The NC Conference recommends the following grants, scholarships, and loans available to United Methodist churches and ministry leaders in the North Carolina Conference. These programs are funded by the Conference or our partner organizations.
The funding opportunities listed here have application deadlines in the near future. Additional opportunities have deadlines coming up later in the year. View the complete list at Grants, Scholarships & Loans.
Upcoming Deadlines
Higher Education Scholarship
NC CONFERENCE UNITED WOMEN IN FAITH
Scholarships are available to Methodist Women who are members of The United Methodist Church, reside within the bounds of the NC Conference, and are legal residents of the state of North Carolina. Undergraduate and graduate scholarships are awarded to students who have been accepted at Louisburg College, Methodist University, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Duke University, Duke Course of Study (COS) or Duke Divinity School.
Applications Due 4/15/24. Learn more and apply now→
Global Youth Service Fund
DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES OF THE UMC
The Global Youth Service Fund (YSF) is a unique grant program within the UMC because all aspects involve youth. Youth create fundraisers and contribute money, youth decide what projects receive money, and all of the projects supported must be youth-designed, led by youth, and benefit young people.
Applications Due 4/15/24. Learn more and apply now→
Grants for Ministries with Young People
DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES OF THE UMC
Young People’s Ministries offers these grants through our program budget because we believe that dynamic, creative individuals and groups sometimes need resources to help a ministry become reality. These grants are meant to support creative and innovative approaches to ministry for, with, and by young people.
Applications Due 4/15/24. Learn more and apply now→
The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment intends to invest in the long-term, life-altering ministries that impact the lives of innumerable people in the name of Jesus. We are looking for God-sized dreams of transformation with the most significant impact within the geographical bounds of the NC Conference.
Applications Due 4/16/24. Learn more and apply now→
Congregations for Children Grants
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
C4C is an initiative of The United Methodist Church focused on reflecting the love of Christ to our neighbors by helping children in public schools who are living in poverty. The C4C Committee will award grant(s) to rural churches in each district that partner with low-performing schools.
Applications Due 4/19/24. Learn more and apply now→
Good Kile College Scholarship
UNITED METHODIST FOUNDATION
Graduating high school seniors and currently enrolled college students can apply for the Good Kile College Scholarship. Priority will be given to applications who aspire to careers in the field of engineering or basic science.
Applications Due 4/30/24. Learn more and apply now→
Peace with Justice
NC CONFERENCE BOARD OF CHURCH & SOCIETY
Is your church ready to step beyond charity and into solidarity and justice ministries? Peace with Justice grants are available to UMC churches and affiliated nonprofits. Funded by Peace with Justice Sunday offerings, these grants are possible because Methodists share their gifts generously and share the vision of justice ministries. The NCC Board of Church and Society reviews and awards these grants quarterly.
Applications Due 4/30/24. Learn more and apply now→
Good Neighbor Experiment
FAITH IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
The Good Neighbor Experiment is a 5-month learning cohort that takes Jesus’ call to love your neighbors literally and seriously. Help your congregation move from inauthenticity to joy, draining program management to relationships, and scarcity to abundance using the tools of asset-based community development.
Applications accepted March-April 2024. Learn more and apply now→
Local Church Creation Care Grants
NC CONFERENCE CREATION CARE COMMITTEE
The Creation Care Committee is seeking to assist local churches in creating a new local church Creation Care team or to assist existing local church Creation Care teams with a project.
Applications Due 5/1/24. Learn more and apply now→
Rural Church Grants
THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
The Duke Endowment is committed to preserving the pivotal role churches play in rural communities. We support clergy and congregations — ensuring they have the tools to walk faithfully together — as they strengthen rural areas. We help United Methodist Churches make greater contributions that have lasting, positive impacts in their communities.
Applications Due 5/10/24. Learn more and apply now→
Reflective Leadership Grants
LEADERSHIP EDUCATION AT DUKE DIVINITY
The Reflective Leadership Grant supports an opportunity for structured reflection for lay or clergy leaders of Christian organizations that are advancing their mission following the multiple pandemics — COVID-19, racial inequity, economic disruption, and mental distress — that emerged and/or intensified throughout the past few years.
Applications Due 5/28/24. Learn more and apply now→
Clergy Loan Program
UNITED METHODIST FOUNDATION
The Clergy Loan Program was created out of the desire to help clergy and their families to escape paralyzing debt that can have a negative effect not only on the individual and family but also on relationships within the church family. Our hope is that through participation in this program clergy will find new and healthy opportunities to be stewards of the financial blessings God has provided.
Applications Due the last week of May 2024. Learn more and apply now→
Partners in Health and Wholeness Mini-Grants
NC COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
These grants of up to $15,000 are provided to assist annual conferences with programs focusing on racial-ethnic leadership development and racial-ethnic church growth and development.
Applications Due 5/31/24. Learn more and apply now→
Child & Family Well-Being Grants
THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
Child and Family Well-Being works through accredited organizations and other nonprofit groups in North Carolina and South Carolina. Target population: children, youth and families who have either experienced child abuse or neglect or those at imminent risk of experiencing child maltreatment. Our funding is divided into three broad categories: Implementation support for evidence-based programs/implementation support for grants, Advocating for System improvements grants, Advancing innovation grants.
Applications Due 6/15/24. Learn more and apply now→
Health Care Grants
THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
In his Indenture of Trust, our founder focused Health Care funding to priority organizations in the Carolinas. Our funding priorities are Access to Care for Vulnerable Populations, Maternal and Infant Health, Mental Health, Oral Health, Population Health, and Workforce Development.
