St. Charles church to continue community grant opportunity this fall

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles will be awarding multiple grants of up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations working to better their community again this year as part of its Expansive Church Grant opportunity.

The Expansive Church Grant was started last year. The church gave nine local nonprofit organizations between $2,000 and $3,300 each, totaling about $25,000 in allocated funding.

This year’s grant application process will begin Aug. 1 and remain open until Nov. 1. Nonprofit organizations from Kane County and around the Fox Valley area are invited to apply.

The program is intended to be an incubator and accelerator for local entrepreneurs and nonprofits that address social issues and community needs, according to the new release. Applicants do not have to be religious organizations and can be located anywhere in the Fox Valley.

The only prerequisite is they must be working toward making a positive social change. Applications from research projects and for-profit organizations will not be considered.

Each applicant can request up to $5,000. Organizations that applied last year but did not receive funding are encouraged to reapply.

The church had 39 applicants last year. They were reviewed by a committee of church members and clergy who determined which applicants would be awarded funding and the amount they would receive.

The grant is funded by donations from church members and is designed to be a recurring annual opportunity.

Expansive Church committee members and grant liaisons will be available for applicants who need assistance submitting the grant applications.

For more information about the grant opportunity, contact Lorri Linkimer at lori@starckre.com, Deacon Heather Feltman at heather@bethlehemluth.org, visit the church website at www.bethlehemluth.org or call the church office at 630-584-2199.