History The Virginia and Gordon Palmer Jr. Trust The Virginia and Gordon Palmer Jr. Trust was created in 1999 as a permanent endowment to the American Baptist Foundation, a membership organization supporting the ministries of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist International Ministries and the American Baptist Multi-Region Corporation. The Trust is administered by the Foundation in accordance with legally established guidelines and principles. Summary For this grant cycle, hosted by the American Baptist home Mission Societies, the Virginia and Gordon Palmer Trust of the American Baptist Foundation (VGPTABF) Grant seeks to fund special projects and programs of churches, colleges, universities and institutions related to the American Baptist Churches in the USA. It is to be utilized for programs and projects which are unable to be funded through normal operating budgets. Grant awards will range from $5,000 and $15,000 and will be determined based on need and merit. No more than ten percent (10%) of an awarded grant may be used for salaries or stipends. This Cycle s Theme: Seek Justice: Living and Leaning into Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow (NRSV). Our American Baptist family has a profound heritage as a compassionate, engaging and benevolent -- Isaiah 1:17 people. Since 1824, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has been declaring and heralding the gospel of our Lord. We believe that an important component of the good news is when stewards decide to become a demonstration project for the Kingdom of God by living into and leaning toward justice, especially as they do so for and alongside the marginalized and vulnerable in our society. Among the ABHMS Heroes and Heroines are stewards like: Joanna P. Moore With great personal risk to herself, Joanna responded to the plight of freed slaves in 1863 as she went to minister in the camps, teaching Bible lessons and reading and writing to them.
Jitsuo Morikawa Born into a Buddhist family, he learned of Jesus from a Christian neighbor and was called to Christian faith and service to become an evangelist at age sixteen. During World War II, he and his wife were shipped to the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona. Morikawa believed that institutions are capable of evil and must be evangelized. He devoted his ministry to that end, serving as ABHMS Director of Evangelism from 1956 to 1966. J. Alfred Smith Sr. While most of America was castigating the Black Panther Party in the 1970 s, Pastor Smith invited its leaders to partner with the Allen Temple Baptist Church to feed people in the Oakland, CA community. By turning towards people with a shared interest rather than against them where they disagreed, Smith and Oakland rescued and reclaimed many Black youth. Several former Black Panthers are current leaders and prominent members of the Allen Temple today. Isabel Crawford - Served with the Kiowa. She not only taught and shared the gospel, but also attended to their medical needs. She inspired the Kiowa Indians to send missionaries to the Hopi. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - An American Baptist who captured the attention of the world with a dream of equality and justice for all. He proclaimed, I have a dream that one day, every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Isaiah 1:17 is a biblical reminder that Jesus public ministry was all about advocacy, engagement and compassion for people in need. Isaiah 1:17 also prompts us to become participants with our Lord in seeking justice for those in our churches and neighborhoods. THEREFORE we are seeking to identify the most intriguing ministry proposals that engage communities of faith as demonstration projects of people seeking justice by living and leaning into Isaiah 1:17. We intend to undergird these projects with AWARDS RANGING BETWEEN $5,000 AND $15,000 and will be determined based on need and merit.