Applications Due 6/15/24. Learn more and apply now→
Key Taylor Award
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The Key Taylor Award is gifted annually and comes from The Rural Church Endowment. The award, sponsored through the United Methodist Foundation, is to call attention to the mission work of all rural churches by honoring the specific achievements of one rural church. Applications are typically posted online in the Spring and awarded in the Summer.
Applications Due 5/31/24. Learn more and apply now→
Higher Education Scholarship
NC CONFERENCE BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Your North Carolina Conference’s Board of Higher Education is offering the possibility for a student to receive a scholarship. Congregations, please revisit your most recent Charge Conference forms and add the names of your graduating high school seniors and their anticipated college. We will let you know if they are chosen to receive a scholarship.
Update Charge Conference Forms by 6/24/24.
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Ministry Scholarships
UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING MINISTRIES
Request must be related scholarships for attending seminary or professional training events for people upgrading their skills or preparing for ministries with Deaf, late-deafened, hard of hearing, and/or DeafBlind people.
Applications Due 7/1/24. Learn more and apply now→
Rolling Deadlines
The following opportunities accept applications throughout the year or on a rolling basis. Follow each link for more information.
Course of Study
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The NC Conference provides reimbursement of registration costs for the Course of Study programs, including Basic and Advanced COS.
Continuing Education
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
Continuing Education funds are for clergy currently under appointment. Applicants must be a member of the North Carolina Annual Conference. Opportunities include Clinical Pastoral Education, Holy Land trips, and more.
Clergy Counseling
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The Clergy Care Committee provides financial assistance to clergy families of the NC Conference who seek confidential counseling and therapy.
Board of Mission Church Loans
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The Board of Mission, Inc. is primarily a low-interest lending organization. Loan applications are considered on a cash-available basis. Loans are also considered on a missional basis. Churches receiving missional priority are those in low-income neighborhoods and those needing more space to engage in cross-cultural and cross-racial programs. Some matching grant funding is available to churches needing repairs or replacement of vital building components.
UMVIM Missional Exchange Grants
NC CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION
Missional Exchange Grants are intended to encourage UMVIM initiatives by various groups. Team leader training by the Conference UMVIM Committee is required to qualify for this grant. Additionally, teams seeking this grant must register for insurance through UMVIM, SEJ.
UMVIM Scholarships for Individuals
NC CONFERENCE UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION
NCC UMVIM offers scholarships to individuals from several different funds created over the years, including the Isa Grant Scholarship Fund, Amanda Lee Scholarship Fund, and Jason K. Branton Scholarship Fund.
Golden Cross
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
Golden Cross is a ministry that reaches out in love to the laity in our Annual Conference who are experiencing financial difficulty due to excessive medical expenses. Recipients must be active United Methodist members and be recommended for assistance by their pastor.
One Who is Loved
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
United Methodist Foundation is a trustee of this special endowment that makes possible love gifts to benefit children under the age of 18 who have special needs such as specialized medical equipment or supplies/medicine, transportation to hospitals or treatment centers, or other special needs. Pastors of the NC Conference are encouraged to recommend children for the fund.
Leadership Grant Assistance
NC CONFERENCE STRENGTHENING THE BLACK CHURCH MINISTRIES
Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century is a program designed to assist United Methodist churches with predominantly Black congregations to become effective in mission and ministry.
Hispanic-Latinx Ministries
NC CONFERENCE OF THE UMC
The NC Annual Conference offers funding to enable Pilgrimage participation by Hispanic/Latinx youth.
Refugee and Immigrant Communities
NC CONFERENCE REFUGEE & IMMIGRATION COMMITTEE
Churches can now complete one of three short Google forms to request monetary assistance to assist refugees and immigrants for: Refugees’ or immigrants’ filing and legal fees; Refugees’ or immigrants’ resettlement and transition expenses; Projects impacting the refugee/immigrant community.
Retired/Medical Leave Clergy Grants
THE SHEPHERD’S FUND
A retired pastor and their spouse can qualify for a one-time grant of up to $10,000 each or $20,000 total. They may reapply in subsequent years, especially if they have a chronic ongoing medical condition. Grants may also be given to pastors on medical leave and their spouses, or widows of pastors. Grants may also be given to retired pastors or pastors on medical leave that are legal custodians for their adult children that may have a medical issue from childhood. Grants may also be given to retired pastors or pastors on medical leave that are legal custodians for their grandchildren that may have a medical crisis or issue, regardless of age.
Farmer Fund Grant
WESPATH
Distressed clergy members or former clergy members of an annual conference; their spouses, former spouses, former surviving spouses; or surviving dependent children (including adult dependent children) are eligible to apply for a grant. The applicant is required to attach additional documentation pertaining to any unusual medical, legal, or other expenses that have created this one-time emergency situation.
Local Church Marketing Services
UNITED METHODIST COMMUNICATIONS
United Methodist Communications offers marketing services and promotional grants to United Methodist congregations active in their communities and need support and guidance in reaching new people in new ways.
UMCOR Grants
UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF
UMCOR offers grants for Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation, Relief, Recovery, and Migration. UMCOR’s core values of equality and justice, respect with dignity, and good stewardship are reflected in UMCOR’s grant-making priorities.
Multiethnic Ministries Grants
GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES
GBGM accepts applications monthly for Asian American Language Ministry grants, Community Developers Program Seed grants, Community Engagement grants – United Methodist Voluntary Service, Native American Ministries grants, and Pacific Islander Ministry Plan grants.
Mustard Seed Migration Grants
UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF
The Mustard Seed Migration Grant program is designed to encourage local United Methodist churches to engage in ministry to migrants in their midst. UMCOR will award grants of $2,000 USD to up to 100 United Methodist local churches in the U.S. to engage in new, one-time community-based service projects and ministries focused on migrants and refugees.
First Come, First Served. Learn more and apply now→