St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation

• General Information
• Grant Cycles
• Focus Areas
• Geographical Restrictions
• What We Do NOT Do
• What To Do Once You’ve Determined Your Eligibility
• FAQs

Thank you for your interest in our grant program. Please review our Grant Eligibility Information carefully prior to submitting a request.

GRANT ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Following please find our Grant Eligibility Information (you may print this page by clicking the print icon above). Grants will only be considered for those meet the Eligibility Requirements.

General Information

The St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. is a supporting organization to the St. Marys United Methodist Church and was established in January 2001. We are a non-profit, Christian organization, which makes grants to non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable organizations and ministries, which are exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Our mission is to be a lasting, effective and compassionate charitable resource for agencies in Southeast Georgia, the nation and the world that respond to people in need, for institutions related to United Methodism, and for organizations that promote evangelical Christianity.

Grant Cycles

Grants are made twice each year through a Spring Grant Cycle and a Fall Grant Cycle. The application process is a two-step process. Properly formatted proposals received by December 1st will be reviewed for further consideration for the Spring Cycle. Proposals selected must then complete grant applications. Properly completed grant applications received by February 1st will be considered for the Spring Cycle and reviewed by the Board of Directors in April. Funds for the Spring Cycle will be disbursed in June. Properly formatted proposals received by June 1st will be reviewed for further consideration for the Fall Cycle. Proposals selected must then complete grant applications. Properly completed grant applications received by August 1st will be considered for the Fall Cycle and reviewed by the Board of Directors in October. Funds for the Fall Cycle will be disbursed in December.

Focus Areas

As prescribed in our mission statement, we will provide to people in need, United Methodist Institutions and organizations that promote evangelical Christianity. Within these areas, the Foundation is interested in considering projects specifically related to:

1. Children, Youth, and Family – Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in SE Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that promote the spiritual, mental and/or physical well being of children, youth, and families.
2. Adults and Elderly – Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in SE Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that promote the spiritual, mental and/or physical well being of adults and the elderly.
3. Health, Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities– Agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in SE Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) that provide research, treatment, or care in the fields of health, mental health and intellectual disabilities.
4. Christian Education,(View details)Our definition of Christian Education is more specific to ministry and pastoral training than general education (i.e. K-12, preschool) in a Christian setting. Evangelism, and Missions – Agencies of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and programs in SE Georgia that equip God’s people for evangelism, programs whose sole focus is spreading the Gospel, and mission programs which seek to spread the Gospel through local SE Georgia (Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties) and international* services and projects for people in need.

Geographical Restrictions

Requests for Programs in the United States: Requests will only be considered for agencies of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church or programs in local Southeast Georgia. Southeast Georgia is defined, for these purposes, as Camden, Glynn, Brantley and Charlton Counties.

Requests for International Programs: Requests for international projects will not be accepted until further notice. This information will be posted on our website should it change and announced on our blog. If you would like to sign-up for automatic updates from our blog, please click here to visit our blog home page and follow the subscription instructions on the top right hand side of the page. Please Note: One of the requirements for international programs is for the applicant to be qualified as an IRS 501 (c) 3 charitable organization based in the United States.

What We Do NOT Do

The St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation will not typically consider the following for grants:

• Organizations that do not meet the charitable status requirements of IRS Code 501 (c) (3)
• Individuals
• Individual Scholarships
• Debt reduction or previously incurred deficits for any reason.
• Business Ventures
• Loans
• Endowments
• Individual church brick and mortar projects including new buildings, renovations, repairs, and furnishings. (View details)

  The Foundation does not consider grant requests for these types of projects for churches only. Other organizations may apply for such projects.

• Arts / Culture
• Environmental Projects
• Animals
• Social Clubs
• Sports / Recreations/ Leisure
• Meetings and Conferences
• The production of videos, films, and other recordings.
• Historic Preservation Projects
• Individual church projects where a collaborative effort with other churches may be more beneficial and effective. (View details)

  The Foundation prefers to fund community focused projects where the collaborative effort of several churches will be more beneficial and effective. For example, a collaboration of churches providing a community-based ministry (i.e. homeless shelters, soup kitchens, after school, etc.) may be eligible if the ministry serves the community rather than individual congregations. Contact the Foundation office, if this is the case, to see if you may be eligible.

• Vehicles, i.e., automobiles, vans, buses, etc.