Current Funding Opportunities

Resilience in Frontline Spiritual Care Providers

We are no longer accepting proposals for this microgrant program. Information about current recipients is available below.

Brandeis University

Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

with funding from

The Henry Luce Foundation

Frequently asked questions pertaining to this project can be found here.

The goal of this fund is to provide resources to chaplains who are partnering with an administrator (staff member outside of chaplaincy department) at their organizations to extend the work on the frontlines of COVID-19, especially the needs of the most impacted. Projects that address social inequalities around or related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are strongly encouraged. You can read about the first round of awards here and the second round of awards here.

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab brings chaplaincy leaders, theological educators, clinical educators, and social scientists into a research-based conversation about the state of chaplaincy and spiritual care. The Lab aims to improve how chaplains are trained, how they work with diverse individuals – including those with no religious or spiritual backgrounds – and how chaplaincy and spiritual care coheres as a professional field. 

The Henry Luce Foundation

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.

ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education

ACPE is the premier, Department of Education-recognized organization that provides the highest quality CPE programs for spiritual care professionals of any faith and in any setting. We do this through a rigorous accreditation and certification process for centers and educators that provide CPE. The depth of our training enables students to realize their full potential to strengthen the spiritual health of people in their care as well as themselves.

For this round of funding, The Foundation for ACPE , through its Innovative Program Awards, will provide up to $21,000 in funding for projects that align with the stated criteria, where the submitting chaplain is an ACPE member and CPE Educator, and the project(s) specifically address the stated need in the contexts of ACPE programs.

Funds Available: Maximum award amount must not exceed $50,000 ($21,000 for the ACPE Innovative Program Award). Project period will be one year.

Eligibility: Only U.S.-based nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation are eligible to apply for grants.

Application Deadlines (The application is here.)

• Submission Round 1: 5pm EST on September 11, 2020
• Submission Round 2: 5pm EST on November 13, 2020 (See Next Paragraph)

FOR THOSE APPLYING FOR THE ACPE INNOVATIVE PROGRAM AWARDS GRANT ONLY,  the application deadline has been extended to Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 12 midnight EST.

REMINDER – the maximum amount for the ACPE grant is $21,000 and both the submitting chaplain and their organization MUST be ACPE members.

Possible Uses for Funding: These ideas are offered as examples to stimulate thinking about ways to use the fund. This list is not exhaustive.

• Conduct resilience work with staff
• Generate or share resources focused on exposing and disrupting systems of inequity related to COVID-19
• Support change in groups or movements that are needed now in order to transform work and practice in the future
• Create tools, curriculum and resources for COVID-19 leadership responses
• Hire a short-term consultant for specific skills you need for your project e.g. facilitation, virtual organizing, social/emotional training

How the funding should not be used

• Hire a new position (exception: temporary work)
• Sustain existing programs in an organization
• Offset immediate budget deficit
• Advocate for a specific candidate for public office
• Indirect costs should be limited to no more than 10% of total direct costs

Parameters for funded projects

• Project must be co-led by a chaplain and administrator in the same institution
• Project has measurable results and the leadership team is willing to collaborate with a research consultant with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab to assess impact
• One project team member agrees to participate in group sessions with other awardees
• Project must be completed within a year of the funds being granted
• Must have a 501(c)(3) organization or fiscal sponsor that can receive and disburse the funds
• Maximum award amount must not exceed $50,000
• All funds must be spent by December 31, 2021
• Applicants must be U.S. based

Criteria for Review

• Does the plan address a demonstrated problem on the ground?
• Can the outcomes of the plan be measured?
• Is the plan likely to work? (What is the baseline? How will the project be assessed along the way?)
• If the project is successful, how much potential is there to scale up this project at the organization?
• How has the leadership team previously coordinated on related efforts?
• Is the leadership team eager to be in the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab’s network and work with others?
• To what extent is your project already underway?

Application

The application is here; here is a PDF version to guide your preparation. Please read the following information carefully before starting the application. The application must be completed in one sitting. It is not possible to save applications in progress.

Only one submission per application is allowed. Applicants will receive a copy of their responses and will not be able to edit these responses after submitting the application. The maximum size of all files uploaded cannot exceed 10GB.

You will need to upload the following materials to complete the application:

• 2-page resume or CV for both the chaplain and administrator
• Letter from administrator indicating the organization’s full support for the project, including approval of the budget as written
• Evidence of 501(c)(3) status
• a budget, using this downloadable template

Project Proposal

Each application will require a 2000-word proposal in PDF or Word document format to upload 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?

Process Timeline

Round 1

Application deadline: Applications must be submitted by:

• Submission Round 1: 5pm EST on September 11, 2020
• Submission Round 2: 5pm EST on November 13, 2020