ACTS/VIM Fund

Grant Proposals Sought: ACTS/VIM (A Commitment To Serve/Venture In Mission) funds program proposals which address one or more of the following:

• Connect congregational development and community outreach.
• Promote inclusivity and welcoming of outsiders (or program beneficiaries) into the Episcopal Church.
• Foster and broaden clergy and lay leadership in the congregation.
• Demonstrate responsible stewardship of resources.
• Offer creative vision for the church’s witness and presence in the community.
• Promote collaboration and cooperation.
• Provide initial resources for new endeavors (seed money), which might otherwise be difficult to fund.

Grant Awards: Requests may not exceed $20,000 per granting cycle.

Grant Duration: Grants will be awarded for a period of one year. All grantees are required to submit a written evaluation report at the end of the grant period. See Evaluation Report attached to this application. Future grants from this Fund and from other Diocesan loans and grants funds are conditioned upon receipt of this report.

If grant funds are not disbursed within one year of the grant award, a written request for an extension must be submitted to the Board.

Grant Review Procedures:
1. After acceptance of a proposal a liaison team, usually two Board members, is assigned. The team will make an onsite visit to the project and will inform the applicant of the time set for a hearing on the proposal before the full board. These visits are mandatory and should be completed no later than one week prior to the presentation hearing date. If the visit is not completed your application will not be considered during this cycle.

The Board will review the proposal at its following meeting and prepare a recommendation for Diocesan Council. All applicants will be notified of the Board’s recommendation to Council.

2. The Diocesan Council ratifies the recommendation. In the event that the Council does not agree with a Board’s recommendation, it is referred back to the Board for reconsideration in accordance with the procedures set forth in the 1986 Diocesan Journal, page 130.

3. Once a proposal has been submitted the amount requested cannot be modified

4. The ACTS/VIM Board will notify the applicant in writing of the final recommendation on the proposal after the Diocesan Council meeting.

Evaluation Procedures for ACTS/VIM Grant Proposals:

1. Proposals submitted by NOON on March 1st† will be considered. Late applications will not be considered for funding.

2. At the Board’s first meetings after March 1st †, all proposals will be reviewed to determine whether they meet the following guidelines. If a proposal does not meet the criteria, the applicant will be notified immediately by mail of the reasons for the disqualification.

a.) Proposals should demonstrate a clear Episcopal congregational or diocesan relationship, and should project a life giving quality to your congregation/community.

b.) Copies of the operating budgets of the congregation or related institution and of the project itself for the current and prior year’s actual results should be included.

c.) Qualifications and/or professional credentials of project director and/or team assigned to the project should be included, as appropriate.

d.) Requests may not exceed $20,000 per granting period. There is no restriction on applying for additional funds in succeeding granting periods.

e.) Proposals should demonstrate that the applicant has researched other funding sources, including matching funds. Grant requests must demonstrate a clear ability to receive adequate funding for the project to begin/continue.

f.) Before any changes in program design or costs are made during the life of the grant, written approval of the ACTS/Vim Board must be obtained.

g.) In the event a project is not completed or is terminated, all remaining funds must be returned to the Board together with a written report of reasons for termination.

h.) Where funds are committed to a project and that project does not start within 12 months, all funds will automatically revert back to the ACTS/VIM account for redistribution in the next granting period. The original proposal may be resubmitted, although it would then become one of any of those received in the next granting period.

i.) The Board will provide assistance in writing proposals upon request.

3. Grant requests for mission trips, building repairs or construction and feasibility studies will not be
considered for funding by ACTS/VIM.

4. ACTS/VIM will only consider one proposal per institution for each granting period.

5. Provided the ACTS/VIM Board judges a district proposal to have the support of a plurality of the district, and to introduce a new ministry serving the district, the proposal shall be considered a new institution for granting purposes.

6. Provided the ACTS/VIM Board judges a multi-congregation proposal as incorporating all congregations involved in the proposal, the proposal shall be considered a new institution for granting purposes.

Grant Agreement – Accountability for ACTS/VIM Grants: The signing of a grant agreement will be required prior to the release of the funds after a grant is recommended and ratified. The terms of the agreement will be:

1. To use the grant to fund the initiative described in their proposal.

2. To keep financial records relating to this grant that the ACTS/VIM Board may request.

3. To return any unspent grant funds to the ACTS/VIM Board no later than one (1) month after the end of the grant calendar year.

4. If grant funds have not been disbursed within 90 Days of the grant award, the organization must submit an updated request for funding.

Payments of grant funds awarded will not be made before receipt of this signed agreement. (The Grant Agreement will be mailed to applicant after funding recommendation has been made by ACTS/VIM Fund Board. Recommendation will still require ratification from Diocesan Council.)

Safe Church Training: If funding is sought for programs providing services to children and youth, completion of Safeguarding God’s Children on-line training must have been completed with the last five years for clergy engaged in ministry or service to the church, all paid personnel (whether employed in areas of ministry or other kinds of services in the church) and volunteers working or supervising children and youth in congregational settings.

Application Cycle. The Board will receive and consider on an annual basis grant applications from congregations and related institutions throughout the Diocese of Newark.

Contact Information. For information, comments or suggestions please contact Mr. John A. King (contact info below)

Any questions regarding the grant application procedure should be directed to:

ACTS/VIM Grants
John A. King
(973) 430-9919
jking@dioceseofnewark.org