Donate Now | Find a Congregation | Contact Us | Site Help

Grants

Our Commitment to Women’s Health
We are committed by our purpose statement to promoting healing and wholeness in our church, society, and world. Making a real difference begins at the “heart” of the matter: being physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy and balanced women.

Women of the ELCA is engaged in an ongoing initiative, “Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls,” to promote women’s complete and total health: physical, spiritual, and emotional. Our grants program focuses funding toward projects and agencies dedicated to education,, and advocacy, emboldening women and girls to lead healthier lives.

Purpose
Women of the ELCA seeks proposals from not-for-profit organizations, both domestic and international, that support healing and wholeness for women of all ages through the affirmation and advancement of women’s emotional, physical, and spiritual health.

Priorities
Grants will be awarded to programs that support one or more of the following three visions:

1. The making of a sound mind: Improving women’s inner health

• Programs empowering women to regard themselves as worthy, self-respecting individuals, promoting issues of, positive body image, and sexual responsibility.
• Projects that instill self-sufficiency through life management courses such as job skills training, second-career planning, or financial and debt management.
• Counseling for victims of physical and emotional abuse, dealing with grief, guilt, brokenness, and anger.
• Agencies advocating new methods of confronting depression, addressing both the root causes and the debilitating nature of depression.

2. The building of a strong body: Medical prevention and treatment

• Free or subsidized health screenings for women to address heart disease, diabetes, stroke, or cancer.
• Advocacy for accessible family planning options for women suffering from oppressive social conditions such as domestic violence, bigotry, racism, and poverty.
• Programs that offer respectful counsel to women both during and following their decision-making process when faced with an unintended pregnancy.

3. The affirmation of a steadfast faith: Sustaining our spiritual health.

• Programs that engage women in thoughtful discussions of theology and its relevance to their lives.
• Educating women on social, environmental, and global issues within the context of the Christian faith.
• Programs that advocate understanding differing faiths and religious practices in a multicultural landscape.

Promise
Your grant proposal must:

• meet a demonstrated health need of women in the community;
• request funding for one year for objectives achievable within that year;
• demonstrate the involvement of women in decision-making and evaluation;
• be consistent with the Women of the ELCA purpose statement.

Proposal
The requests for funds each year far exceed the resources available. Your proposal is your only opportunity to speak to the importance, uniqueness, implementation and financial need of your ministry. You must include all requested documentation and faithfully follow the proposal guidelines.

When writing a proposal:

• Take the time necessary to develop a realistic and clearly achievable plan.
• Request a reasonable amount of funding. Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.
• Indicate how your program or project is innovative, includes partnerships with other groups, engages women of color or whose language is other than English, or involves Women of the ELCA or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Provide
To ensure the continuing success of our ministries, private gifts to Women of the ELCA are essential in supporting our faithful women and their callings around the world. If you would like to make a donation to our grants program or another ministry of Women of the ELCA, please contact Deborah Powell, associate executive director, at Women of the ELCA Grants Program, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4101, 773-380-2739 or 800-638-3522, ext. 2480 or ext. 2736, E-mail women.ELCA@elca.org.



Time line

December 15
Women of the ELCA begins accepting completed proposals.

February 15
All proposals must be postmarked on or before this date.

May
Grant recipients are chosen.

June
Funding is awarded.

January 15
Recipients submit mid-year reports to Women of the ELCA.

July 15
Recipients submit final reports.

The application period for 2009 grants is closed.
Online applications for the 2010 funding cycle will be available here December 15 through February 14.
The application deadline is February 15, 2010.