2025-2026 Requests for Proposals due May 1, 2025!

Episcopal Community Services has been in the forefront of helping create a CULTURE OF COMMUNITY in the Diocese of Northern California communities. In every Deanery there are congregations that are quietly doing their part to improve life for its local area. Thanks to our generous donors ECS was able to fund over $25,160 of grants to our parishes in our Diocese in 2024-2025 for open arms projects reaching out to the people in our communities.

Ministry Development Grants One-year grants of up to $5,000.  Focus on human rights advocacy, human service or health ministries, lay-leadership/empowerment programs.

• St. Luke’s, Calistoga, $5,000 for Hearts & Hands Preschool, predominately for scholarships.  The school serves the families of working parents (primarily Latino) in the Calistoga area.
•  St. Alban’s, Arcata.  $1,160 for Camp Living Waters this year offering an Ecology and Astronomy Education Project.  Camp Living Waters is a week-long overnight camp located in Humboldt County in Redwood Valley.  It serves youth from 9-15 years of age.

Warren Dunning Memorial Social Justice Grant. A three-year grant; year 1, up to $5,000; year 2, up to $4,000; year 3, up to $3,000.  Focus on serving the least, the last and/or the lonely.

• St. Patrick’s, Kenwood.  $5,000 for Year 1 of the grant.  St. Patrick’s sponsors a ministry of “Becoming a Beloved Community-Schools”.  BBC-Schools will partner with ViVO Youth Orchestras to fund a Music/Art Summer Camp for Underserved Students.
• All Saints’, Redding.  $3,000 for Year 3 of the grant. “Welcoming Refugees to Redding through Sponsor Circles”.  The program will welcome another family through the Welcome Corps Program.  The monies will be used to assist with rent for an apartment for the new family.

The Rev. David & Catherine Cavanagh Memorial Grant.  A one-year grant, with option for two renewals.  Focus is to advance social services, community outreach, and/or agrarian ministries.  Up to $5,000

•  Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa.  $5,000 to develop a half-acre parcel on the church property into a community garden.  The produce would be available to the community gardeners, and provide produce for the church’s weekly Open Table Kitchen, which feeds approximately 100 homeless persons every Sunday morning.

• We are also considering how we might assist churches that would require funding over our ECS $5,000 limit per year, per congregation, possibly partnering them up with other additional funding agencies, such as our own Diocesan Foundation.

• St. George’s, Carmichael.  $3,100 to update their water system in their Community Garden.  They are in partnership with  the International Rescue Committee, which provides opportunities for refugees, asylees and other immigrants in the Sacramento area.
   
• St. Peters, Red Bluff.  $1,000 to provide and maintain a bi-lingual Free Little Lending Library to be placed in a predominately Latino neighborhood, in order that all generations could strengthen both their Spanish and English skills.

This year our Transformer Awards went to St. Mary’s, Elk Grove; St. Matthew’s Church, Alta Arden, and St. Timothy’s Gridley.  The Transformer Award is given to congregations who working with their community to transform their community for Christ.

The 2025-2026 Grant Cycle has begun. Please be generous when you receive our newsletter or during the Bishop’s Appeal. ECS wants to be able to help as many programs as possible in 2025.

        Stay safe. Be well.

        Betty Harrison-Smith, President

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