Aid Ministries is a foundation based in Berlin, Ohio. Having an international gift giving scope, the Ministries seeks to “provide spiritual and material assistance such as food, clothing, medicine, and Christian literature to needy people in various countries.” It also provides emergency funds and in-kind gifts. The Ministries supports Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptists as they minister to the physical and religious needs of people worldwide. It aids victims of war, famine, and natural disasters. No website.

3. The Nehemiah Corporation is a foundation out of Sacramento, California. Its mission is to facilitate “home ownership and asset development opportunities for diverse populations in underserved neighborhoods across the U.S., while maintaining a commitment to successful, responsible homeownership.” It gives mostly to California foundations and individuals and to Christian organizations that support its mission. Website: http://www.nehemiah.org/

4. The Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana is a foundation from Tustin, California. It supports Christian services and organizations that seek to spread the gospel around the world. It provides care, comfort, and emergency aid to the sick, the disabled, the homeless. It is also known for producing televised religious broadcasts for ministries that spread the gospel worldwide. No website.

5. The Barnabas Foundation is a foundation from Tinley Park, Illinois that supports its nearly 200 member Christian ministries through planned giving and estate planning. Its participating churches include Legacy Churches, Good Steward Ministry Churches, Member Asset Management Churches, Member Churches. It also offers stewardship education as well as development programs that facilitate stewardship “based on God’s ownership of all gifts.” Website: http://www.barnabasfoundation.com/

6. The J. Bulow Campbell Foundation is an independent foundation from Atlanta, Georgia. The foundation seeks to uplift “intellectual and spiritual life, preferably projects of a permanent nature or for capital funds.” It does not fund operating expenses or recurrent programs except in cases where funding might allow a significant new program to succeed without continuing support from the foundation. It gives anonymously to church-related agencies of the Presbyterian Church, but not to congregations. It mostly supports organizations in Georgia, though it does give to organizations in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Website: http://www.jbcf.org/

7. The Rupert H. Johnson Foundation is an independent foundation in San Mateo, California that generally funds only educational programs in California and Virginia. Only Christian organizations seeking grants for education programs in these two geographic regions would be eligible for funding. No website.

8. The Rees-Jones Foundation, a family foundation based in Dallas, Texas, funds “programs that help improve the quality of life for the underserved of north Texas.” It provides employee/matching gifts and funds capital campaigns, general operations, management and program development, and scholarship funds. It supports churches that seek to relieve hunger, and it provides medical care for the mentally and physically disabled, educational opportunities for youth, and affordable housing, shelter, and spiritual development for those left behind. Website: www.rees-jonesfoundation.org/
9. The Poplar Foundation is an independent foundation that mostly gives within its base of Memphis and the metropolitan area. It funds mostly youth services and education. Ministries that focus on these two areas are eligible for funding. No website.

