Community Development Services
Community Development Services accompanies and assists ELCA congregations, social ministry organizations, and grassroots community-based nonprofits that address poverty and social justice issues. It does this through consultation, assessments, and discretionary grants funded by the ELCA World Hunger Program.
Community Development Services is a program within the Poverty Ministries Department of the ELCA's Church in Society unit.
What we do:
ConsultationCommunity Development Services provides consultation and technical assistance to new and established poverty ministries within the ELCA. It provides program and resource assessments to determine the appropriate type of services or financial support that Community Development Services may provide to an organization, such as for relief, development, community organizing, or sustainable development.
Domestic Hunger Grants The
Domestic Hunger Grants Program provides discretionary grants to organizations for projects that address hunger and poverty in urban and rural communities. These grants are provided by the
ELCA World Hunger Program. Through the discretionary grants program, funds are allocated for three general purposes:
Relief
Providing immediate access to food, shelter, clothing, medical care and supplies, and the means to deliver and sustain these—such as transportation, storage, and supplies—so that peoples' basic needs are met.
Sustainable development
Leading to increased access to food and sustainable livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, appropriate technology, adequate housing, jobs, primary health care and disease prevention, job training, child care, elder care, nutrition education, literacy training, sanitation, safe water, and just land use and distribution.
Community organizing
Bringing together men and women with common values, complementary interests, and shared concerns to build and maintain an environment that empowers all persons to obtain justice, affirm their dignity, and gain access to the goods of the earth. Ideally, community organizing is congregation-based and helps overcome the irresponsible use of economic, social, and political power.
2008 Domestic Hunger Grant Activities
Development
60 programs approved for funding $165,450
Organizing
24 programs approved for funding $75,000
Relief
244 programs approved for funding $544,650
Total allocations for 2008 $785,100
For more information, contact:
Joe YoungDirector for Community Development Services
ELCA Church in Society
8765 West Higgins Road
Chicago, IL 60631
800/638-3522 ext. 2683