Grants and Partnerships

As women of the Church, we have a special call to serve the needs of God’s people which is achieved, in part, through the giving of our material resources in the form of donations, and through partnerships and collaborations with other organizations. The Congregation of St. Joseph has partnerships with organizations ranging from grass-roots initiatives to well-established entities all over the world. A significant portion of our gifting is directed toward the efforts of non-profit organizations that our sisters or associates are involved with. These organizations are working to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, helping heal and care for Earth, and working to change systems of injustice or oppression.

Granting Opportunities:

Generous Promise Grant Fund

The Generous Promise Grant Fund was established to support endeavors that work toward systemic change and have the potential to make long-range impact in changing unjust societal structures (i.e. poverty, discrimination, violence, ecological degradation, oppression, racism, etc.). The resulting change can be sustained beyond the funding period due to new webs of relationships that have been created and greater wholeness assured for individuals, communities, and Earth. The fund is named after four statements/promises the Congregation of St. Joseph incarnates in our work. You can read them here.

Annual funding cycle begins in February with grants awarded in the Fall. Funding requests up to $50,000 are considered.

For more information, click on the resources below.

Other Opportunities

The Congregation of St. Joseph makes use of other restricted and appropriated funds to:

support needs of our dear neighbors in local communities – especially those serving the needs of persons who are experiencing poverty or marginalization.
respond to national and international organizations and disasters.
support initiatives that help foster the healing and care of Earth and environmental projects.
support projects that bring the energy of the congregation to a particular topic, issue, or concern along with a trustworthy not-for-profit organization.

Funding levels vary. For more information, contact Pat Milenius at pmilenius@csjoseph.org or Ed Sutoris at esutoris@csjoseph.org

General Guidelines for Granting and Gifting

The project or organizational need must be aligned with the mission of the Congregation of St. Joseph. Organizations must hold 501©3 non-profit status or have a fiscal sponsor with the same. The majority of grant and gift requests need to be sponsored by a sister or associate with current knowledge of the work of the organization applying, and in many cases, with active involvement in the organization (i.e. staff, volunteer, trustee, mentor). While funding consideration is not limited to any particular focus area, current congregational priorities include efforts to address systemic racism, environmental concerns, the needs of people who identify as LGBTQ+, and fair and just immigration policies that care for the needs of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Larger projects are reviewed through the lens of RISC – Realistic, Implementable, Sustainable and Comprehensive.