10. The Wege Foundation, an independent foundation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, gives mostly within Kent County and above all in Grand Rapids. Christian agencies that provide health, human services, and education are likelier to receive funding from the foundation than those that do not. It funds annual campaigns, building/renovation, capital campaigns, curriculum development, endowments, equipment, matching/challenge campaigns, and program development. No website.
11. The Hope Christian Community Foundation is a Christian public charity community foundation in Memphis, Tennessee that “helps Christians share their wealth with others in the most thoughtful and efficient ways.” It serves ministries by administering and managing agency funds, offering a cash management pool, investing endowments, and making grants through the Hope of Memphis Fund. It partners with churches to serve the community, administer church and donor-advised funds for church members, and offer a cash management pool. Website: http://www.hopeccf.org/
12. The Maclellan Foundation is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based independent foundation. It gives internationally and nationally, stressing Chattanooga. It is the largest of a group of four family foundations that are committed to “fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ through strategic giving.” The foundation provides financial and leadership training to local organizations that enhance the spiritual wellbeing of the Commission by working “to extend the Kingdom of God to every tribe, nation, person, and tongue.” Toward that end, the foundation offers consulting services, equipment, general/operating support, program development and evaluation, and seed money to Christian organizations. Website: http://www.maclellan.net/
13. The New York City-based American Bible Society is a foundation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible in every language it can. The Society wants every person “to experience the Bible’s life changing message.” It collaborates with other Christian organizations including Faith Comes by Hearing, the creator of an audio version of the Bible. Other partners are Feed the Children, the Military Ministry, Mission Year, Samaritan Purse/Operation Christmas Child, United Bible Societies, and the National Association of State and Regional Bible Societies. Website: http://www.americanbible.org/
14. The National Endowment Association is a public charity in Princeton, Indiana that helps small to mid-sized charities in the United States, mostly religious ministries, endow funds. The objective is to free ministries from the constant demands of fundraising so they can devote more time to their missions. The association helps them solicit long-term planned gifts, something the larger charities already have the means to do. It helps them tap into larger funding sources through tax-exempt planning. It also helps them promote their charity by offering website templates, educational classes, marketing material templates, marketing/fundraising consultation, and donor/consumer seminars. Website: www.nationalendowment.org/home.htm
15. The Harold Simmons Foundation of Dallas, Texas is a company-sponsored foundation. It provides grants that support zoos, arts and culture, education, energy, health, substance abuse treatment, HIV/AIDS treatment, disaster relief, athletics, human services, human rights, community development, programs that address women’s issues, and Christian organizations. It gives mostly in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. No website.
16. The Norcliffe Foundation is an independent foundation in Seattle, Washington. It gives to organizations that benefit the arts and cultural organizations, hospitals, early childhood development, higher and secondary education, and historic preservation. It also supports medical research and health associations, hospices, the environment and conservation, and social services that include programs for the disabled, the homeless, child welfare, youth agencies, and the aged. The foundation’s Christian grantees are the Roman Catholic Church and religious associations. It gives mostly in the Puget Sound area of Washington, especially in Seattle. Website: http://www.thenorcliffefoundation.com/

17. The Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation of Wilmington, Delaware is an independent foundation that gives throughout the United States. It supports nonprofit institutions, communities, and organizations that support research, medical, health, educational, sports, social services, and artistic programs in communities across the nation. Christian organizations that work in any of these areas are eligible for funding. No website.
18. The Harry J. Lloyd Charitable Trust in Overland Park, Kansas “supports God’s work as described in the Great Commission by spreading evangelism throughout the world.” It primarily supports organizations and programs that further this mission. The Trust provides grants that help start new ministries or new programs or expand current programs. It funds organizations that are creative, accountable, stable, and effective. It also funds Christian programs that provide housing, food, medical assistance, and education for the poor. It may also support medical research in different areas. No website.

19. The Lynn and Foster Freiss Family Foundation is an independent foundation out of Jackson, Wyoming. It mostly funds faith-based entrepreneurial programs, especially one-one-one mentoring. The foundation provides general/operating support, matching/challenge support, and program-related investment/loans. No website.
20. IBS-STL is a foundation from Colorado Springs, Colorado. It came about in 2007 from a merger of the National Bible Society and Send the Light. It gives nationally and internationally to Christian organizations that further its mission of translating, interpreting, and publishing the Bible. Its goal is to give more and more people throughout the world the opportunity to experience the Bible. Website: http://www.ibsstl.org/
Some foundations exist solely to benefit Christian ministries and churches. Others lack a direct connection to Christianity but work to solve problems that are at the core of Christian concern. Some have a limited geographic focus; others have a national focus; still others have an international focus. But wherever your organization operates, and whatever programs it has, many (if not most) of these foundations are viable funding possibilities for your organization. And there are countless other possibilities. The Christian Funding Directory (CFD), Foundation Directory Online, and Foundation Search are the most valuable sources of information about foundations.

Sources:
• Christian Funding Directory (CFD)
• The Foundation Directory Online
• Foundation Search
• BIG Online

Why Hire A Grant Writing Consultant?

