brown on green, A Regular column about finances

by David Brown

Request Grant(ed)

Grants have played a big part in charitable organizations for many years. Perhaps the most famous came from Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900s when he made grants to communities to build public libraries across the country.

Today, thousands of public and private foundations make grants to organizations all over the world. Unfortunately, many grants overlook Christian organizations, and even Christian foundations focus on interdenominational ministries rather than making grants to a specific denominational ministry. As a result, for many years, Free Will Baptist ministries have had two strikes against them when applying for grants. In the near future, this will change.

At the 2012 convention in Memphis, the Free Will Baptist Foundation announced its intention to begin making grants. While the timing is not certain, this will certainly take place in the near future. When applying for these grants, it will be an advantage to be a Free Will Baptist organization. Consider just a few ideas from the directors of our national ministries.

International Missions currently faces challenges when placing missionaries in extremely restricted fields. The solution could be found in a grant to start a self-sustaining business used to reach restricted areas for Christ. A micro-loan program could help pastors in closed counties start businesses that support their families, eventually repaying the loans so the fund could be self-sustaining.

Welch College could use a grant to develop a Business-As-Missions program to provide businessmen and women the training needed to open these closed mission fields. Perhaps scholarships could be part of the grant.

Using grants to purchase property would help Home Missions focus our efforts on specific areas where we desperately need churches. A grant to the Labor of Love endowment would help the Board of Retirement support retired ministers. Randall House could use a grant to publish needed products usually sold in such low quantities that they are unprofitable. Similarly, a grant could help WNAC produce study guides in Spanish for the growing Hispanic Free Will Baptist population.

The Executive Committee could use a grant to fund a program to help struggling churches by providing current and retired successful pastors as mentors. Master’s Men could use a grant to purchase expensive but long-lasting equipment for use in disaster relief operations.

The Historical Commission could use a grant to put the historical collection in digital form to prevent further deterioration of originals. The Theological Commission could use a grant to provide funding for a scholar to write about important theological trends.

While these are just ideas and not commitments, perhaps they help you understand the potential of grants. Watch for news in the coming years as this process develops and our ministries begin to receive grants from Free Will Baptist Foundation.

David Brown, CPA, became director of the Free Will Baptist Foundation in 2007. Send your questions to David at david@nafwb.org. To learn how the Foundation can help you become a more effective giver, call 877-336-7575.