Welcome to the PHW Mini-Grant Program. We are excited to partner with congregations across the state to engage our faith communities and their larger communities in living happier, healthier, more abundant lives. We have proudly done this for years through our PHW Collaborative Pledge and PHW Mini-Grant program. The churches and faith communities that have participated have done and are doing amazing work! We want to support depth and sustainability in the good work that congregations of all sizes are doing not only to promote health and wholeness but to live it out in their communities. Read below to find out how to apply for an individual mini-grant or a community mini-grant to support the valuable work that your health ministry is doing.
Yearly steps to submit a PHW Mini-Grant:
Step 1: Submit the PHW Collaborative Pledge form. Click the link below to learn more about our PHW Collaborative Pledge. The Collaborative Pledge is important for us to shape our program to better fit the needs of faith communities across the state and to include you in our Collaborative network communications.
Step 1.5: Send the Clergy Commitment form to your faith leader or clergy person to fill out and submit. This commitment form is important for us and your congregation to know that your faith leader will support your health and wholeness efforts.
Step 2: Once you have submitted the PHW Collaborative Pledge, you will hear back from us within 3 weeks. In the response email, we will send you a link to the individual mini-grant application if you are eligible. To see the mini-grant cycles for 2021 see the graphic above.
To learn more about the PHW Collaborative Pledge, Click Below:
TO APPLY, please continue reading through the eligibility and directions. After submitted a Collaborative Pledge you will receive a link to the mini-grant application if you are eligible. Or, if you are eligible and ready to submit a PHW Mini-Grant application, please send a request email to PHWinfo@ncchurches.org with your name, your faith community name, and city/county.
To view a SAMPLE PHW Mini-Grant Application click below:
Applications submitted after the deadline will be reviewed and processed during the next mini-grant cycle.
Attention COVID Update: All applications that include a request for grant funds that require in-person gatherings or other activities that could be affected by the COVID-19 virus, must include a Plan B in case of a worsening of the virus and/or a tightening of restrictions. For example: if your grant request includes in-person gatherings in an enclosed space, and the virus worsens or restrictions tighten, what will you do instead? If your grant request includes funds for children in school, but schools close, what will you do instead? Including this information in the grant request will allow us to review in a timely manner and not hold up your application while we follow up with you. Please complete your application as if you were reading about the project/program for the first time.
PHW Individual Mini-Grant
Eligibility for individual mini-grant funds are based on the following requirements:
- Your congregation must have submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge within the last 12 months prior to applying for a PHW mini-grant.
NOTE: If you are unsure when the last PHW Collaborative Pledge was submitted from your congregation, email our Program Coordinator at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org. - Your congregation cannot have received a PHW mini-grant in the last 12 months.
- A PHW Collaborative Pledge must be approved before each PHW Mini-Grant is awarded.
- The mini-grant must be used to support your congregation’s health ministry and its mission.
- The funds must be used for a project that fits into one of the six focus areas of the PHW program: tobacco cessation and prevention, healthy eating, increased physical activity, mental health advocacy and education, healthy aging, or the overdose crisis/substance use.
- Ten percent (10%) of the money awarded may be given to your health lead to use at their discretion towards a health ministry project or program.
PHW Mini-Grant Budget Guidelines
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions and project ideas click here.
Below is a list of items that we partially fund or do not fund. Please read through this list before submitting your PHW Mini-Grant budget. We encourage our congregations to seek local and low/no-cost resources to fulfill their health ministry needs. We understand that is not always an option. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Brandy Murray at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org or one of our Associate Directors before submitting your application.
To view COVID-19 resources see the PHW Response Videos and Resources and tab over to Community Involvement > scroll down to Relief Funds.
- Pamphlets: Needs-based – Many organizations offer low or no cost pamphlets
- Books: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific books
- DVDs: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific DVDs
- Door prizes & incentives i.e. T-shirts, awards: up to 33% of the total budget – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copies: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copier ink: up to 33% of the total budget
- Presenters: Needs-based – preference towards PHW staff, local specialists, or low-cost presenters
- Technology: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is made clear
- Office Furniture: We do not fund
- Rent: We do not fund
- Utilities: We do not fund
- Salary: We do not fund
PHW Community Mini-Grant
We created the PHW Community Mini-Grant to support and inspire faith communities to work together to improve the health and wholeness of a shared community. We have witnessed the richness of crossing denominational or geographical boundaries to build a coalition. Funding for this initiative is limited. Priority will be given to rural congregations whose projects cross denominational or geographical boundaries, projects that demonstrate a lasting impact on the health of the greater community, and those who have not received previous community mini-grant funding.