The Virginia and Gordon Palmer Jr. Trust Eligibility Guidelines Eligibility Only programs and projects of churches, colleges, universities, and institutions related to the American Baptist Churches (ABC) will be considered. Projects are to benefit existing institutions and their current or special new ministries. While a project can include physical plant needs related directly to the effort, the grant cannot be primarily for building projects or equipment. Such projects: Must engage at least eight people in the core team, expanding and enhancing the ministry of an existing organization. No grants shall be awarded to begin new organizations. Projects or ministries launched less than twelve months before the submission of a proposal may be considered for funding. Demonstrate a theological and social analysis of the injustice or inequity it seeks to address. Must include planning and implementation involvement of young adults between eighteen and twenty nine (18 29) years old. Must be conducted under the auspices of a church, institution or organization related to the American Baptist Churches in the USA. Must include a publicity or public relations component in the proposal, clearly stating why this entity is living and leaning into Isaiah 1:17 through this project. Must be completed within a 12-month time frame. Must be willing to share their stories and learnings and gather with other grant recipients, the American Baptist Foundation and the American Baptist Home Mission Societies in the Fall of 2015. Preferential points will be awarded by the Grant Committee to congregations that participate in United Mission Support, the America For Christ Offering (AFC) and/or entities that have an historic partnership with the American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
The Virginia and Gordon Palmer Jr. Trust Application Process Application Process After reviewing the information above, if you feel that your organization or project is a good match with the Foundation s funding priorities, you may apply for a grant by completing the Letter of Inquiry, the first step in requesting funding from the Foundation. Please see the Letter of Inquiry (LOI) Instructions section (below) for detailed directions. IMPORTANT: Please refer all questions regarding this 2014 ABHMS Grant Cycle to abfadmin@abc-usa.org Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we unfortunately cannot respond to phone calls or emails requesting the status of a submitted Letter of Inquiry. Please do not submit a full proposal until invited to do so. Unsolicited proposals will not be reviewed or considered. Please note that the Foundation s grant distribution is extremely limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile requests it receives. Letter Of Inquiry (LOI) Instructions The Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is submitted by eligible organizations as the first step in the grant application process. The purpose of the LOI is to determine if your organization and its proposal fit within the Virginia and Gordon Palmer Trust of the American Baptist Foundation (VGPTABF) eligibility guidelines before your organization expends resources to construct a full proposal. Please refer to the Eligibility Guidelines to determine the focus and objectives of the grant cycle. The LOI is a succinct document that provides essential information regarding your proposed project. Therefore, the LOI should be brief and no longer than 2 single-spaced pages using 12 pt. easy-to-read typeface with 1 margins. The Executive Director/President of the organization should sign this letter. Please include complete contact information (name, address, phone, fax, email, website) of the person submitting the request in the event more information is needed. The deadline to submit your LOI is July 15, 2014. Do not submit a full grant application at this time.
The Virginia and Gordon Palmer Jr. Trust Application Process (continued) The Foundation Grant Committee will review all requests, and you will be notified August 15, 2014 if you should proceed with a complete application packet, or if your request will not be considered. NOTE: ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE TO BE ELECTRONIC AND SENT TO: abfadmin@abc-usa.org Your LOI submission should include the following information: Application Form - Complete the included application and mail the original copy to the Foundation office. Be sure to keep a copy for your records. Problem Statement and Goal - Include a description of the reason for your request. Define the issue and/or target population and what service or program will be produced. If this proposal is for emergency assistance, describe how the organization has taken responsibility for its economic vitality and the extraordinary circumstance necessitating assistance. Resources - Provide the dollar amount of your request and the dollar amount of the project. Are there other sources of funding? If so, list the other sources. How will funding be sustained in the future? Activities - How will the resources be used to accomplish goals? Are there partner organizations involved? Priority - Rate this project as far as priority to your organization (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest priority). Outcomes - How many people will be affected by the grant funding? How will the outcomes be evaluated? Impact - What changes or benefits will occur in the church, community, organization, etc.? How will these accomplishments further the mission of your organization, the VGPTABF, grant theme, and the ABC? What are the contributions to your organization s sustainability and growth? Please submit the document via email to abfadmin@abc-usa.org by July 15, 2014. If you have any questions, please call the Foundation office at 610-768-2035.
Name of Applying Organization: Address: The Virginia and Gordon Palmer, Jr. Trust Grant Program of the American Baptist Foundation Application City: ST: Zip: Country/Region: Tax ID# / EIN: Contact Name & Title: Telephone : ( ) - Email Address: Fax : ( ) - Website address: Project/Program Title: Length of Project: Amount Requested: $ Give a brief description of your project: C E R T I F I C A T I O N As key personnel of the applying organization, we hereby submit this application for consideration of a Virginia and Gordon Palmer, Jr. Trust of the American Baptist Foundation Grant in the amount of $. We have reviewed the information contained herein and believe it to be accurate and complete. Printed Name (Pastor/Exec./Auth. Person) Signature Date Printed Name (Project Contact Person) Signature Date