Mission Northwest announces the Dream Fund, an opportunity for churches in the Region to fund a God-given ministry dream. Knowing that churches often find themselves with limited resources the Region Board has set aside the Dream Fund to offer grants for churches seeking to expand and enhance ministries within their own congregation or among their immediate community.
Churches are encouraged to request grants for continuing education, new evangelistic projects, outreach efforts, and projects to stimulate growth/retention. Examples of funding requests may include training for pastors or lay leaders, community mission/service projects, curriculum, or community engagement efforts.
The grant request must be related to one of the primary Mission Northwest Landmarks:
Leadership
Church Transformation - (Church Turnaround, Evangelism, Discipleship, Outreach)
Connection
Church Planting/Re-Planting/Adoption (Covered by separate grant funding)
Furthermore, the Dream Fund is not designed to fund capital/structural improvements, church planting expenses, or standard organizational operating costs, including the support of existing personnel and program offerings.
In other words, Mission Northwest is inviting your church to dream of expanding your church's footprint in a Spirit-inspired way. We would encourage you to dream large in the areas of evangelism, discipleship, outreach, fresh expressions of church, small groups, house churches and leadership development. We have a big God who imparts big dreams to His people when we ask for them!
Grant Application Details:
• The committee will only consider applications for programs and projects directly related to one or more of the primary landmarks identified in the association’s mission.
• The committee will not consider applications requesting funding for capital/structural improvements, church planting expenses, or standard organizational operating costs, including the support of existing personnel and program offerings.
• The committee will consider application requesting funding for continuing education, new evangelistic projects, outreach efforts, and projects to stimulate growth/retention. Examples of funding requests may include religious training for pastors or lay leaders, community mission/service projects, curriculum, or public engagement efforts.
• Applicant churches must be affiliated with Mission Northwest.
• Applicant churches are limited to one application per church per year. There is no limitation on a Church’s ability to apply for the Dream Grant in sequential years.
• Individual grants are limited to a maximum request of $25,000. There is no minimum grant amount.
• Grants involving multiple churches will be reviewed favorably by the Region Board and are highly encouraged. Applications involving multiple churches should identify all involved churches.
• Grant applicants shall provide complete information including application, budget information and explanation of how the grant request aligns with Mission Northwest’s mission and the church’s local needs.
Applications will undergo the following review process.
First, application will be reviewed by the Board’s Executive Minister to ensure that the grant request meets the initial criteria and provide an opportunity for initial feedback.
Second, the Board’s Executive Minister will present the grant requests to the Board’s Dream Grant subcommittee which will review the applications and, based on the availability of funds and the information within the grant request, approve for disapprove the application for funding.
The Region Board will be notified of all grants approved by the Dream Grant subcommittee.
Applications are due May 15th.
Funding decisions are expected to be made no later than June 30th of 2024.
Funding will be available to grant recipients beginning in July 2024 as one lump sum payment.
Recipient churches are required to revert unused funds at the end of the 12-month period, unless an extension is granted by the Board. Expectation of follow-up action at the close of this 12-month period is 30 days.
All applications must be e-mailed. A hard copy may be provided in addition if the applicant chooses. Acceptable e- mail attachments include the following formats: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Adobe Acrobat. No faxes please.
The completed applications are not to exceed ten (10) pages each (single-sided) and a complete copy of the Applicant Summary and Scoring Sheet should be sent to:
Dr. Charles Revis, Executive Minister execminister@missionnw.org
AND
M.J. Jennings, MNW Director of Administration office@missionnw.org
The application is available in two formats, PDF and Excel. Please click on either format that works best for you.