Application Opens: Thursday, February 1

Application Closes: Friday, March 15

Grant Award Letters Sent: June

Funds Must be used Between: July 2024 – June 2025

No late applications will be accepted.

We only grant to organizations; no grants to individuals.

All requests must be submitted through the online application. No paper requests will be considered.

If an organization does not submit the Final Report for the previous year’s grant, all applications in the category of the missing report will be automatically disqualified for the current grant cycle. The organization must wait until the following year to submit a new application in that category.

Parishes may only submit one application per category. If more than one application is submitted in a single category, the pastor will decide which application will move forward for review.

Parishes may submit one additional application in certain categories for a “collaborative” project – a project being done in collaboration with other parishes. See individual category descriptions for more details.

Diocesan Schools may submit one application in the Pastoral Ministry Training and Formation category.

We do not grant for staff salaries; we can grant to short-term (<12 months) contract based stipends.

All programs require approval from the pastor or principal. The Foundation will contact each pastor/principal to confirm applications.

Failure to submit a Final Report for the previous year’s grant will automatically disqualify an organization’s application for the current year in the category of the missing application.

All fields of the application are required.

Provide at least two complete sentences in response to each essay question. This is the minimum – thoughtful, detailed answers are favored.

Do not apply for multiple projects in one application. Focus your application on a single program and provide as many specific details as possible.

Please make a “reasonable ask” in your application. Applicants asking for an unreasonable amount of money (e.g. asking for all of the money available in the category) will be penalized in the review process.

Do not send materials other than those specifically requested by the Foundation.

Tips for Clergy and Lay & Religious Leadership Applications

Grants from these categories will focus on impact. Awards will be based on the quality of the application and the impact of the program. Programs with broad and long-lasting impact will be viewed most favorably.

There may be a higher number of rejected applications in these categories.

Applications should be submitted for programs that would not otherwise be possible financially for the parish. These grants should not supplement existing budgets.

Tips for Using the Online Application

There is a “Save” button at the top and bottom of each page. We recommend you hit save every 15 minutes to save all your progress.

You can use the tabs near the top of the page to switch between pages of the application. Be sure to hit save at the bottom of the page before switching between pages.

When you’re done with your application, you can click the “Printer Friendly Version” link at the top of the page to view a version of your application that you can print and save. Your application will also be stored in the “Saved Applications” page of the portal.

The Foundation considers a two-year grant only in the category of Parish Outreach. The two-year grant award guarantees the selected recipient the same dollar amount during two consecutive Spring Grant Cycles without having to submit an application during the second year of funding.

After submitting the regular application, the Foundation give selected applicants the opportunity to complete supplemental Two-Year Grant questions. The additional questions will ask for information such as program sustainability, long-term impact, and need in the community.

Two-Year Grant funds may only be used for the specific purpose outlined in the submitted application. Recipients of the Two-Year Grant Award are required to submit Final Reports in both years of funding.  These reports will outline the progress, activities, and usage of the grant funds.

The Foundation reserves the right to revoke the second year of funding if reports are not submitted, the program/organization ceases to exist, or at the Foundation’s discretion.

Please Note: The Foundation may decide not to award a Two-Year Grant in any year.

Organizations eligible to apply in one or more categories include:

• Parishes in the Diocese of San Jose
• Diocesan Schools in the Diocese of San Jose (Pastoral Ministry category only)

Parishes

• One application per category.
• In many categories, the Foundation will also consider a second application from parishes that are doing a collaborative program. This second application must be for a program done in partnership with other parishes.

Diocesan Schools

You may submit ONE application under the Pastoral Ministry Training and Formation category.

In the event that multiple applications are submitted under the same category (and none are collaborative programs), the pastor/principal will decide which of the applications should move forward to be considered.

We recommend that you speak with your pastor/principal about the program for which you are applying before submitting your application. This ensures that you’re all on the same page and avoids an instance where you spend the time to write an application that does not move on for review because the pastor already had a different program in mind.

There are a few scenarios where an application would be automatically denied by the Foundation:

• The application is incomplete and/or not submitted on time
• The organization did not submit a Final Report for the grant received the previous year in that category. For example, a parish received a grant in the Parish Outreach category last year and does not submit their Final Report for that grant. If that parish tried to apply for a grant in Parish Outreach this year, the application would not move on for review.
• The program does not fit in the category.
• There is a second application submitted in the same category. The pastor/principal will choose one application to move forward for review and the other will be denied.

Yes, in the online application there is a save button at both the top and bottom of the page. We highly recommend applications save their progress periodically (about every 15 minutes) so that their changes are not lost.

All the applications you’ve started and saved are stored in the “My Saved Applications” page of the online portal.

Don’t worry! If you can’t remember your password, use the “Email My Password Hint” and “Reset Password” buttons on the login page to remind you of your password or reset it.

If you can’t remember your Login ID, keep in mind that every individual has their own login for the web portal, so your Login ID is most likely your email address.

If you still can’t get in, contact the Grants Program Manager who will be able to manually reset your account.

No. Grants from the Spring Grant Cycle cannot be used to pay for employees’ salaries.

A grant may be used for a short-term (less than 12 month) stipend. For example, if the parish would like to invite a speaker to come for an event or series of events and that person requires a stipend, that is acceptable.

The Grants Program Manager will send an email in the summer with letters of acceptance or denial for each grant application. Please make sure the Grants Program Manager’s email address is saved in your address book so you receive our emails.

If you receive a grant from the Foundation’s Spring Grant Cycle, you will need to follow all the grantee requirements laid out on our Grantee Resources page.

The due date of the Final Report is listed in the grant letter. You will receive a copy of this letter electronically – this is the letter which all grantees are required to sign in acknowledgement of the grant they are receiving. We recommend you keep a copy of this letter for your reference.

You should also look for communications from the Grants Program Manager which will give all grantees updates on due dates and other important information.

The due date for the Final Report will also be listed on the Foundation’s website.