A couple of weeks ago, part I of “Finding Funding for Faith” was published. It focused on government funding for faith based nonprofits and ministries. Understandably, many faith based organizations have made a conscious choice not to accept government grant dollars. And, you may think that eliminates your organization from all grant funds. However, grant funds from foundations may be a viable option.
There are several categories of foundations, but for our purposes, we will focus on two broad foundation categories.
Christian Foundations – These are foundations formed by Christian individuals who desire to support Kingdom work. These foundations will often fund evangelism efforts, outreach, etc. The program officers associated with these foundations understand Christian concepts and the role faith plays in your organization.
Mainstream Foundations – This is a very broad category of foundations that includes any foundations that do not identify themselves as Christian. It is important to note that many of these foundations are not necessarily opposed to funding Christian organizations but they are probably not going to fund evangelism outreach efforts.
If your ministry provides services to the entire community, without regard to religious affiliation, these foundations can be a great source of funding. Just be very conscious during your research and identification process whether or not they are opposed to providing faith-based organizations funding for any purpose.
Identification of foundation funders does not have to be a daunting process.
One important note….stay true to your mission or purpose. Organizations and ministries will sometimes “tweak” their missions to align with a particular funding source. This is NEVER a good idea.
If we can help you in your efforts to identify potential funding sources, send us an email.
