• Why does Wheat Ridge Ministries award grants?
• Who makes grant decisions?
• What is the process for making grant decisions?
• How many grants does Wheat Ridge award each year?
• Are the best proposals always selected?
• From Wheat Ridge Ministries’ perspective, what makes a grant successful?
• How does Wheat Ridge monitor the progress of projects that it helps seed?

Why does Wheat Ridge Ministries award grants?

Wheat Ridge Ministries provides seed money grants to Lutheran and Lutheran-related congregations and agencies that are developing new health-related ministries.  In awarding grants, Wheat Ridge hopes to:

• Help grant recipients touch the lives of people with the love of Christ through new ministries of health and hope that respond to needs in the local community.
• Bring attention and visibility to the wide and evolving scope of health and healing issues that congregations and agencies can impact through health ministry efforts.
• Expand the vision and creativity of church leaders by highlighting particularly unique health ministry efforts being accomplished by congregations and agencies and making it possible for these leaders to learn from, and connect with, models that have been developed.
• Maintain a presence in a variety of locations in the United States and around the world in order to learn more about local health ministry issues and in order to develop relationships and networks with and among people addressing these issues.

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Who makes grant decisions?

The board of directors of Wheat Ridge Ministries establishes outcome and limitations policies to guide the decisions of Wheat Ridge’s president and his staff.  The president is accountable to the board of directors for all program efforts, including grants programs and grant award decisions.  To accomplish these responsibilities, the president is assisted by his staff, primarily through the office of the vice president, who provides for day-to-day administration of program activities.

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What is the process for making grant decisions?

Proposals received at Wheat Ridge Ministries are diligently reviewed through a process directed by the office of the vice president.  As part of the review process, clarification and amplification of proposal content is usually requested.  In addition, and especially in the case of major grant requests, proposal information is circulated to a variety of resource people for the purpose of receiving input regarding the viability of the proposal as well as the capacity and credibility of the sponsoring organization.  These resource people include various members of the Wheat Ridge staff and area representatives network, as well as other volunteers from around the United States who have specific expertise in various aspects of health and healing ministry. 

Based on information provided in the proposal and feedback received, proposals are assessed and a gradual process of elimination occurs.  Those requests remaining at the end of the process receive grant awards.  The number of grants awarded is based on funds available in the Wheat Ridge Ministries grant budget.

Several important questions are addressed during the grant consideration process.  These questions include:

• Does the project essentially meet the criteria stated in the major grant proposal guidelines?
• Does the project present a particularly unique or interesting opportunity in terms of the issue it addresses, the population it serves, or the solutions it offers?
• Will a grant for this project help Wheat Ridge further its mission and pursue its current priorities and interests, including major strategic initiatives and components, geographic diversity, congregation and church body involvement, and fostering important partnerships and relationships?

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How many grants does Wheat Ridge award each year?

In recent years, Wheat Ridge has been able to invest approximately $1 million annually in its various grant awards.  Approximately one hundred grants from four grant programs are awarded each year. 

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Are the best proposals always selected?

It is our goal and our prayer that every proposal receives fair consideration and that wise decisions are made.  However, since many more requests are received than funds are available, and since multiple factors are involved in the decision process, many fine proposals do not receive grant awards.  In fact, due to these factors, it is sometimes difficult to identify one specific reason why a particular proposal is chosen over another.  However, taken as a whole, we believe that our commitment to a process that involves due diligence, discernment and prayer, results in God pleasing choices from among many outstanding options.

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From Wheat Ridge Ministries’ perspective, what makes a grant successful?

From our perspective, a grant is successful when…

• A new ministry of health and hope, established in the name of the healing Christ, has been developed;
• Project leaders and sponsors have learned from the experiences involved in implementing the new ministry and have applied what they have learned to improve and enhance the project;
• A significant number of people have experienced the love of Christ through efforts that have touched, changed, and affected their life in positive ways;
• The original goals and outcomes, as adjusted through experience, have been substantially achieved;
• A project that was intended to continue beyond the term of the grant is able to continue to grow and experience success;
• Attention and visibility has been brought to the needs and issues being addressed through the project;
• Church leaders and others beyond the immediate scope of the project are able to access and learn from the experiences of the project leaders and the models they have developed;
• A significant number of people have been involved in service to others;
• A healthy, mutually beneficial partnership has developed between the project leaders and Wheat Ridge Ministries;
• Relationships with new donors have developed and relationships with existing donors have been enhanced.

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How does Wheat Ridge monitor the progress of projects that it helps seed?

When a grant is awarded, a schedule of regular reports is developed, which includes a formal report every six months.  At the conclusion of the grant, a final evaluation report is required.  Three years following the conclusion of a major grant, a follow-up report is requested to determine how the project developed and evolved after the Wheat Ridge grant concluded.

In addition to written reports, the Wheat Ridge staff, including its network of area representatives and staff associates, strives to visit major grant sites during the term of the grant.  Board members and other friends and supporters of Wheat Ridge are also encouraged to visit project sites.

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