Current Funding Opportunities

The primary goal of these funds is for intervention projects that extend the work of frontline chaplains

The goal is the fund is for frontline responsive work; therefore, projects that are primarily research-oriented will not receive priority.

Yes. Projects with a focus on systemic issues exacerbated by COVID19 will be given priority so long as the applicant clearly identifies how their proposed project is geared toward people at the frontline of the pandemic.

• If you have difficulty with the budget template or need a Google Docs version, contact michael@chaplaincyinnovation.org.
• The maximum amount for a single grant is $50,000; there is no minimum.
• Indirect costs
  • These costs represent the resources your institution needs to administer this grant — the salaries of employees who receive and distribute the funds, overhead costs related to your position, etc. This is the last item on the budget and counts toward the maximum of $50,000.
  • Regardless of your institution’s policy on these costs, per the policies of the Henry Luce Foundation we cannot fund anything above 10% in indirect costs. We encourage you to request waivers or reductions in this cost in order to free up more funding for your project.
• The only limit on how much any single item can be is on indirect costs (see below), which cannot exceed $4,545 (10% of the maximum direct costs). While there are no limits on how much “weight” within a budget that any other item may cost, be mindful that we are primarily concerned with implementation and measurement; if a budget cannot realistically support strong implementation and measurement, it will not be a good candidate for funding.

• Who counts as “frontline staff”?
  • Anyone whose work is directly impacted by and in response to COVID-19 and/or racial inequities. This includes healthcare staff  as well as student affairs staff working directly with students in various settings; environmental staff in any institution; “essential workers” in any institution; and so on. This project is intended to go beyond, while also including, healthcare. If you have any doubts, simply contact us at michael@chaplaincyinnovation.org.
• Who counts as an “administrator”?
  • An administrator is anyone with authority or influence over continuing the program beyond the timeframe of the grant. We are most interested in sustainable projects with measurable success that can be continued beyond the lifetime of this particular grant, which requires significant institutional commitment. The administrator on your application needs to be outside of the chaplaincy department and should be able to demonstrate this commitment.
• Who can be paid
  • You may use these funds to support:
    • The time of the chaplain applying
    • The time of the administrator on the application
    • The time of any existing employee involved
    • Compensation for individuals who participate in training programs and the lik
    • Temporary research assistants, contractors and the like
    • CPE students / interns only to the extent they are working on this project. You may not use these funds to support CPE students / interns for work they are already doing.
  • You may not use these funds to support permanent positions created for this project.

• Do chaplains need to be board-certified or affiliated with any particular professional organization?
  • No. We encourage chaplains of all credentials and affiliations to apply. For this project, a chaplain is anyone who considers themselves to be doing chaplaincy work.
• Any organization with 501(c)3 status as recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service. This project is intended to go beyond, while also including, healthcare.
• Medical centers of the Veterans Administration.
• Healthcare systems may apply, or individual facilities may apply; however, only one application can come from either of these (i.e., a team cannot apply on behalf of a system and submit the same project for one or more individual facilities within that system).

• Projects should be no longer than one year but all funds must be spent by December 31, 2021.
• If we are not approved in the first round, can we apply in the second round?
  • Yes!
• When will we hear back about our proposal?
  • Decisions will be made by the end of September, if not earlier.
• Will you look at a draft of my proposal?
  • Unfortunately, we do not have bandwidth to review drafts. However, you may direct specific questions, especially regarding budgetary matters, to michael@chaplaincyinnovation.org.

The application is here. Applicants can only submit one application. They will not be able to edit after they submit the application. Applicants will receive a copy of their responses. You will need the following to complete the application: 2-page resume or CV for both the chaplain and administrator, an official letter to confirm the tax-exempt status of your organization. A 2000-word proposal that we recommend you draft out and copy and paste into the application. Strong proposals will answer all of the following questions 1. What problem does your proposal address? 2. What will you do? 3. How will you do it? 4. What effects will it have? 5. What would success look like and how will you know your plan is successful? 6. Who specifically will benefit? 7. What is your organization’s commitment to sustaining this effort if it is successful, a budget using the template on this webpage. Maximum size of all files (PDF and Word doc only) is 10GB.