Each year, the Congregational Life Committee (CLC) of the Northern Illinois Synod awards grants to be used as seed money to inspire and empower the people of the Northern Illinois Synod to develop creative new ideas for ministry.
Any congregation or group related to a congregation of the Northern Illinois Synod can apply for a CLC grant.
The grant request guidelines are subject to revision by the CLC. The grant money must be used to meet the mission of the CLC – to support and equip congregations to carry out their ministries in the areas of Worship, Youth Ministry, Education, Safe Church and Stewardship. If a congregation has another idea about a ministry that would also relate to equipping a congregation in another area of its congregation’s life, please explain this idea in the form. Maybe it will help the committee to consider other areas of ministry!
The project must involve at least five members of the congregation in its implementation and must show potential for long term impact by addressing real needs. The plans for the project should be able to be presented as a model for other congregations. Local resources should be committed to the project, and CLC money should be used only as seed money for the project.
Grant recipients will be asked to be accountable to the CLC. Grants may be requested annually. Normally a project will not have a grant approved more than three times. The grant amounts in repeating years will generally be in decreasing amounts.
Priority will be given to grant requests that come from middle- or small-sized congregations.
After a grant is received, the CLC requires a report on the results of the project. This report is to be submitted at the end of the project, or after one year, whichever comes first. All requests should be made by December 31 of the calendar year. Grants will be given out at the beginning of the next fiscal year (February 1).
Not all requests that are properly submitted are accepted.
