On January 25, 2021, the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church approved the grant applications recommended to them by the 2021 Young Adult and Campus Ministry Grant review team.  A total of $133,516 was awarded to 20 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 give communities across the church the opportunity to dream something new as they minister 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 has to be responsive to young adults wherever they are on their journey. Evangelism means striving to meet them where they are and journey together in the Jesus Movement.”

Six Campus Ministry Grants, two Leadership Grants, five Project Grants and seven Young Adult Ministry Grants were awarded to 18 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 Ministry Partners in the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma who will create new digital ministries in partnership with established worshipping communities. These digital ministries will be tailored to young people not belonging to or connected with a Church and will be constructed to help young people navigate faith through non-traditional experiences.

Leadership Grants establish new, restore dormant, or reenergize current campus ministries. St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church in the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee will relaunch their ministry with local Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) by rebuilding the Church’s presence in the HBCU communities, partnering with ecumenical ministries, and providing pastoral care to the student population.  

Project Grants provide money for a one-time project to enhance and positively impact a campus or young adult ministry. Canterbury Fellowship of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, a young adult and campus ministry, and its partners St. Matthew’s Cathedral and Feeding Laramie Valley will establish a community garden and an outdoor worship space to further advocate for and contribute to a resilient, local food system.

Young Adult Ministry Grants provide seed money to assist in the start-up of new, innovative young adult ministries or enhance current ministries. Ascension School Camp and Conference Center, in the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, will offer a creative internship opportunity for ten young adults over a ten-week period in the summer in order to equip and build up a generation of land stewards and leaders. They will focus on their core values of human dignity, creation care, and spiritual formation.

Grant Recipients

A total of 40 grant applications were received, of which 15 were Leadership Grants, 12 Campus Ministry Grants, five Project Grants, and 8 Young Adult Ministry Grants. Application requests totaled $584,816. The grants, which are subject to their sponsoring dioceses having completed their 2020 assessment payments, are listed below, by category.

Campus Ministry Grants

• Calvary Episcopal Church, The Episcopal Church in Colorado, $5,000
• Cooperative Christian Ministry at the University of Vermont, The Episcopal Church in Vermont, $5,000
• Delta Canterbury (Delta State University), The Episcopal Church in Mississippi, $8,000
• Episcopal Church at Yale, The Episcopal Church in Connecticut, $7,991
• St. Mary’s House, Greensboro/Episcopal Student Fellowship, Winston Salem, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, $8,000
• St. Michael’s Church Thuringia, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, $3,725

Leadership Grants

• Diocese of Western Kansas Digital Minister, Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas, $20,000
• St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, $30,000

Project Grants

• Blue Ridge Service Corps, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, $2,000
• Canterbury Fellowship, Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, $2,000
• Canterbury House Episcopal Campus Ministry at OSU, Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, $1,500
• Measure + Mean: Finding Community in a Rule of Life, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, $2,000
• Seminarians at the School of Theology: Beyond the Binary Workshop, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, $2,000

Young Adult Ministry Grants

• Ascension School Camp and Conference Center, Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, $7,800
• Connections in a Fractured World, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, $1,500
• On Sacred Ground – Wyoming Service Corps, Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, $5,000
• San Francisco Campus Christian Centers / Ecumenical House California, Episcopal Diocese of California, $8,000
• The Ministry Partners, Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma, $4,000
• Young Adult Ministry Network in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts (YAMN), Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, $8,000
• Young Adult Outreach, Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, $2,000

Review process

The grant review team included provincial coordinators for young adult and campus ministry, leaders in the area of ministry with young adults, DFMS staff, and member of Executive Council. This team read, scored, and commented on the applications, with each application read by at least three people. Reviewers gathered online to discern which grants should be recommended for funding.

The review team worked 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 Kelly, 212-716-6081.

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