Who Can Apply: Parishes

Category Description: Music brings joy and vibrancy to our Eucharistic celebrations. Grants from this fund support the development of parish liturgical music programs, aimed at enriching parish worship life and strengthening our communities around the Eucharistic celebration.

Application Limit: One application per organization per year. A parish may submit a second application only if it is a collaborative program with multiple parishes participating.

Examples of Past Grants:

• Workshops for choirs, musicians, children, etc
• Updating music books & equipment
• Training cantors, choirs, children’s choirs, musicians, etc.

Who Can Apply: Parish priests (pastors, parochial vicars) and deacons

Category Description: In times of joy and sorrow, our diocesan priests provide comfort and the joy of the sacraments. It is essential that we support the intellectual and professional needs of our clergy so that they can be effective and humble leaders. Grants are available in this category for diocesan clergy to improve their professional and managerial skills.

• The Foundation is looking for programs with long-term impact in these categories.
• This program should be outside of the parish’s normal operating budget.  The Foundation seeks to fund projects that are desired/needed but that the parish does not have the resources to fund.

Application Limit: Each parish may submit one application. This one application may be for a class for a single individual or a group training.

• PLEASE NOTE: Parishes can only receive a grant in this category every other year. Therefore, if a parish receives a grant in this category, that parish should not submit an application the following year.

Valid Application Examples:

• Workshop, class, or conference to improve the management, financial, conflict resolution and/or language skills of priests
  • Bringing in a speaker or workshop on a certain topic and inviting many priests in the Diocese to participate
  • Attending a class to improve preaching skills
  • Training an individual in marriage prep, spiritual formation, etc.

Invalid Application Examples:

• Spiritual formation
• Retreats

Average grant awarded in this category in 2023: $2,600

Who Can Apply: Parishes

Category Description: Families are at the heart of our community and the passing on of our faith. We seek to serve families’ sacramental, educational, community life, and spiritual needs at all stages of life. This begins with pro-life advocacy and changes with every season of life, ultimately leading to discussions about the Church’s stance on euthanasia. Grants in this category support the development of the “domestic Church” through programs and resources focused on the family as the center of prayer and religious life.

Application Limit: One application per organization per year. A parish may submit a second application only if it is a collaborative program with multiple parishes participating.

Valid Application Examples:

• Parish-wide activities, retreats, & speakers that focus on families growing in faith together
  • Financial assistance to help families attend the “Holy Family Camp” retreat
  • Speakers on the topics of family life and the domestic Church
• Resources (books, online resources, materials) that the parish makes available for families to enhance the “Domestic Church”
  • Resources/initiatives to help families learn how to pray together
  • “Reclaim” resources for sexual health
  • Natural Family Planning resources
• Resources, workshops, and retreats for married couples to grow in faith together

Invalid Application Examples:

• Funding for Faith Formation classes for children or other programs focused only on children and not on the entire family

Average grant awarded in this category in 2023: $1,800

Who Can Apply: Religious (nuns, brothers) and lay parish staff and volunteers

Category Description: Key to the health and vibrancy of our community are active and prepared lay and religious leaders. These leaders are ever more important as we seek to invigorate our Catholic community. Supporting their development is vital for ensuring that they continue their good work as the backbone of our community. Grants from this category are focused primarily on improving management and technical skills.

• The Foundation is looking for programs with long-term impact in these categories.
• This program should be outside of the parish’s normal operating budget.  The Foundation seeks to fund projects that are desired/needed but that the parish does not have the resources to fund.

Application Limit: Each parish may submit one application. This one application may be for a class for a single individual or a group training.

• PLEASE NOTE: Parishes can only receive a grant in this category every other year. Therefore, if a parish receives a grant in this category, that parish should not submit an application the following year.

Valid Application Examples:

• Professional development workshops, classes, or conferences
• Bringing a speaker, workshop, or training to the entire staff to develop management/technical skills
• Putting together groups/workshops for sharing best practices among parishes

Invalid Application Examples:

• Participation fees for stewardship or faith formation conferences (already covered in other categories)
• Spiritual formation or gratitude gatherings for staff and volunteers (already covered in other categories)

Average grant awarded in this category in 2023: $2,000

Who Can Apply: Parishes

Category Description: Jesus tells us to help our brothers and sisters in need as if they were Christ in disguise. Grants from this fund support programs which serve underserved communities and perform corporal works of mercy – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, etc.

Application Limit: One application per organization per year. A parish may submit a second application only if it is a collaborative program with multiple parishes participating.

Valid Application Examples:

• Food and medical outreach for the homeless
• Rental/utility assistance
• Educational programs for at-risk youth

 Who Can Apply: Parishes

Category Description: Misconceptions about the word “stewardship” abound. Stewardship is more than a monetary donation every Sunday – it is about engaging parishioners in Christian life and building a community where everyone is welcome and parishioners actively and excitedly participate in parish life. This fund supports programs which view stewardship as a way of life that brings us closer to God as individuals and as a community.

Application Limit: One application per organization per year. A parish may submit a second application only if it is a collaborative program with multiple parishes participating.

Valid Application Examples:

• Prayer books and other resources to enhance parishioners’ prayer life
• Parish or deanery-wide stewardship programs and conferences
• Technology/physical upgrades which improve the worship experience and parish life

Who Can Apply: Parishes and Diocesan Schools

Category Description: Faith Formation is key to the spiritual growth of our youth and young adults, but learning about our Catholic faith doesn’t end after high school. This fund supports ministry training and faith formation programs that help youth, young adults and people of all ages grow in their faith.

Application Limit: One application per organization per year. A parish may submit a second application only if it is a collaborative program with multiple parishes participating.

Valid Application Examples:

• Retreats for youth/adults
• Faith formation programs for youth, young adults, and adults
• Leadership and spiritual enhancement programs for ministers
• Speaker series on topics of faith, evangelization, etc.