Starting to implement a grant writing strategy for Christian ministry, church, or other nonprofit organization can be incredibly challenging. Although grant writing is not an exceptionally difficult process, it is a very specific process which requires a strong knowledge base in fundraising, grant development, and fund development.

Most organizations start grant writing by putting another hat onto an already over burdened staff member. Or they use a staff member who seems to have the time to dedicate to the process but who may not have the aptitude and desire. I always say, no one feels called to ministry or nonprofit service to write grants.

Unless an organization has the funding to dedicate to hiring an experienced grant writer and support staff (researchers, editors, etc.) and can furnish this new office with the tools and resources it needs, they should consider hiring a consultant to get them through the strategic planning and development stages of establishing a grant writing strategy. A three year start-up period with a consultant will place a ministry or nonprofit on a strong foundation for future success.

What is gained by hiring a consultant? Below are a few of the many benefits your ministry or nonprofit may gain.

Knowledge & Experience - Grant writing consultants come with the knowledge and experience in developing grant proposals that have actually been awarded. We know the critical elements of a funding inquiry that will enable funding to occur at a much higher rate than someone without this knowledge and experience. We perform careful research to only include the most well matched foundations and to eliminate foundations that are not a likely match. Lastly, we have specific knowledge and experience related to your type of organization. Christian ministries and churches should look for a consultant with relevant experience.

Credentials - Grant writing consultants have the appropriate credentials to document that they have the education, experience, and level of success required to perform well. Look for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) as the primary credential for your grant writing consultant.

An Outside Perspective - Grant writing consultants bring a new perspective on your organization enabling them to diagnosis the issues that may be preventing your organization from securing grant funding.

Resources - Grant writing consultants often work with multiple agencies and organizations. They usually have a library full of grant writing books and resources. They subscribe to multiple databases to ensure that they have access to information on every known funding source possible. They usually have multiple staff members enabling them to have experts in research, writing, administration, and other areas critical for grant success.

Efficiency – Grant writing consultants have developed proven systems that enable them to be successful time and time again. These systems make forth an efficient process that would take a staff person years to develop.

Cost Effective – Hiring a grant writing consultant will save your organization valuable dollars. It is sometimes impossible to hire new staff during difficult economic times. Many organizations under estimate the amount of expense it will cost to hire a skilled and experienced grant writer. The average salary for a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) is over $80,000. Individuals with a CFRE are the ONLY individuals who have the independently documented experience, education, and success that you are looking for.

How do you locate a grant writing consultant?

Professional Associations – Experienced and successful grant writing consultants will generally belong to a number of different associations and affinity groups. Look at Consultant Directory for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), The American grant Writers Association (AGWA), The National Grant Writers Association (NGW) and others.

Organizational Relationships - Also look at industry specific affiliations. For example, if you are a Christian ministry you will want to look at grant writing consultants who have some sort of relationship with major Christian associations such as the Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA), National Outreach Association (NOC), the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability (ECFA), and other groups.

Search Engines – Search engines are a good tool to decide which grant writing consultant is right for your organization. Grant writing consultants are widely known by the title," Grant writing consultants", no matter what their qualifications or background is. You do not want to hire someone calling themselves a grant writing consultant who has no documented history in the field.

How do you hire a grant writing consultant?

Each grant writing consultant will have their own process and procedure for engaging their services. You want to ensure they have a publicized fee schedule that applies consistent fees to organizations rather than varying fees.

Ensure that the grant writing consultant works on a flat fee for services rather than on a percentage or commission. The ethics of our profession state that it is not ethical to accept percentage or commission based compensation. This standard is repeatedly stated by the major organizations that set the standards for our field. This includes the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and the Christian Stewardship Association (CSA). A grant writing consultant willing to work on commission is either unaware of these standards or simply does not care about the field established for professional ethics.

Jeffrey J. Rodman is the founder, President, and CEO of Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting and Church Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing and funding development nationally and internationally. Mr. Rodman has a Master Degree in Education, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and is a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit executive, and public speaker. Mr. Rodman has written hundreds of proposal to both government and private sources, has secured millions as a consultant, and has an 80% success rate in securing grants.

Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting & Church Grant Writing
Jeffrey J. Rodman, CFRE, CGS, M.Ed.
President & CEO
Website: http://www.npfunds.com
Blog: http://npfunds.com/blog
Phone: 1-866-HERE-4-U-1

Christian Grants? A History of Government funding for Christian Organizations

Should government fund Christian and other religious organizations? If so, what kind of strings should it attach? Should the strings be long? Short? Should there even be any strings? These questions do not lend themselves to easy answers, as American history shows.

In the colonial period government funding for Christian organizations was an established practice. A number of colonies even designated one religion to receive tax dollars: It was the Anglican Church in much of the South and the Congregational Church in much of New England. Other colonies required citizens to choose their own protestant church beneficiary. Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island were the only colonies not to require their citizens to fund religion.

The relationship between the state and religion changed after the Revolution. The framers of the new United States Constitution included the following words in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The first part is the Establishment Clause, the second part the Free Exercise Clause.

Through the ages Americans have interpreted the Establishment Clause differently. There are the separationists who are skeptical about government funding Christian and other religious organizations because they say it implies endorsement of and support for religion. Our government must not favor one religion over another, or religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion, they say.

Then you have the accomadationists who are open to government funding Christian and other religious organizations. They say the Clause permits it – it only bans government from favoring any one religion or certain religions over others -- and it solves secular problems.

These are the battle lines. And the courts have been the referees.

The Supreme Court and the Establishment Clause

For more than 150 years after the Constitution was drafted, the Supreme Court dealt with few cases that implicated government funding for religion. The turning point came in 1947 when the Court dealt with a New Jersey statute in the case of Everson v. Board of Education. The heart of the issue was whether the Constitution permits the government to reimburse parents to give them the means to bus their children to parochial school.

Yes, the Court said, there is nothing unconstitutional about government enabling children of all religions to get to school. This case involves indirect aid to religion with a secular purpose, and that is permissible.

But the most significant part of Everson was the Court’s holding that the Establishment Clause applies to the states via the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the post Civil War amendment that bans the states from depriving its citizens of life, liberty, and property.

This made the Establishment Clause and government funding of Christian and other religious organizations a national issues for the Court to pass judgment on. In the early decades after Everson, separationists had the upper hand.

In 1971, in Lemon v. Kurtzman, the Court held that providing teacher salaries, textbooks, and instructional materials for sectarian subjects in nonpublic schools violates the Establishment Clause. It’s too overt, too direct.

Lemon is mostly known, however, for the three-prong test the Court set up to decide this and future cases involving government funding for Christian and other religious groups. To pass constitutional muster, a statute must have a secular purpose, not advance nor inhibit religion, and not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.

In 1973, in Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Nyquist and Sloan, the Court dealt with a New York statute that provided grants for parochial schools that cater largely to low income students. The legislature provided the money for school maintenance. It also reimbursed parents who qualify and provided tax deductions for parents who did not qualify. Another objective of this legislation was to keep the children in private schools to avoid public school overcrowding.

The Court found the legislature had a secular purpose in curbing overcrowding in public schools. But it nullified the statute anyway, stating that it advanced religion and entangled the government with religion. This statute’s chief objective was parochial school maintenance. Public school overcrowding was a secondary concern. Everson, on the other hand, was about bussing. The beneficiaries were parents and children.

In Tilton V. Richardson, 1971, the Court had to decide whether the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963 was constitutional. The Act provided grants to church-sponsored colleges to build facilities that would be used for nonsectarian purposes. Twenty years after the grant, the schools would be permitted to use the facilities for Christian and other religious purposes.

The Court held that the grants would be permissible if the state eliminated the 20-year provision. While the statute had a secular purpose and would not entangle government with religion, the 20-year provision would advance religion.

