Current grant cycle open May 24 - August 31, 2026
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The Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers network is pleased to make available funds to encourage the church’s ecumenical and interreligious work in the areas of racial justice, creation care, and immigration and refugee ministry. The funds to support these grants have been allocated by the Executive Committee from annual dues paid to the network by individual dioceses reflecting their commitment to wider visible unity of Christ’s Church and collegial relationships with members of other faith traditions. We believe this work is about unity in diversity and building bridges. We seek flourishing and abundance for all, believing ecumenical and interreligious work is also anti-racist work, creation care work, and it is committed to the liberation of all God’s people.
Cherished Community Grant Focus Areas
Three $1,000 grants will be awarded each calendar year, one in each of the focus areas:
- Racial Justice
- Creation Care
- Migration and Refugee Ministry
Eligibility
Only Episcopal dioceses that are current in the payment of their EDEIO dues are eligible to apply for and receive an EDEIO Cherished Community grant.
Additional requirements:
Eligible projects include one-time events or short-term programs that provide a basis from which to build lasting EIR relationships, as well as projects that build upon established EIR relationships to reform the larger community in one of the three focus areas.
Additional requirements:
- The project must involve partnership with at least one non-Episcopal entity, either ecumenical or interreligious
- An Episcopal entity must serve as an active partner in the project
- Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on August 31, 2026, using the EDEIO grant portal
Eligible projects include one-time events or short-term programs that provide a basis from which to build lasting EIR relationships, as well as projects that build upon established EIR relationships to reform the larger community in one of the three focus areas.
Project Preferences
Projects with these purposes are preferred:
- Engaging with other denominations and/or faith traditions in service to the local community through one of the three focus areas
- Engaging the local community as partners and participants, fostering cooperation between communities of faith, civic, scientific, and education
- Creating specific outcomes to support lasting relationships
- Demonstrating innovation and creativity
- Promote spiritual formation and churchwide practical application
Proposal Consideration
Suggested projects include those that are:
We encourage you to consider the following questions as you complete your application:
- Joint ecumenical or interreligious educational opportunities, training, workshops, or campaigns to increase engagement in the focus area
- Broad, exploratory work to learn more about the local context ahead of more extensive programming such as by a gathering of local clergy and lay faith leaders to develop local community programs
We encourage you to consider the following questions as you complete your application:
- How will this help us partner meaningfully with those of a different denomination or faith tradition?
- How are we creating positive, tangible outcomes
- For/with communities of color?
- For God’s creation and the environment?
- For our immigrant and refugee neighbors?
The Application Process
As part of the online application process, applicants must provide the following:
Applicants must submit the completed application with the above attachments no later than the submission cutoff date and time.
Grant applications will be invited beginning on Pentecost (May 24, 2026) and received through August 31, 2026. They will be approved, denied, or may be returned for revision during each granting cycle.
All grants will be reviewed and evaluated by a team of three members of the EDEIO Executive Committee who do not have an expressed conflict of interest and have not submitted a Cherished Community Grant application themselves.
Grant recipients will be announced at the annual EDEIO meeting in November 2026. Funds will be disbursed at the meeting or mailed to the recipient’s diocese. Payments of grants are made to an institution, company, or church for accountability purposes.
Grantees are expected to provide a final narrative, visual and/or video reports, testimonies and words of gratitude, and accounting of funds to the Executive Committee upon completion of their project and no later than August 31 of the year following the receipt of the grant.
Grant recipients agree to share their work more broadly with the EDEIO network and the wider church.
- Bishop (or Diocesan Canon) Endorsement Letter (one page)
- A document with the answers to the questions above and your budget/activities/timeline
- Your budget/activities/timeline table, which can be part of your short answer document or a separate one. A detailed budget for this project that indicates additional sources of funding and intended use of funds including those from this grant
- A timeline for proposed work, use of funds, and outcomes
- At least one one-page letter of support from ecumenical and/or interreligious partners in the project
Applicants must submit the completed application with the above attachments no later than the submission cutoff date and time.
Grant applications will be invited beginning on Pentecost (May 24, 2026) and received through August 31, 2026. They will be approved, denied, or may be returned for revision during each granting cycle.
All grants will be reviewed and evaluated by a team of three members of the EDEIO Executive Committee who do not have an expressed conflict of interest and have not submitted a Cherished Community Grant application themselves.
Grant recipients will be announced at the annual EDEIO meeting in November 2026. Funds will be disbursed at the meeting or mailed to the recipient’s diocese. Payments of grants are made to an institution, company, or church for accountability purposes.
Grantees are expected to provide a final narrative, visual and/or video reports, testimonies and words of gratitude, and accounting of funds to the Executive Committee upon completion of their project and no later than August 31 of the year following the receipt of the grant.
Grant recipients agree to share their work more broadly with the EDEIO network and the wider church.
Cherished Community Grant Application
Grant proposals must be submitted online using the above link no later than August 31, 2026 to be considered in the grant cycle.
Note: You may be required to use a Google account to upload documents.
Please contact the coordinator (name linked below) for assistance if you are having difficulty submitting your application.
Prepare your submission in advance by downloading the application questions prior to completing the online application.