for Parish, Multi-Parish, Region, and Deanery Program Grants
1. Grants of $100 - $500 are given for an event that fosters the faith development of the parish or a segment of the parish, e.g., the liturgical ministers, the catechists, the senior citizens.
2. Grants are given for supplemental resources, such as printed materials (e.g. bible study booklets), presenters, publicity, etc. Primary Religious Education textbooks and resources should be budgeted for on the parish level and are not eligible for grants. Grants will not be given for food, entertainment, t-shirts, or transportation. Additionally, Grants will not be awarded for gifts in the name of the parish (i.e. Bibles for high school graduates of the parish).
3. Speaker approval must be obtained prior to submitting a grant request for a speaker and/or presenter. A copy of the correspondence (letter or email) from the Office of Faith, Family, and Discipleship granting speaker approval must be submitted with the grant application. Applications submitted without prior speaker approval will automatically be considered ineligible and be denied.
4. Grant proposals must include an itemized listing of program costs using the proper form on the application. Please include copies of any invoices and documentation for proof of pricing. The Review Committee may request additional information, documentation, or letters of endorsement. The final decision rests with the Francis Fund Administrator.
5. Grant requests must be received well in advance of the event that is planned for the parish/parishes. Grants deadlines are the last day of August, October, December, February, April, and June. Once a program or event has occurred, grants will not be accepted for that event.
*Applications received after the deadline date will not be considered by The Review Committee until the next deadline.
6. Distribution of grants to a single parish will not exceed $1,000 during the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). However, because the Francis Fund wants to support the greatest number of grant applications new requests will be given priority over those requesting funds for a second or third time in the year.
7. Distribution of grants to a group of parishes (i.e., a region or neighboring parishes) will not exceed
$2,000. Equal amounts of the grant will be charged to the individual parishes within this group grant and reduces the individual parish grant limit by that amount. Parishes are encouraged to collaborate with neighboring parishes to offer opportunities for faith formation and ministry development.
8. Only one (1) grant application can be submitted by a parish each grant period. (A multiple parish grant counts as a parish application and subsequently, an individual parish cannot submit another application for the same grant period.) A second grant cannot be considered until the first grant event is completed and a program report is on file.
10. Matching local funds are preferred as a sign of commitment and ongoing support at the local level.
11. Programs that receive a grant must be consistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
12. Individuals attending programs that have received grants from the Francis Fund are ineligible to apply for scholarships.
13. Grant requests are presented to the Francis Fund Review Committee. The Review Committee will make recommendations of approvals for grant applications to the Administrator. The final decision rests with the Francis Fund Administrator.
14. Incomplete applications will not be forwarded to the Francis Fund Review Committee and will be returned to the applicant.
15. Please email copies of your invoices to francisfund@dioceseofgreensburg.org. The committee may request additional information, documentation, or letters of endorsement.
16. To be considered for future funding, contact persons of a grant recipient must provide a written report and accounting of funds at the conclusion of the project. The Parish Grant Report must be submitted prior to the next application deadline date after the event has occurred and before the parish applies for a future grant.
17. If a program receiving a grant from the Francis Fund is canceled it is expected the parish recipient(s) will reimburse the grant amount to the Francis Fund.
Questions about Francis Fund Grants should be addressed to the Office of Faith, Family, and Discipleship at 724-837-0901 or francisfund@dioceseofgreensburg.org.
