Children in Poverty grant proposals due April 25

The First Baptist Church of Royal Oak Mission Fund Committee, under the auspices of Genesis: The Church, expanded American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ 2011 Children in Poverty grants with a $10,000 gift.

Application packets for American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) 2012 Children in Poverty grants are now available. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 25.

Congregations, regions and community ministries related to American Baptist Churches USA are eligible to apply for support of programs that address the needs of children living in poverty in their local communities. At least 10 grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 will be distributed. In 2011, 22 grants totaling $50,000 were awarded to children’s ministries from the state of Washington to the island of Puerto Rico and many places between. The impact of the grant program was expanded through a generous $10,000 gift from The First Baptist Church (FBC) of Royal Oak (Mich.) Mission Fund, under the auspices of Genesis: The Church. (FBC of Royal Oak and Genesis: The Church merged in 2010.)

“When our Mission Fund Committee learned that a lack of funds would mean that a number of Children in Poverty grant applications were likely to go unfunded—or, at best, be only partially funded—we saw an opportunity to make a difference for the sake of God’s kingdom,” says the Rev. Dr. David Nichols, pastor emeritus at Genesis: The Church. “We could not imagine a better use for our funds than to assist organizations who minister with dignity and compassion to those singled out by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 as being worthy of sacrificial effort. We consider it a privilege to have had some small part in the work of these ministries.”

The 2011 grants supported tutoring programs, educational enrichment, summer outreach and ministries to children of Burma refugees. In 2012, ABHMS will look for projects that address quality public school education, access to quality health care and support for caregivers to find employment that provides livable wages. Special attention, however, will be given to programs that focus on partnerships with public schools in the 2012-2013 school year.

Proposals must be postmarked by April 25, 2012; applications will not be accepted via email. Recipients will be notified by June 29.

For more information, contact the Rev. Lisa Harris, ABHMS national coordinator, Justice for Children Initiative, at lisa.harris@abhms.org or 800-222-3872, x2158.

< < Back