Grants overview

INTRODUCTION

SINCE 2014, Home Mission grant decisions for YBA churches have been delegated to the Association rather than being agreed nationally. Each year the Association receives a sum of money from the national Home Mission Fund to be used to provide grants to support mission and ministry in Yorkshire.

In addition to this, the Association Executive (trustees and directors) have agreed that some funds from YBA reserves are also available.

A YBA Grants Group is tasked to make decisions in respect of applications for grants from the Home Mission and YBA funds on behalf of the YBA Finance Group. In some circumstances, senior staff team members are able to make decisions (see details below).

A number of different grants are available for application and these are detailed in this document.

Each grant type has its own set of criteria and guidelines; there are also a number of guiding principles which are applied to all grant applications.

The guiding principles are as follows:

• A church applying for a grant must be in membership with the Association and with the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
• A minister applying for a grant will normally be BUGB Accredited, YBA Regionally Recognised or undertaking a recognised ministerial training route.
• A church, organisation or minister applying for a grant must provide evidence that they comply with BUGB and YBA recommended safeguarding practice.
• A church applying for a grant will normally be giving to the national Home Mission appeal at the recommended level of 5% of general income or £50 per member per year. They must commit to giving at that level during the time of the grant award.
• For church based (not minister based) grants, normally only one grant per church is available at a time.
• Grants are NOT available for repairs to buildings or for building projects. Churches looking at funding options for such work are encouraged to contact the YBA Property & Legal Officer for a conversation.
• Churches with reserves of £25,000 or less are given priority during the decision-making process.
• There is an expectation that each grant situation will provide updates and reports on the outcome of work relating to the grant award.
• Grant supported situations are required to share their story with other churches and YBA contacts; this may include visiting other fellowships on request, sharing through the YBA communication channels (news email, website, Facebook, etc) and so on.
• Where the grant guidelines require provision of accounts and forecasts/budgets in support of an application, these will be presented in the format set out in BUGB guideline F02.
• Before submitting a grant application, a detailed conversation about the potential application needs to take place with a member of the YBA Regional Team.
• The YBA Grants Group usually meets three times a year – Spring, Summer and late Autumn. Meeting dates will be advised upon request. Application forms should be submitted no later than two weeks before the meeting date; if not the application may be held until the following meeting.
• Applications which are incomplete or not in the format required, will not be considered. Please help us to help you by providing the required information.

YBA HOME MISSION GRANT

A YBA Home Mission Grant is provided to help a Baptist church, or ecumenical partnership including Baptists, to engage effectively in mission by supporting a minister, pastor or other worker. The main focus for this person must be to lead the church forward in mission. Their priority will be helping the church to reach out their community in whatever way is most appropriate for that situation.

A church wishing to apply for this grant type must first make contact with their Regional Minister or the YBA Mission Enabler for an initial discussion.

The application process requires that the church engage in an ongoing mission review or similar, and the outcomes of the initial work on this will form part of the application paperwork.

Grants are normally for a maximum of 50% of the stipend cost, and the stipend must be paid at the BUGB standard stipend rate.

The standard award period is 3-years with an expectation that the grant will reduce over that period. Grants are time limited. The usual maximum award is for 2 awards of 3 years, total 6 years.

The focus of these grants is to support missional work and opportunities through the calling of a minister, pastor or other worker. Churches that are awarded a grant will be involved in a learning community or similar. The grants are not usually available as a stop-gap measure for churches who are running out of money.

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the YBA Grants Group.

A detailed guideline is available along with application forms.

YBA HOME MISSION PROJECT GRANT

YBA Home Mission Project Grants are awarded to enable and encourage a Baptist Church, or ecumenical partnership including Baptists, to respond to a specific mission need in their community as part of the church’s ongoing work and ministry. They are grants of up to £2000 for new projects or new initiatives within an existing project.

There is an expectation that the project will be partly funded by the church.

The grants are only available for churches who have reserves of £25,000 or less.

Applications will usually be considered a maximum of one year in three from a member church. The maximum total grant payable to a member church in a 3-year period is £2000.

Whilst any mission focussed project application will be considered, priority will be given to those applications which:

• Are innovative and creative evangelistic initiatives, working with those who cannot yet be considered as disciples of Christ;
• Are intended to alleviate poverty or the effects of poverty in the local community.