What is the difference between the PHW Individual Mini-Grant and the PHW Community Mini-Grant?
- Must be a minimum of 3 congregations working together. Note: All three congregations must submit a PHW Collaborative Pledge
- A different health lead must represent each congregation
- Your cohort can apply for up to $5000.
- $100 will be awarded to each Health Lead from each faith community to use at their discretion towards a health ministry expense, project, or program.
- A main health lead must be identified among the group of health lead representatives. The main health lead will be the one to submit the mini-grant application.
- Each congregation must be eligible for a mini-grant meaning they have not received one in the past 12 months
- Each congregation must contribute an equal part to the overall project (This will be asked on the application)
- The application must identify a clear need in the community that this project addresses through statistics or other structured research.
- The application must include the sustainability of the project both with its impact (including educational/training components) and its financial dependence on a PHW grant. (How is your group working to become less dependent on PHW grants)
- We expect the cohort to have already discussed and agreed on the course of action for the community mini-grant prior to submitting the application.
- A copy of your form submission will be sent to each of the health leads listed.
- Once each health lead has read the copy of the submission, each health lead must respond to the email with their agreement statement indicating their understanding of the grant eligibility guidelines and agreeing to the mini-grant application.
- We are unable to review the application until we have received an agreement statement from each health lead.
- PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK YOU ARE FILLING OUT A COMMUNITY MINI-GRANT APPLICATION and not an individual mini-grant application.
Helpful Tips and Information
You are able to request up to $1000 for an individual mini-grant or up to $5000 for a community mini-grant. Please give mindful consideration to the amount that you request. Allocated funds will be shared across our state and are limited. Some grants may be partially funded depending on need, response, and availability.
As we review the mini-grant applications, priority will be given to projects and/or programs that demonstrate consciousness and concern for environmental impacts ie. uses less paper, less plastic water bottles, less plastic plates and forks, makes the health-climate connection, etc.
We look forward to learning about all the wonderful work you are doing to improve health and wholeness throughout North Carolina, and how we can further assist you on your mission.
PHW SUBMISSION PROCESS
Attention:
- You are not able to save and come back to the Pledge form.
- We recommend you print the form to prepare your responses BEFORE entering them.
- We also highly recommend you save your answers on a separate document as you fill out the form so that you do not lose your responses if the form closes for any reason.
- A copy of your pledge submission will be sent to you and your faith leader.
- ONCE YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED THE FORM, PLEASE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION EMAIL.
Re-imagining Health Ministries During COVID: How to keep Health Ministries Engaged
At our houses of worship, things have looked different for a while. Many faith communities and their health ministries have mobilized in unprecedented ways to keep their communities healthy and safe. In that spirit, we would like to offer ideas of how to stay connected while we continue loving our neighbors by keeping our distance. We want to encourage all congregations to keep planning and executing events and programs to keep motivation up. We also hope that the below list can offer ideas for how to stay engaged with the PHW Collaborative Pledge and the PHW Mini-Grant funds.
Thank you for your interest in submitting a PHW Mini-Grant. If you have any questions please contact a member of our PHW team:
- Brandy Murray, PHW Program Coordinator, focusing on providing Collaborative and Mini-Grant support to all faith communities. Located in Rocky Mount, NC, Brandy can be contacted by email at PHWinfo@ncchurches.or or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 107.
- Chris Pernell, PHW Director, focusing on deepening and expanding our PHW work across the state through partners and funding opportunities. Located in Wake Forest, NC, Chris can be contacted by email at Chris@ncchurches.org or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 108.
- Rev. Jessica Stokes, PHW Associate Director, focusing on statewide mental health advocacy and education. Located in Durham, NC, Jessica can be contacted by email at Jessica@ncchurches.org or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 109.
- Nicole Johnson, PHW Associate Director, focusing on statewide denominational support. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Nicole can be contacted by email at Nicole@ncchurches.org or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 110.
- Rev. Karen Richardson Dunn, PHW Associate Director, focusing on statewide healthy aging initiatives. Located in Asheville, NC, Karen can be contacted by email at Karen@ncchurches.org or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 111.
- Elizabeth Brewington, PHW Opioid Response Coordinator, focusing on the overdose crisis and substance use. Located in Durham, NC, Elizabeth can be contacted by email at Elizabeth@ncchurches.org or by phone at 919-828-6501 ext. 112.