The 2020 Young Adult and Campus Ministry Grant recommendations were approved by the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church during their February meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. A total of $132,638 was awarded to 21 grant recipients from across The Episcopal Church.

Young Adult and Campus Ministry Grants provide funding for dioceses, congregations, and community college/tribal college/university campuses that engage or seek to engage, with young adults on and off college campuses.

“The Young Adult and Campus Ministry grants help The Episcopal Church live into an expanded understanding of what it means to be in ministry with young adults on and off college campuses,” said the Rev. Shannon Kelly, director for the Department of Faith Formation and officer for Young Adult and Campus Ministries. “Ministry with young adults is constantly being reimagined to respond to the changing nature of this ministry. These ministries invite the church to engage in mission and the Jesus Movement in new, innovative ways.”

Eight Campus Ministry Grants, five Leadership Grants, three Project Grants and five Young Adult Ministry Grants were awarded to 19 dioceses. 

Campus Ministry Grants provide seed money to assist in the start-up of new, innovative campus ministries or to enhance a current ministry, such as the Big Tent ministry of the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts: A liturgical tent serves as a dedicated space for the young adult chaplaincy community, as well as a mobile church that offers possibilities for worship outside the church walls.

Leadership Grants establish new, restore dormant, or reenergize current campus ministries. In the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, La Iglesia Episcopal at University of Central Florida (UCF) is relaunching the UCF Canterbury Club, a 10-year-old ministry that had gone dormant, as a bilingual, multicultural lay led ministry. The revitalized UCF Canterbury Club will serve universities in Central Florida with a focus on the University of Central Florida and three Puerto Rican universities with campuses in South Orlando. 

Project Grants provide money for a one-time project to enhance and positively impact a campus or young adult ministry.  Beloved in the Desert, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, is an Episcopal Service Corps program that gathers young adults together to pray, serve, and study in community in Tucson, Arizona. With this grant, the 2020-2021 program year will offer formation experience with Borderlinks, providing professional training in border issues, policies, and networks for participants.

Young Adult Ministry Grants provide seed money to assist in the start-up of new, innovative young adult ministries or enhance current ministries. At the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, plans are being developed to establish and launch a community for young adults in Flagstaff called Mosaic, which uses a dinner church model for its primary mode of gathering, cultivating a community of young adults who are willing to wrestle with what church is and dare to believe in what it can be.

Grant Recipients
A total of 40 grant applications were received, of which 16 were Leadership Grants, 13 Campus Ministry Grants, four Project Grants, and 7 Young Adult Ministry Grants. Application requests totaled $535,154.

Campus Ministry Grants

• Canterbury Club of Troy University/Saint Mark’s, Episcopal Diocese of Central Gulf Coast, $4,988
• Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry at Texas Tech, Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas, $2,000
• Canterbury Episcopal Campus Ministry in Flagstaff, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, $5,000
• Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, $2,850
• Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, $5,000
• Lamar University Episcopal College Community, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, $5,000
• Recovery Ministry at PSU / Canterbury@Plymouth, Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, $4,500
• St. Francis House, Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, $2,500

Leadership Grants

• Canterbury House at the University of Michigan, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, $15,000
• Episcopal Campus Ministry at Old Dominion University, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, $10,000
• From Cornhole to Care and Community: Campus Ministry at Feather River College, Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, $8,000
• La Iglesia Episcopal at UCF, Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, $30,000
• Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministry at San Diego State University, Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, $15,000

Project Grants

• Beloved in the Desert, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, $1,000
• Campus Ministry of the Diocese of Western North Carolina, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, $1,000
• Church of the Resurrection, Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, $1,000

Young Adult Ministry Grants

• Colorado Episcopal Service Corps, Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, $5,000
• Dinner and Compline: Young Adult Fellowship, Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan, $1,800
• Grace Year, Episcopal Diocese of New York, $5,000
• Seekers at St. Paul’s, Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, $3,000
• The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, $5,000

Review process

A team of people including the provincial coordinators for campus ministry, leaders in the area of ministry with young adults, staff, and an Executive Council member read, score and comment on the applications. Each application was read by at least three people. All reviewers gathered in person to discern which grants should be funded. The review team worked incredibly hard and faithfully to discern each application and the Department of Faith Formation is deeply grateful for their dedication and hard work.

For more information, contact Shannon Kelly.

To learn more about Young Adult and Campus Ministry grants as well as other Episcopal grant and scholarship opportunities, click here.