The Court’s new accomadationist stand

1983 marked a turning point. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor voiced the Court’s new philosophy. There will be less government entanglement with religion if lower courts monitor Christian and other religious organizations less and trust them more to adhere to government requirements not to disburse government funds with a secular purpose, she said.

For the same reason the Court began to give states and their statutes the same deference.

In 1983 the Court decided the case of Mueller v. Allen. Here the Minnesota legislature made parents of school children eligible for tax deductions, the stated goal to help fund tuition, textbooks, and transportation for their children’s public or parochial education.

The Court upheld the statute. It passed the Lemon test: Its secular purpose was to enhance the education of all students; it avoided advancing one religion; and it did not entangle government with religion.

Ensuing Court decisions furthered the accomadationist trend. Zelman v. Harris-Simmons, a 2002 Court decision, is one example. The case involved a pilot program that allowed poor students from Cleveland to attend participating public and private schools, with the help of $2,500 a year, government-sponsored tuition vouchers. A lottery was needed because the volume of students applying to enter the program far exceeded the number of students the program could accept. Students choosing to stay in their public school would have access to tutorial instruction. Eighty-two percent of the participating private schools had a religious affiliation. Ninety-six percent of the students attended religiously-affiliated schools.

The Court found Cleveland’s voucher policy constitutional. It based its decision on a five-prong test it devised for this and subsequent voucher cases. To be constitutional voucher programs must:

• have a valid secular purpose
• aid parents and not the schools
• benefit a broad class of students
• be neutral with respect to religion
• include adequate nonreligious options

The Court held that the purpose of the program was to improve educational opportunities for students in failing public schools. The money was given to parents, not the schools. A diversity of students representing various races, creeds, nationalities, and religions participated in the program. The program allowed parents to send their children to public schools and nonreligious private schools.

Charitable Choice and Agostini v. Felton
Outside the realm of case law, much has been made of President George W. Bush’s faith based initiative in 2001 that opened the door to government funding for pervasively Christian and other religious organizations. What gave him the opportunity was a provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act passed by President Bill Clinton called charitable choice.

Before charitable choice, the only Christian and other religious organizations to receive government funds disbursed social services via a separate nonprofit organization that they set up solely for that purpose. Since charitable choice, pervasively Christian and other religious organizations have had equal access to federal bids and grants that allow them to provide social services.

Some wondered if charitable choice was constitutional. A Court decision in 1997, Agostini v. Felton, cleared the air even though the case was not about charitable choice. Here Justice O’Connor partially rewrote the Lemon test so that the third prong supplements the second. She added two other qualifiers. Recipients of government funding still must ensure it serves a valid secular purpose and does not advance religion.

But to satisfy the “does not advance religion” prong, they must only ensure that the aid:
• is not being used for religious indoctrination
• defines the eligibility of participating organizations without regard to religion
• does not create excessive government entanglement

From the time of Everson, the Court had demanded that government funding for Christian and other religious organizations be indirect. Agostini, however, suggested that direct aid could be okay.

When Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed into law the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, the executive and legislative branches approved charitable choice and direct aid to Christian and other religious organizations.

President Barack Obama shows no signs of disapproval. The accomadationist tendencies in our government will continue into the foreseeable future -- at least until separationist justices replace accomadationist justices on the High Court. The period since Charitable Choice and the faith Based Initiative has now ingrained the accomadationist perspective into government grant funding programs.

Sources: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
The Oyez Report
The Anti-Defamation League

Jeffrey J. Rodman is the founder, President, and CEO of Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting and Church Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing and funding development nationally and internationally to Christian Ministries and Churches. Mr. Rodman has a Master Degree in Education, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit executive, and public speaker. Mr. Rodman has written hundreds of proposal to both government and private sources, has secured millions as a consultant, and has an 80% success rate in securing grants.

Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting & Church Grant Writing
Jeffrey J. Rodman, CFRE, CGS, M.Ed.
President & CEO
Website: http://www.npfunds.com
Blog: http://npfunds.com/blog
Phone: 1-866-HERE-4-U-1