VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 5/16/16)—American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) announces the spring 2016 awards for its Matthew 25 Grant. There were 74 applicants which received funding ranging from $500 to $2,500, with a total of $100,300 awarded for the period. ABCUSA also announces a change in the structure for the Matthew 25 Grant. Since 2013, applications have been accepted and grant awards issued twice a year. Beginning in the Fall of 2016, applications will be received once annually, with a deadline of Sept. 1, with awards following.
The Matthew 25 Grant, sponsored by ABCUSA and the Board of General Ministries, is funded by a generous anonymous donor whose goal is to help meet the needs of “housing, feeding, education and health with regard to the less fortunate.”
In the Spring 2016 Grant cycle, awards were given to ministries that address the following needs:
• Providing weekend meals for students on free or reduced lunch at school
• Funding for scholarships to send children of low-income families to camp
• Providing food pantry needs, including healthy, fresh food items
• Funding an English as a Second Language program in a local community
• Purchasing shoes to distribute to children of low-income families
• Providing a safe and fun learning environment during the summer for children from low-income and at-risk families
• Providing gently used clothing and personal hygiene pantry
• Funding a refugee tutoring program
• Building wheelchair ramps for disabled people who cannot afford them
• Providing transportation cards and assistance to help those in poverty get jobs
• Purchasing backpacks and school supplies for elementary school children
• Providing warm coats, boots, and gloves for children in need
• Providing professional counseling to low-income individuals and families
• Installing solar panels in the Batey 50 area of Haiti
• Providing diapers and baby wipes
• Providing an opportunity for low-income students to visit a college
• Planting community gardens in several cities
• And much more
Applications for this next grant cycle must be received by September 1. Please check our website after July 1 at www.abc-usa.org/matthew25 for updated guidelines and an application form.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.