St. Charles church offering grant opportunities to local nonprofits

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles will award 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.

This is the second year of the Expansive Church Grant. Last year, the church gave nine local nonprofit organizations between $2,000 and $3,300 each, totaling about $25,000 in allocated funding.

CHIP IN Batavia Co-Chair Melinda Kintz spoke before the Bethlehem Lutheran Church congregation during a service on April 21, 2024, in St. Charles. — Recipient of Bethlehem Lutheran Church's 2023 Expansive Church Grant CHIP IN Batavia Co-Chair Melinda Kintz, spoke before the church congregation to express the organization's gratitude and detail how the funding would be used during a service on April 21, 2024, in St. Charles. (Photo Provided by Bethlehem Lutheran Church)

This year’s grant application process opened Aug. 1 and applications will be accepted until Nov. 1. Awardees will be announced by the end of the year. 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 a news release. Applicants do not have to be religious organizations.

The only prerequisite for applying is the organization 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 received 39 applications 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.

The online grant application form can be filled out at bit.ly/2024GrantApp. A printable application can be found at bit.ly/2024GrantAppPrintable and can be mailed to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, c/o Deacon Heather Feltman, P.O. Box 3850, 1145 N. Fifth Ave., St. Charles, IL, 60174.

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.