Dear leaders of program groups, committees, or ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine: 

Each year at this time, the Diocesan Finance Committee begins its work of preparing a budget for the following year. In order to allocate funds in an appropriate and responsible way to the programs, committees, and ministries of the diocese, we have established a grant process tied to our Mission Priorities. The process, guidelines, and deadline may be found below.

Who should apply: As a general guideline, Mission Priorities grants are awarded to established programs with a proven track record. New programs are normally advised to seek funding for the first year of programming under the New Initiatives Grant process. 

How to apply: To apply for a Mission Priorities grant you will need to apply using the survey monkey online application found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018-Program-Application. (Before you begin, download a Word worksheet version of the application. Please keep this version for your records, then copy and paste your answers to the online form.)

In order to be fair to all applying, the application deadline of Friday, June 30, will be firm. Late applications will not be considered in this budget cycle. Applications are reviewed by the Mission Priorities Subcommittee of Diocesan Council and evaluated using the Seven Criteria for Mission established by Convention. 

Expectations: Those program groups that receive grants will be expected to use their funds in the budget year for which they are granted. Funding will go to active, functioning program groups. If the program group has not submitted any requests for disbursement of funds from the current budget by the start of the new budget planning cycle, their funding request for the following year is not likely to be considered. 

Details: In 2018 the diocesan budget includes approximately $35,000 total for programs. Please keep this limitation in mind as you consider your own request for funds. 

The application deadline for Mission Priorities Grants is: 5 p.m. on Friday, June 30, 2017.

Questions: Should you have questions about the grant application, please contact Paul Beaudette at prbeaudette@roadrunner.com.

Faithfully,

Mr. Paul Beaudette, Chair, Mission Priorities Subcommittee

St. Michael's, Auburn