Grants for Churches
Churches and faith-based organizations can apply for grants from community foundations, United Ways, corporate giving programs, USDA and HHS community-service funding streams that are open to faith-based providers, and Lilly Endowment clergy renewal programs. Most funding goes to community-serving programs, food, housing, youth, recovery, not to general church operations. The key is matching the right program to the right funder, and Main Street Grants can draft a faith-aligned version for faith-friendly funders and a secular version for everyone else, from the same knowledge base.
Where the money is
Where the money actually is
These are the real programs that fund churches. Main Street Grants matches your organization against all of them, every day, and scores your fit before you spend a weekend on an application.
Community Foundations
Local and regional community foundations fund programs serving their geographic area. Many have donor-advised funds that support faith-based organizations running community programs like food pantries, after-school care, and housing assistance.
United Way
United Way chapters fund programs in education, health, and financial stability. Churches running food pantries, youth programs, or financial literacy classes can apply, typically through a secular program brand.
Corporate Giving Programs
Walmart, Target, Bank of America, and other corporations have local giving programs. Most fund community-serving programs regardless of the applicant's faith identity, as long as the program itself is open to all.
USDA Community-Service Funding
USDA Rural Development has programs open to faith-based organizations providing community services in rural areas, including food distribution, housing, and community facilities.
HHS Community-Service Funding
The Department of Health and Human Services administers programs open to faith-based providers for services like Head Start, community health, and substance abuse recovery. Faith-based providers must serve all clients regardless of faith.
Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs
Lilly Endowment funds clergy renewal and pastoral leadership programs. These are specifically for Christian congregations and support sabbaticals, renewal leave, and leadership development for pastors.
The problem
The problem
Most churches do not apply for grants because they assume grants are not for them. The reality is that a lot of grant funding is available to faith-based organizations, especially for community-serving programs. A church running a food pantry, an after-school program, a recovery ministry, or a housing assistance program is doing the kind of work that funders want to pay for. The problem is that nobody on staff has the time to find those funders, figure out the rules, and write the applications.
The other problem is the faith question. Some funders are faith-friendly and welcome a faith-aligned narrative. Others require a secular approach and will not fund programs that proselytize. A church that applies the same narrative to every funder will lose grants it could have won with a different framing. Without a system that can produce both versions from the same knowledge base, the church either skips secular funders or risks alienating them with the wrong tone.
How we help
How Main Street Grants helps
Main Street Grants was built for organizations that do not have a grant writer on staff. Here is what that looks like for churches.
Every morning, Main Street Grants scans foundation, corporate, and government grant databases for new opportunities and scores them against your church's programs and community services. You see a ranked list of grants you actually qualify for, with a fit score, before you spend a weekend on an application.
When you pick an opportunity, Main Street Grants drafts every section from your knowledge base, your mission, your programs, your outcomes. For faith-friendly funders, it drafts a faith-aligned version. For secular funders, it drafts a secular version. Same knowledge base, two versions, the right one for each funder.
Every grant lives in one pipeline dashboard. Deadlines, status, scores, and follow-ups. The board and the leadership team see a real pipeline instead of a verbal update.
Main Street Grants flags which funders require a 501(c)(3) and which accept churches directly, and which programs require the service to be open to all regardless of faith, so you know the rules before you start writing.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to find your grants?
Start your workspace today, or book a 15 minute look at Main Street Grants first. Either way, we will walk you through it.
Start your workspace
Tell us about your organization and we will set you up. Or book a 15 minute look at Main Street Grants first.