Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg

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Diocese > Formation > Francis Fund Guidelines

 Francis Fund
Individual Scholarship Guidelines
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July 2019 Francis Fund Guidelines for Individual Scholarship.jpg
  1. Scholarships of $50.00 to $500.00 for adults and scholarships of $50.00 to $300.00 for youth will be considered for registered and active parishioners of a parish in the Diocese of Greensburg who wish to enhance their professional competency, spirituality, or enrichment by registering for courses, conferences, or seminars and need financial assistance to cover the cost. The scholarship may cover up to 100% of registration fees only. The Francis Fund expects that the individual and/or local parish community will manage expenses associated with travel, meals, or accommodations.

  2. Clergy and employees of the Diocese of Greensburg Pastoral Center, Christ Our Shepherd Center, or Catholic Charities are not eligible for a Francis Fund grant.

    However, as part of our Eucharistic Revival efforts, the Diocese is offering to cover the full registration fee through the Francis Fund for any diocesan or parish employee who wishes to attend the Diocesan Men’s Or Women’s Conferences. The Women’s Conference is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2022. The Men’s Conference is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, 2023.

  3. Scholarship applications together with your registration form will be presented to the Francis Fund Review Committee on the 1st of July, September, November, January, March, and May.  All information needs to be submitted by the last day of the month that precedes a review month.  The Review Committee will make recommendations of approvals for scholarship applications to the Administrator. The final decision rests with the Francis Fund Administrator.  Notice of approval will be made by email no later than the 15th of the month.

  4. The Francis Fund will pay scholarship funds for registration fees directly to the sponsoring organization on behalf of the individual recipients. It is not the policy of the Francis Fund to reimburse any registration fees to individuals. However, exceptions may be made on an individual basis depending on the type of registration required.

  5. An adult applicant is eligible to receive multiple scholarships not exceeding a total of $500.00 in one fiscal year (July 1st through June 30th).  New requests will be given priority over those requesting funds for a second time in that fiscal year.

    A youth applicant is eligible to receive one (1) scholarship not exceeding $300.00 in one fiscal year (July 1st through June 30th).

  6. Scholarship funding will only be awarded to individuals attending programs that are consistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

  7. Individuals attending programs that have received grants from the Francis Fund are ineligible to apply for scholarships for those programs.

  8. Incomplete applications will not be forwarded to the Francis Fund Review Committee and will be returned to the applicant.

  9. To be considered for future funding, a scholarship recipient must submit a Reflection on the event attended before applying for a future scholarship.

  10. If a scholarship recipient is unable to attend a program, it is expected that the recipient will reimburse the scholarship amount to the Francis Fund. Scholarships are not transferrable from one individual to another. If a substitute is found, an individual scholarship application must be submitted and approved by the Review Committee and Administrator.

  11. Adults applying for a scholarship to attend a youth ministry event must submit with their application a copy of their Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Check, Pennsylvania Child Abuse Registry Check, FBI Clearances, Virtus, Mandated & Permissive Reporting Training, and Diocese of Greensburg Pastoral Code of Conduct Sign-off with their application.   Failure to submit a complete application packet will result in the scholarship being automatically denied.  This also applies to youth who turn eighteen (18) and graduate high school prior to the youth ministry event.

  12. Approvals for applications of adults attending youth ministry events will follow the norm in the Diocese of Greensburg for having a ratio of one (1) adult chaperone to seven (7) youth. The first two adults can be funded no matter the size of the group.  The funding of a third adult requires at least 15 youths; a fourth adult requires at least 22 youths, etc.  If the event you are attending requires a different ratio, please note that on your application and send a copy of the information directly from the event coordinator. 

Questions about the Francis Fund Scholarships should be addressed to the Office of Faith, Family, and Discipleship at 724-837-0901 or francisfund@dioceseofgreensburg.org.

How to Apply for Scholarships

  1. Complete the application online at:  www.dioceseofgreensburg.org/francisfund
  2. Once completed, email the following items to francisfund@dioceseofgreensburg.org:
    1. If this is an adult event or a non-diocesan sponsored youth event, please send a copy of your registration or copy of your invoice so that we can verify cost and know where to send funding.
    2. If this is a youth event, please send clearances for anyone 18 years of age and older who is out of high school.
  3. You will receive notice of the award decision by the 15th of the month.

 

It is important to note that anyone age 18 and over (and out of high school) who will participate in an event with youth must submit to francisfund@dioceseofgreensburg.org.

  • Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Report
  • Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Child Abuse History Clearance
  • FBI Criminal History Report with fingerprinting
  • VIRTUS Training Certificate
  • Mandated & Permissive Reporting Training Certificate
  • Diocese of Greensburg Pastoral Code of Conduct Sign-off