Barnes Fund for Mission and Justice Ministries

Guidelines and Application Procedures

The Barnes Fund for Mission and Justice Ministries is funded by a gift from the estate of Arthur and Sidney Barnes to support the mission and justice ministries of the Massachusetts Conference UCC (MACUCC).

The Commission for Mission and Justice will award grants according to the following guidelines: earth

Barnes Fund grants are intended to provide seed money for the startup of new mission and justice initiatives. This is a one year grant, and you may apply for a second year of funding for the project. Projects will be funded for a maximum of 2 years.
Grants may be made to:

Local churches with standing in an Association of the Massachusetts Conference,
Associations of the Conference,
Conference entities directly or indirectly accountable to the Board of Directors, including but not limited to Mission and Justice task forces, or
Any combination of the aforementioned groups acting together.

Grants will be made for projects emphasizing community outreach. Internal church projects are not an appropriate use of Barnes Fund grants.
Barnes Fund grants will be restricted for specific projects, and will not be available to support the operating budget of any grantee organization.
The organization requesting a grant from the Barnes Fund must show evidence that efforts have been made to inform/involve the congregation.
The organization must provide a detailed strategy indicating how the funded project will be sustained financially after the term of the Barnes Fund grant.
Preference will be given to projects involving collaboration between two or more organizations, and to projects for which matching funds will be raised.
Organizations are encouraged to think big and request significant grants with potential for significant community impact. Grants will be considered in the range of $2,000 to $10,000

The Commission for Mission and Justice will be responsible for evaluating and processing all grant applications and for approving grants. Awards will be announced at the Annual Meeting held on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2008 in Worcester.

proposals should be submitted by email to methotk@macucc.org or postmarked by Sept. 1, 2008. If possible, summary sheet and narrative should be submitted by email, and copies of summary, narrative and attachments should be mailed to: Massachusetts Conference UCC, Barnes Fund - Commission for Mission and Justice, One Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702.

Download Barnes Fund application here

MACUCC--Commission for Mission and Justice

Barnes Fund

PROPOSAL NARRATIVE — include the following, 5 pages maximum:

Share your church’s vision and mission statement and articulate how you project serves to further that mission.
Overview of church's structure and programs, including staff, and volunteer involvement in the project.
Demonstrate how this project has been shared with the congregation.
Describe the community or regional need(s) and/or challenges that this effort will address. What is the level and nature of involvement of the community-at-large?
Specific activities and timetable for meeting those goals and objectives.
Where will be the spiritual theological reflection in this process?
Future plan for sustaining this effort and strategy for building your funding base.
Who are key staff and volunteers for the project and what are their qualifications?
Identify community partner organizations and describe their role in the project.
Define your criteria for success for this project. How will you measure your success? How will you evaluate your project?

ATTACHMENTS — be sure to include with your proposal.

Financial statements for two previous years
Budget for the current year
Detailed project budget
List of project/program leaders with relevant experience and contact information
Additional material such as program brochures, selected news articles.