Grace Lutheran Church Foundation

Guidelines for Ministry Funding Proposals and Payments

In an effort to enhance all aspects of the GELC ministry, the GLCF Board has established policies and procedures with respect to approving funding proposals and disbursing payments. GLCF grants are primarily intended to support the ministry of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC). GLCF does not support normal recurring expenditures that are traditionally paid by GELC, or any other supported entities, from general funds.

All proposals must be sponsored by a member of the GELC Congregation.

Proposals for funding should be submitted in writing (electronic communication is accepted). They may be submitted to the GELC office or to one of the Foundation's Board members at anytime.

Questions to consider when submitting a proposal:

  1. What is the project, event or item(s) to be funded?

  2. What is the overall budget for the project, event or item(s) and what is the portion of that budget to be met through GLCF funding? What other sources of funding have been considered?

  3. What is the ministry to be supported, expected results, and the relationship of the ministry to the mission of GELC?

  4. Is the funding requested as an outright grant, on a matching-funds basis, or in some other capacity?

  5. What is the time-line, if the funding is for something that will be ongoing?

Tips on Requesting Funds

  1. Remember to put a date on your funding request. Also, if there is any urgency in the timing of approval of funding - make sure the Board is aware of that.

  2. Provide information about the budget. If it is a very large project, what other sources of funding have you explored?

  3. Consider what information an outsider might be interested in - and share that in your request.

  4. It may be helpful to attend a Board meeting when requesting funds, especially for new projects.

  5. The Foundation meets frequently, usually monthly but not always.
Please email the Foundation or contact any Board member if you need assistance or have any questions.

After funding approval by the GLCF Board, the following procedures will be followed:

  1. The Board will establish a deadline for payment of approved funds for the project - a funding commitment by GLCF is usually made for no more than 6-months.

  2. Prior to disbursement of any funds, an accounting of revenue, expenses (receipts), and needed GLCF resources must be presented for Board review. Written requests for distribution of funds should be submitted directly to GLCF, unless the Board instructs otherwise.

  3. Based on the accounting review, the Board may authorize the GLCF Treasurer to distribute funds up to the maximum commitment made by the Board.

Proposal forms: PDF with lines, without lines. HTML.

Revised June 2023
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