How to Apply for a Grant
MMFA awards grants from a number of field of interest funds. Each fund aims to address a specific area of need. Please note the 2025 Grant Cycle Updates below and in the attached document.
Eligibility
- 501(c)(3)s domiciled in the United States and Moravian ministries in North American countries may apply. Preference is given to U.S. Moravian congregations, fellowships, agencies, missions, and emerging ministries.
- Previous recipients may apply for a grant from the same fund every three years; this means if your last grant award a fund was in or prior to 2022, you are eligible to apply again in 2025.
- If you applied for a grant in the past two years and were not awarded one, you may apply to that fund again at any time.
- Previous recipients may apply for a grant from a different fund again at any time.
- All new applicants will be required to have a consultation prior to receiving the information to apply online.
Number of Applications:
- Each organization may submit only one grant application in 2025.
Pass-through grants (defined as the applicant giving all or a portion of the grant award to another organization):
- We strongly encourage the organization that will be utilizing the grant award to be the applicant.
- For pass-through grants that will be utilized in another country, we strongly encourage the applying organization to collaborate with the Board of World Mission or Unity Women’s Desk.
- Pass-through grant applications will answer additional questions on the application to assist our Grant Advisory Committee with making award decisions.
Timing
- May 15 – June 15: application period
- July 30: applicants notified of decision
- July 31: grant awards announced
Application Process
Applicants submit their grant application online through MMFA’s Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM) site.
New applicants create an account for their organization and log in to submit their application, see the award decision, and submit their grant report once the funds have been utilized. More information will be shared during the grant consultation.
2024 applicants who already have a GLM account for their organization will log into their existing account to submit their 2025 application.
To begin the application process, please contact Laura Watson, Vice President/Director of Programs at 336.725.2589 or lwatson@mmfa.com. Laura will determine whether your organization is required to have a consultation; if it is not, Laura will provide you with online access to the correct grant application in GLM.
If you have any questions about this year’s field of interest fund grant cycle, please contact Laura.
MMFA's Grant Program Generally Does Not Support:
- Endowments
- Debt reduction/deficit funding
- Duplication of existing programs or services
- Salaries
A Strong Application will Demonstrate:
- The implementation of a new ministry or outreach that is clearly linked to the purpose of the chosen Field of Interest Fund
- Strong rationale and significance of proposed project
- Feasible timeline and achievable goals
- Multiple methods for assessing and evaluating the project and its outcomes
- Complete, accurate, and cost-effective budget
- Steps to identify appropriate collaborative partners within the Moravian denomination
- Sustainability beyond the grant period
Visit each individual field of interest fund’s page to see a fund description and ideal initiatives.
Awards and Administration:
A Grant Advisory Committee (GAC) is responsible for evaluating grant applications and recommending to the MMFA Board of Trustees which applications should receive funding. The GAC is appointed by the MMFA Board and consists of at least one MMFA trustee, one MMFA staff member, and no fewer than five additional members.
All applicants are telephoned to be notified of award decisions. If the applicant cannot be reached via telephone, they will receive an email. Recipients are asked to announce their award after MMFA has made its announcement.
Checks are mailed as soon as possible after the announcement has been made, and recipients are asked to acknowledge receipt of all checks.
MMFA provides oversight for all grant awards. Recipients are required to submit a report which is provided via email approximately six months after awards are made. Understanding that a grant-funded initiative may just be underway, MMFA will provide the report again approximately ten months after grants are made, with the expectation that it be returned no later than twelve months from grant receipt. Consideration for future funding will depend on the submission of this report and whether a grant was used appropriately, and the project’s outcomes were as expected.
MMFA staff may also conduct site visits, interview participants, take photographs, and publish recipient stories.
For more information:
Please contact Laura Watson, Vice President/Director of Programs, at (336) 725-2589 or lwatson@mmfa.com.
