Program Grants

Program Grants fund the work of the church.

Make a Difference: The Genesis Fund
The Genesis Fund, established in 1996 from funds raised through the Make a Difference Campaign, provides seed money for faith-based projects that are innovative or experimental, represent a new initiative in Christian mission, or that may be deemed controversial. Funds are available for domestic and international projects. Application
Grant report form for grants awarded in 2020.

Adese Fellowship
The Adese Fellowship is a catalytic experience for emerging entrepreneurs who renew the Church’s mission to create a just world for all. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fund (applications not accepted)
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fund provides annual funding to UCC-related AMA schools. 

New Spiritual Communities and ReNewing Churches
Deadline: First Friday of September 2021
Direct inquiries to:
CASAGrants@UCC.org
216-736-3837
The New Spiritual Communities and ReNewing Churches grant program of the United Church of Christ seeks to enact the Vision, Mission, and Purpose by investing in programs and ministries which live into the ethos of the United Church of Christ’s becoming. Ministries that are meant to be sustaining, as well as ministries that are meant to be impactful for a particular time and place, are encouraged to apply. Grants are awarded based on how applicants seek to embody in their ministries the values named, as well as the impact from those values within the local community.

Neighbors in Need
Direct inquiries to:
Bentley de Bardelaben
Executive for Administration and Communications Justice & Witness Ministries
216-736-3713
nin@ucc.org
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Funding for the grants is provided through donations to the Neighbors in Need offering. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. First-time project grants range from $1,000 to $10,000. (Note: Only a few $10,000 grants will be awarded annually.)Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC congregations and organizations that are doing justice work in their communities. Only UCC congregations and organizations are eligible to submit proposals. These requests must relate to work supported by General Synod actions in one of the following programmatic areas:
• The Rights and Freedoms of all Persons
• Environmental Justice
• Economic Justice

The Daniel Hand Fund (applications not accepted)
The Daniel Hand Fund provides annual scholarship aid to UCC related AMA institutions that educate persons of African descent.
Daniel Hand Report for Academic Institutions 2021
Daniel Hand Report for Non-Academic Institutions 2021

Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program (not administered by the UCC)