Financial Assistance

*Note that Financial Assistance will not open on July 21, 2020 like originally planned. Please see our update on Upcoming Key Dates for more information. 

Financial assistance is available for the 2021 Gathering via the process outlined below:

• Applications open July 21, 2020, and close when all funds have been disbursed. 
• Adult leaders should apply on behalf of youth participants, using the same five-digit congregational ID number used to register for the Gathering.
• Financial assistance is available to youth participants only in the form of registration-fee credits.
• Assistance is offered based on the financial need of youth participants and their families, not the financial status of their congregations or local communities.
• Up to $300 per youth participant may be provided to cover registration fees. Financial assistance will appear as a credit on the congregational account.
• Congregations may receive assistance for up to 10 youth.
• Youth participants must be registered within 30 days of receiving financial assistance. After 30 days, assistance for unregistered youths is returned to the fund and awarded to the next person on the waiting list.
• Assistance is not available for MYLE and the tAble registration fees because those costs are already highly subsidized. Those attending MYLE or the tAble can apply for Gathering registration financial assistance.

New for the 2021 Gathering is a financial-assistance pilot program. Hoping to identify the most effective ways of supporting participants in need and to best steward limited financial-assistance resources, the Gathering has partnered with six synods to come up with creative ways to use the financial-assistance dollars typically allocated to their congregations via the standard process. Stay tuned for more information on this pilot project.

Questions regarding financial assistance can be directed to: gathering@elca.org.