Francis Fund

Francis Fund

Individual Scholarship Guidelines

1. Scholarships of $50 to $500 for adults and scholarships of $50 to $300 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.
   
3. Scholarship applications together with your registration form will be presented to the Francis Fund Review Committee on the 1^st 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 15^th 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 in one fiscal year (July 1^st through June 30^th).  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 in one fiscal year (July 1^st through June 30^th).
   
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 [email protected].

How to Apply for Scholarships

1. Complete the application online at:  Francis Fund
2. Once completed, email the following items to [email protected]:
   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 [email protected].

• 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

Francis Fund Guidelines

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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected].

How to Apply for Program Grants

​1. Designate a contact person who communicates with the of Faith, Family, and Discipleship regarding the Francis Fund Grant Application.

2. Complete the online application found at www.dioceseofgreensburg.org. No paper applications will be accepted.

3. Attach copies of your invoices to the completed application and send them to the Office of Faith, Family, and Discipleship before the Application Deadline date.

E-mail any invoices or supporting documentation to:

[email protected]

Notification of awards will be sent out by the 15th of the awarding month.