Download this page as a Word document

Thanks for your interest in submitting a Lutherans Against Violence Grant Proposal to Wheat Ridge Ministries. To help you provide the information necessary for us to consider your request, follow the format and procedures outlined. If you have any questions, please contact our office at grants@wheatridge.org or 630-766-9066.

General Reminders

• This pilot program is open only to Lutheran congregations from the Northern Illinois District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Consideration may be given to Chicagoland Lutheran congregations that are part of the English District-LCMS and independent Lutheran congregations.
  
  
• Be sure you have read and understand the guidelines for the Lutherans Against Violence grant. Contact the Wheat Ridge office if you have any questions.
  
  
• Remember that proposal development is really a planning process. Take the time necessary to develop a realistic and achievable plan. Be sure to involve all whose leadership is necessary for the plan to succeed.
  
  
• Take care to write your request so that it accurately conveys your ideas and plans. Keep the proposal brief, concise and understandable.
  
  
• If this is your first attempt at grant proposal writing, consider looking at several grant writing resources: 
  
  
  W. K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide – This resource by the Kellogg Foundation outlines a simple, yet effective approach for planning and grant proposal writing that is widely accepted in the granting world.
  
  
  Grant Writing Resources – This link will take you to numerous websites that have resources related to grant writing.

Proposal Format – All elements of the proposal must be submitted by email to grant.apps@wheatridge.org (endorsement letters are the only exception).

Your request should consist of the following items: a) Cover Sheet, b) Congregation Description, c) Project Description, d) Letter of Authorization.

I. COVER SHEET (required) – Complete the Cover Sheet providing all the information requested.

II. CONGREGATION DESCRIPTION – Please use the following format for the Congregation Description:

• CONGREGATION INFORMATION – Provide brief (not more than one typed page) information regarding the congregation’s history and current membership, the community in which it is located, the ministry programs of the congregation.
  
  
• PROOF OF NOT-FOR-PROFIT STATUS – Include a copy of the 501(c)(3) letter for verification.
  
  
• CONGREGATION BUDGET – Include a copy of the congregation’s most recent annual budget in one of the following formats: Word, Excel or PDF.

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION – Please use the following format to develop a brief and concise description of what your ministry initiative intends to accomplish:

• PROPOSAL STATEMENT – Provide, in two or three sentences, a summary description of the request, including what violence issue you plan to address.
  
  
• NEEDS ASSESSMENT – Describe the human, societal or organizational conditions that provide the context for the project you want to initiate. If possible, provide data to support the existence of these conditions.
  
  
• OUTCOME OBJECTIVES – State as specifically as possible what you hope to achieve through this grant. Outcome objectives answer questions such as:
  
  
  • What will we accomplish?
    
    
  • Who or what will change and in what ways?
    
    
  • What systemic issues will this initiative address and how?
    
    
  • How many will be affected?
    
    
  • When will the results be evident?
    
    
  • Use measurable indicators as much as possible.
    
    
• TWO-YEAR ACTION PLAN – Clearly describe the process and sequence of activities that will take place in order to achieve your objectives throughout the next two years.
  
  
• PARTNERSHIPS/COLLABORATIONS – If you intend to partner with any other congregations or community agencies, please indicate who these organizations are and what assets they bring to this initiative. (e.g., What qualifies them to be a partner? Why are they interested?)
  
  
• LEADERSHIP CAPACITY – Please provide the following:
  
  
  • Leader(s) of this initiative
    
    
  • What qualifies this person(s) for this role? Attach resume, if desired.
    
    
  • Is the leadership group forming specifically to lead this effort or do they also serve in another ministry capacity?
    
    
• SUSTAINABILITY AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENT – Share your long-range vision for this effort. For example, what do you hope this new ministry will look like in five years? Who will it impact? How will it be supported?
  
  
• BUDGET – Provide an itemized summary of how the funds requested from Wheat Ridge and the matching amount provided by the congregation will be invested in this project. The congregation must match 25% of the total amount requested (e.g., $4,000 request + $1,000 congregation match = $5,000 total project budget). Click here for budget example.

IV. LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION – This letter, written on congregation letterhead, should be signed by the senior pastor and congregation president (or equivalent). The letter should indicate awareness of the proposal, confirmation of the congregation’s intent to match the funds provided through the grant and willingness to be accountable for the project’s implementation and the grant dollars received. You will need to scan this document into PDF format and include it with the proposal submission.

OTHER INFORMATION – Please attach to your proposal any additional information about your congregation, your community or your plans that will help provide a context for the proposal. Endorsement letters from people who can attest to the needs being addressed and/or the capacity of the congregation to implement the new ministry described in this proposal are welcome. If these are being mailed, they must be received by the proposal deadline.

Complete the proposal in Word Format or RTF and email to grant.apps@wheatridge.org.

SAMPLE BUDGET

Line Item Expenses	Year 1	Year 2	Total
Contract Employee	$2,500	$2,500	$5,000
Printing/Publicity	$1,500	$500	$2,000
Travel	$100	$200	$300
Consumables	$1,200	$1,000	$2,200
Technology	$1,500	$500	$2,000
TOTAL	$6,800	$4,700	$11,500

Anticipated Revenue	Year 1	Year 2	Total
Wheat Ridge Ministries	$4,000	$1,000	$5,000
ABC Foundation	0	$1,000	$1,000
XYZ Foundation	$1,000	0	$1,000
Private Donor(s)	$1,000	$1,000	$2,000
Congregation Revenue	$1,500	$1,000	$2,500
TOTAL	$7,500	$4,000	$11,500

Congregation must match at least 25% of the total Wheat Ridge Ministries request. Congregation contribution cannot come from “in-kind” sources and must be matched dollars (congregation budget, cash donations, fundraising dollars, etc.).

[Back to Proposal Format]