Twenty new grants, plus additional funding for four grants, totaling $141,109, have been awarded in the latest round of grantmaking managed by the Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation and approved by the Episcopal Church Executive Council at its October meeting.
New grants were awarded to:
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Mineral Point, WI. Two garden projects with signage, one speaker series, a film series and a children’s faith formation series: $10,000.
- The Procter Camp and Conference Center, OH. Two-year program to create a ten-acre native prairie habitat, with connections to public schools, Episcopal youth and young adults: $5,000.
- The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas. Working with the Lower Arkansas-Maumelle River watershed in a permaculture and education project involving Arkansas Baptist College (an Historically Black College and University – HBCU), members of Episcopal congregations and a group of young adults: $10,000.
- Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Haiti Project. An extension of work for the Green School Clean School project to lead efforts in reforestation, composting, food production and education in farming techniques: $10,000.
- Virginia Haiti Collaborative, the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. A project to establish education resources and communication around a larger project to provide solar power for St. Marc’s Episcopal School in Cerca la Source, Haiti: $9,850.
- Plainsong Farm and Ministry, Rockford, MI. Create and publish online and print resources for the Episcopal Church to educate the church on faith and the opportunities to partner with young, community-minded farmers committed to sustainable agriculture and ecological stewardship: $8,450.
- Grace Episcopal Church, Morganton, NC. A five-year plan for a “Green Forum” involving guest speakers. Approved for partial funding of the first year: $2,000.
- The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire. Create resource materials and handbook for use by other churches and diocese on how to conduct a similar experience to the River of Life event conducted in the summer of 2017: $7,005.
- All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Minneapolis. Advance the food justice work at First Nations Kitchen by launching a second community meal that will increase access to healthy Indigenous food, and increasing collaborative community programming: $5,000.
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Church with Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (St. Paul, MN). A project to host a trip for members of non-tribal congregations to northern MN to visit with native congregations and native water protectors at the site of the proposed pipeline in Minnesota, hosting a series of talks and events: $5,000.
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Bloomington, IN. A solar installation project with faith formation, parish celebration and youth training and involvement: $6,320.
- St. James Episcopal Church, Bozeman, MT. Seed money to organize the Montana Faith and Environment Coalition: $3,000.
- The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill, NC. To support the education, communication and digital resources production efforts of the Piedmont Patch project expansion of food production: $7,350.
- All Saints Episcopal Church, San Leandro, CA. Support the development of new chapters of the Holy Hikes ministry through advertising, administrative support and communications: $6,420.
- Diocesan Council, Inc. and the Trustees of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Delaware. To support the diocese in continuing their project of bringing all diocesan property into compliance with the Genesis Covenant: $5,000.
- Third Order Society of St. Francis, Hicksville, NY. To support a trained cadre of leaders to teach and train others in issues of climate justice: $5,000.
- Diocese of Spokane, WA. Support funding for the workshops and network expansion of Creation Care Ministries: $5,700.
- St. David’s Episcopal Church, Friday Harbor, WA. Establish a community composting program for the church campus: $2,364.
- St. Mark’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church, NY. Communication, theological resources and meditation bench for the hoop house project: $2,800.
- St. Andrews Episcopal School of Fort Pierce, FL. Funding of staff time for the Living Shoreline Project of the Indian River Lagoon. $8,600.
Additional funding was awarded to:
- Grace Episcopal Church, Morganton, NC. A five-year plan for a “Green Forum” involving guest speakers. Additional funding for the second year: $2,000.
- St. James Episcopal Church, Bozeman, MT. Seed money to organize the Montana Faith and Environment Coalition. Additional funding to meet their full request: $7,000.
- The Episcopal Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill, NC. To support the education, communication and digital resources production efforts of the Piedmont Patch project expansion of food production. Additional funding to meet their full request: $2,250.
- Third Order Society of St. Francis, Hicksville, NY. To support a trained cadre of leaders to teach and train others in issues of climate justice. Additional funding to meet their full request: $5,000.
The Advisory Council was created by General Convention 2015, enabled by Resolution A030, and charged with the responsibility to develop a grant process to support local ecologically responsible stewardship of church-related properties and buildings.
Forty-one applications were received in this final round.
Members of the Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation are: Bishop Marc Andrus, Co-Chair, Diocese of California; the Rev. Stephanie Johnson, Co-Chair, Diocese of Connecticut; Paul Anton, Diocese of Minnesota; the Rev. Jerry Cappel, Diocese of Kentucky; the Rev. Patrick Funston, Diocese of Kansas; The Rev. Luis Alberto Garcia Correa, Diocese of the Dominican Republic; the Rev. Esther Georges, Diocese of the Virgin Islands; Perry Hodgkins Jones, Diocese of Atlanta; the Rev. Martha Kirkpatrick, Diocese of Delaware; the Rev. Nurya Love Parish, Diocese of Western Michigan; Kelly Phelan, Diocese of Los Angeles; Peter Sergienko, Diocese of Oregon; Dr. Andrew Thompson, Diocese of East Tennessee; Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Ex Officio; President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, Ex Officio; Julia Harris, liaison of Executive Council; the Rev. Melanie Mullen, staff liaison.