Faith For Tomorrow Grants

In March of 2000, Bishop Victor Balke and a coordinating committee made up of Sr. Pat Murphy, George Noel, Dan Hannig, Fr. Dave Super, Fr. Mike Foltz, Msgr. Roger Grundhaus, Barbara Schmidt and Jean LaJesse led a capital campaign to build A Faith for Tomorrow Endowment. 

After considerable discernment, it had been determined that there were critical needs in the parishes for financial support in five areas:  Continuing Education for Lay Leaders, Salary Subsidies for Faith Formation Leaders, Parish Religious Education and Formation, Development of Educational Technology, and a Catholic School Subsidy.

The Faith for Tomorrow (FFT) endowment became a permanent investment, an interest-bearing fund whereby parishes could apply for grants to subsidize their needs for education, formation, and technology. As of October 3, 2023, the Faith for Tomorrow Endowment has assets of $2,303,264 with parish assets of $870,038.

Over the past twelve years nearly $2,000,000 has been given in the form of grants to support our parish youth faith formation, religious education teachers, and technology needs in the parishes and in subsidies for Catholic Schools. Considerable staff development has also been achieved with the use of the Faith for Tomorrow grants.

Nearly 25 years later, the Faith for Tomorrow Endowment continues to support our parishes and schools with an expanded set of Funding Priorities that includes support for vocations as well as evangelization initiatives. These funding priorities will be in place until 2025. They are listed under the buttons to the right with other pertinent information related to the Faith for Tomorrow grants.

There are two Grant Cycles per year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall.  Larger parishes may apply for up to three grants per cycle and smaller parishes (less than 400 registered parishioners) may apply for up to two grants per cycle.  Grants for any reason are capped at $10,000.00. If the grant awards are not used within the year by the parish or individual and for the purpose they were intended for, they must be returned to the Catholic Community Foundation. Grant reports are required for previous grant awards before new grant applications will be accepted.

The Board of Directors of the Catholic Community Foundation determines the amount of funding available per cycle.  Parish Pastors must endorse each grant application for it to be considered.

1. Read the Funding Priorities carefully. You will need to note in the application which funding priority your application falls under.

2. Check with your Pastor to make sure you have his endorsement for your request.

3. Decide with your Pastor whether this is a first, second or third priority grant application. It is important for the grants committee to know which application is the most important to your parish if there is limited funding.

4. Complete the online application by writing a narrative for the request. Be specific.

5. Prepare a simple budget. Add quotes for material expenses.

6. Ask your Pastor to fill out the endorsement form.

7. Submit your application within the application window timeframe.

Who can apply for an FFT grant?

Only organizations listed under the Diocese of Crookston entry in the current volume of The Official Catholic Directory, published by P.J. Kennedy & Sons, may apply for FFT grants. Such grants may be for the benefit of an individual, such as a scholarship, but it must be submitted by a qualified organization, generally a parish, and with the Pastor’s endorsement.

The Faith for Tomorrow (FFT) Endowment seeks to promote religious education in all its forms at the Parish and in Catholic Schools.

2026 – 2030 FFT Grant Funding Priorities 

The Faith for Tomorrow (FFT) Endowment seeks to promote religious education in all its forms at the Parish and in Catholic Schools.  

Funding priorities for FFT grants for 2026-2030 are: 

1. Formation of Missionary Discipleship: FFT seeks to prepare missionary disciples by supporting parish missions, parish or individual retreats, continuing education, and personal or group formation. See Appendix A 

2. Youth Faith Formation: FFT seeks to support the formation of young people by funding programs, materials, and technology used for parish youth formation. See Appendix B. 

3. Formation and Education for Lay Leaders: FFT seeks to assist lay leaders through grants for education, continuing education, and personal/professional development and formation, such as master’s degrees, etc.  

4. Support for Vocations: FFT seeks to create a culture toward vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate, and Religious Life. FFT is interested in innovative ideas to promote vocations in the parish. See Appendix C. 

5. Catholic School Subsidy: The Faith for Tomorrow Endowment will provide subsidies to Catholic schools. Amounts will be determined by the Foundation Board based on the availability of funds. No grant request is required for the Catholic School Subsidy. Individual and parish grants will not affect the Catholic School Subsidy. 

Appendix 

A) Formation of Missionary Discipleship: Pope Francis challenged every Catholic to be a missionary disciple, urging the entire Church to embrace the “missionary option.” At the parish level, the Church is called to open her doors, go out into the community, and reflect the love of Jesus to others. 

The demands of pastoral care, leadership, and providing for the sacramental life of a parish or parishes, require most, if not all, clergy availability. Recognizing the need for significant lay leadership and involvement in missionary discipleship, FFT grants will fund initiatives that help lay leaders and entire parishes to be disciples on mission, spreading the Good News (the Gospel) in their parish and community. 

Accordingly, the FFT Endowment supports preparation of missionary disciples through funding for parish missions, retreats (parish-wide or individual), continuing education, and personal or group formation programs. 

D) Further Defining Criteria:  

• Preference will be given to applications within a priority that align with theNew Life Strategic VisionandPlanning forMission.
• Funding will notprovidefor:
  • Food
  • CapitalImprovements(except for modest renovations to create youth-friendly environmentsin the parish)
  • Transportation and lodging (except for visiting speakers)
  • Wi-Fi, internet, or security cameras.

• Fundingmayprovide fortechnologyfor parish youth formation,such aslaptops, devices, projectors, and curriculum.
• For academic scholarships, a 3 to 5-year commitment to the ministry isrequested.
• The total funding a parish may request per cycle is $7,500.
• Preference given to parishes that contribute to the program funding request.
• Except forCatholic School subsidies, projects and programs should have a plan to be self-sustaining in the future so as not to require FFT funding indefinitely. 

FFT 2026 Spring Grant Cycle

Application window opens on January 16, 2026, and closes on February 28, 2026.
Grants Committee meets on March 10, 2026.
Grant Awards will be dispersed by the end of April 2026.

FFT 2026 Fall Grant Cycle

Application window opens on November 1, 2026, and closes on November 30, 2026.
Grants Committee meets on December 10, 2026.
Grant Awards will be dispersed before the end of the 2026 Calendar year.

FFT Spring 2023 Grant Awards

Amount of available funding $60,000