At their fall 2019 meeting, the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church awarded forty-two Becoming Beloved Community grants totaling $350,600 to catalyze the church’s work of racial healing, reconciliation and justice. Allocated by the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church (GC 2018 Resolution D002), the intent for these grants is to build capacity and increase Episcopal parish, diocesan, and agency engagement in four primary fields: telling the truth about our churches and race, proclaiming the dream of Beloved Community, practicing Jesus’ way of healing and reconciliation, and repairing the breach in institutions and society.
Two types of grants were awarded: Seed Grants, geared for groups launching new projects and/or evolving the scale of an existing project; and Impact Grants, for growing capacity, impact, and reach of communities and institutions already working to advance racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. Grant recipients are listed below.
Seed Grants:
- Diocesan Racial Justice and Healing, Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, $7,000.00
- Charis Community in Charlottesville; Grace Church-Red Hill, Charlottesville, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, $8,000.00
- Racial Reconciliation Ministry, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Annapolis, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, $5,000.00
- “My Work to Do,” Jubilee Consortium, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, $8,000.00
- Antiracism Action Plan, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, $4,000.00
- Pilgrimage through South and Midwest, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Royal Oak, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, $5,000.00
- Community-wide Storytelling Events, St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Columbia, Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, $3,900.00
- Ethnic Studies Academy (Beloved Community Initiative), Des Moines, Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, $8,000.00
- Trail of Souls Video Narratives, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, $5,000.00
- Community Conversations, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Paul, Episcopal Church in Minnesota, $6,500.00
- Beloved Community Commission for Racial Reconciliation, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, $8,000.00
- Diocesan Racial Reconciliation and Healing Resource Team, Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, $6,000.00
- The One Human Race Initiative, St. James Episcopal Church, Austin, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, $6,000.00
- “How Do We Talk to Our Children About Race?” Training, All Saints Episcopal Church, Chicago, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, $3,000.00
- Racial Reconciliation Fellowship for Young Adults, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, $5,700.00
- Pilgrimage towards Racial Reconciliation, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, $3,000.00
- Initiative: “At the Heart of Our Identity: Being Episcopal, Being Inclusive”, National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), Episcopal Diocese of New York, $5,000.00
- Courageous Conversations, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Canton, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, $6,000.00
- St. Paul’s, Tri-Cities, WA Racial Equity & Social Justice Coalition, St. Paul’s Episcopal Mission, Kennewick, Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, $4,000.00
- Faculty Training in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, Episcopal Diocese of California, $3,500.00
- Trail of Souls: Next Phase, Episcopal Diocese of Easton, $2,500.00
Impact Grants:
- The Justice Pilgrimage, Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, $15,000.00
- Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, $15,000.00
- Growing the Center for Reconciliation’s Mission, The Center for Reconciliation, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, $14,000.00
- Partnership with Great Lakes Peace Center, Marquette, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan, $15,000
- Gethsemane Reconciliation Center, Gethsemane Episcopal Church, Marion, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, $9,500.00
- Sacred Ground and Communities of Color, Union of Black Episcopalians, $14,000.00
- Triangle of Hope, Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, $13,000.00
- The Mission Institute – Capacity Building, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, $15,000.00
- Bravos Valley Common Good, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Bryan, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, $10,000.00
- Province V Becoming Beloved Community Initiative, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, $10,000.00
- Voorhees Scholars Program, Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, $10,000.00
- Worship with Bravery, Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, $11,000.00
- Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation, Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, $12,000.00
- Engaging Racial Justice and Inclusion, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, $11,000.00
- Growing Centers of Practice, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, $11,000.00
- Commission for Intercultural Ministries, Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, $5,000.00
- Dismantle Systemic Racism in the Justice System, Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Saratoga, Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, $7,000.00
- Building Bridges to Communities of Justice, PRISM Restorative Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, $7,000.00
- European-American/Arabic Church Partnership, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, $12,000.00
- Building Inclusive, Representative and Authentic Communities, Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers (ECCC), Episcopal Church in Minnesota, $10,000.00
- Service Never Sleeps Trainings on Privilege, Racism and Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, $12,000.00
Questions about the Becoming Beloved Community grants may be addressed to the Rev. Edwin Johnson, chair, Presiding Officers’ Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation, at padreedwinj@gmail.com or the Rev. Meg Wagner, chair, Advisory Group Grants Subcommittee at mwagner@iowaepiscopal.org.