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the YBA Grants Group.

A detailed guideline and application form are available.

YBA CHURCH PLANTING GRANT

A YBA Church Planting Grant is aimed at supporting a pioneer minister or pastor whose main focus will be to enable the effective plant of a new church/fellowship in the Association area.

Grants are normally awarded for a period of 3-years.

A strong relational link with the Yorkshire Baptist family must be evident in all applications for a church planting group. Early conversations between the group planting the church and the Association are essential. The grant process assumes a commitment between the church plant and the YBA to listen to one another, to support each other and to be open to challenge. This partnership is vital to ensure that our limited Baptist family funds are used effectively.

Anyone wishing to explore a Church Planting Grant application should first speak to a Regional Minister for an initial conversation.

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the YBA Grants Group.

A detailed guideline and application form are available.

YBA CAPITAL EQUIPMENT GRANT

These small grants are available to help churches acquire items of capital equipment for church use. The maximum grant amount available is £500 or 50% of the cost of the item, whichever is the lower figure.

Grants are not awarded retrospectively for items that have already been bought.

Grants are not available to support the purchase of IT equipment for a minister or church worker.

These grants are not available year after year; applications will usually be considered a maximum of one year in three from a member church.

The grants are only available for churches who have reserves of £25,000 or less.

Examples of equipment where a grant application will be considered are:

• Projection equipment for a church sanctuary or similar,
• Equipment for installation in a church building to aid disabled access,
• Equipment for sustainable energy projects such as solar panels.

Churches interested in applying for this type of grant must first speak to a Regional Minister.

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the senior staff team where two senior team members are in agreement.

An application form is available.

YBA MINISTER IN TRAINING GRANT

YBA Minister in Training (MiT) grants are available to facilitate placements in YBA churches which enable a student minister in recognised training to gain experience of ministry in a Baptist church or ecumenical partnership including Baptists.

Any church considering appointing a Minister in Training which requires grant support, should first contact a Regional Minister for early conversations and assistance in seeking a suitable MiT.

The grants are payable to the placement church, not directly from the YBA to the MiT. The applicant church must agree to use the grant to support the cost of the minister’s stipend. Grants are only payable whilst the named MiT is in post.

The grants are only available for churches who have reserves of £25,000 or less.

There is a designated budget for MiT grants so they are available subject to this budget and where supported by a Regional Minister.  The maximum grant available is £3000 per year for up to three academic years.

In order to make a grant application and following conversation with a Regional Minister, a church is asked to provide the following information:

• An application letter setting out the areas of ministerial activity which the MiT will be involved in, and confirmation of the church’s agreement to provide this placement.
• Examined accounts for the most recent completed financial year.
• Detailed budget for the current year including year to date information.
• Detailed forecast for the period of the grant.

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the senior staff team where two senior team members are in agreement.

To enquire about a Minister in Training Grant, please speak to a Regional Minister.

YBA STUDY GRANTS FOR MINISTERS

Various small grants are available in support of BUGB accredited ministers, YBA Regionally Recognised Pastors and their studies. Initial enquiries for these should be made through a Regional Minister.

The grants available are:

• Sabbatical study grant – these are available to churches who are seeking to help fund their minister’s sabbatical studies. The maximum grant amount available is £250. The grant should be applied for by the church and minister jointly.
• Post-graduate study grant (Masters or PhD) – these are available to support a minister’s ongoing development and are available only for BUGB newly accredited or fully accredited ministers. The maximum grant amount available per annum is £500, with a maximum of £2,000 in total for any period of study. The grant should be applied for by the minister, with support also from their ministry setting.
• Book grants – these are available to ministerial students from YBA churches who are studying at Baptist colleges. This is a one-off grant of £300. The grant should be applied for by the student.

The ministers being supported by these grants must provide evidence that they comply with BUGB and YBA safeguarding requirements (training and DBS).

Decisions regarding these grants are made by the senior staff team where two senior team members are in agreement.

Guidelines and an application form for each of the grants above are available.

Having read this document, if you have any questions or need further information, please get in touch with your Regional Minister or YBA Administrator Debbie Gamble.

Send an email.  Telephone: 0113 278 4954.