Grant Applications

Policy

As the Trust is not yet open to receive grant applications, detailed policy and application guidelines are not yet available. As the Trust approaches the Phase I goal of accumulating $250,000 in capital, interested parties will be able to obtain comprehensive application details from this page or via the mail.

The Trustees believe that with God's help and within God's will anything is possible. In doing so the Trustees have the philosophy that any policies exist as guidelines and that from time to time unique, emergency and extraordinary circumstances may arise that fit outside these guidelines. In these cases the Trustees will be very interested in helping with the support application. The Trustees are always available to assist with each and every grant application and recommend that they be contacted in the preparation phase of your application.

The Trustees have formulated the following overarching policies governing grant applications:

Grant applications will only be accepted from congregations of the church of Christ (non-denominational) in Australia. Schools of Biblical Studies and Preacher Training Schools operated by congregations of the church of Christ (non-denominational), based in Australia can also lodge applications. The Trust's taxation status requires that grants can only be made to beneficiaries domiciled in Australia.

Grant applications will not be accepted from individuals. Congregations may lodge grant applications on behalf of individuals, students, or new works they want to support.

All grant payments will be made to congregations and not to individuals. The Trust will not support or employ any grant recipient directly.

The Trustees will meet to assess grant applications twice a year. There will be two application closure dates each year: the 31st March and the 30th September. See the Key Dates page for further details. Applications received after a closure date will not be assessed but held over for assessment in the next review period.

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All grant applications received in the six month window will be assessed by a collective meeting of the Trustees in one sitting, within 30 days of the respective closure dates. No single Trustee has the power or authority to approve a grant application. This sitting is called the Assessment Meeting and Advisory Board members may also be asked to participate in this meeting.

All grant applicants will know the outcome of their application within 60 days of the respective closure dates; the 31st May and the 30th November. Grant payments can be made immediately following these dates. Each successful application will receive a letter of commitment detailing grant arrangements, conditions, payment details etc.

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All grant applications will not necessarily be approved. A limiting factor, particularly in the early years of the Trust, will be the amount of money that the Trustees release each six months for each Assessment Meeting. The Finance Director of the Trust will issue a set amount of money (Collective Grant Limit - CGL) that can be used for grants at the start of each Assessment Meeting. The collective grant applications approved by the Trustees will not exceed the CGL.

The CGL is calculated as follows:

6 month investment return on Trust capital Less
Ongoing grants previously committed equals
Collective Grant Limit available to grant applicants

For more details on the workings of the Trust, please see the Trust Operations page.

Where the grant applications exceed the Collective Grant Limit, preference will be given to the most worthwhile applications as determined by the Trustees and Advisory Board. Factors in ranking applications could be, but not limited to:

• Preservation of full-time evangelists in Australia where other support may have been reduced. The reasons why the support has reduced must be clearly articulated in the application.
• Where the congregation displays a concerted effort to provide part support for the evangelist.
• Where there is a demonstrated plan to reduce funds granted by the Trust over a period of time.
• Ensuring there is a geographic spread of grant recipients.
• The flexibility of the application, where reduced support could still help or a reduced support time frame can still be of assistance.
• Demonstrated ability to perform and fulfil the objectives established by the congregation in the grant application.
• Perceived impact of the application.

Applications for grants can be for no longer than two years or 24 months. After this period, the congregation will need to apply for a new grant.

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Grant payments will generally be made quarterly in advance. However, the frequency of payment is at the discretion of the Trustees. The Trustees reserve the right to withhold any payments.

Grant applications will be accepted for, but not limited to: ongoing support for evangelists, workers and students; support to schools of preaching and biblical studies and their staff or students; one-off costs for missions, workshops, seminars and special outreach activities; one-off costs for campaigns, domestic missions and international mission campaigns by Australians; one-off costs that assist with the production of church of Christ advertising material or community evangelism and promotional campaigns; one-off costs for the publication of Christian teaching and instructional material; one-off costs for teaching equipment, e.g. projection equipment.

Grant applications will not be accepted for, but not limited to: capital costs for buildings or land purchases; matters of congregational benevolence; debt reduction or loan consolidation; plant and equipment that is in no way related to education or teaching; loans, neither interest bearing nor non-interest bearing loans. Please remember that the Trustees are interested in discussing all proposals.

The Trustees will not approve grants to any congregation, school or work that promotes a doctrine that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible and of Jesus Christ.

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Every grant is given on a gift basis, with no repayment required. The Trustees, will in no way, seek to influence, coerce or change the direction, leadership or strategies of a congregation as a result of providing a grant. Feedback will be sought by the Trustees and Advisory Board members on the work of grant recipients to ensure that grant usage is aligned with the goals of the application. Support testimonials will also be posted on this web site. See the Great Things page.