FAQ
Church funding: getting started
The first questions congregations ask before applying for anything.
- Can a church actually get grants, or is that only for secular nonprofits?
- Churches are eligible for grants on equal footing with any other organization — the key is that funders pay for what your church does for the community (food pantries, facility security, community programs), not for worship or missions. Churches are also automatically tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), so you don't have to file for recognition first. The federal rule that spells this out is 7 CFR Part 16.
- What's the single best program open for a church right now?
- FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Houses of worship are explicitly eligible, their applications are scored three times higher, and first-time applicants get a +15 bonus. The FY26 program is $300 million with awards up to $200,000 per site. You apply through your State Administrative Agency, whose deadline is earlier than the federal July 24, 2026 date — so find your state's deadline now.
- Do we need a 501(c)(3) determination letter to apply?
- For NSGP, no — the federal notice states that automatically-exempt churches are not required to provide recognition of exemption, and the state may not require it. For some corporate and foundation programs that use third-party verification (like Walmart's) or require proof of status (like the Calvin Institute), you may need a determination letter, a lettered ministry arm, or a fiscal sponsor. Confirm with each funder.
- What kinds of church projects do funders fund?
- Community-serving work: food pantries and food ministries, building security, community facilities and centers, and community programs. What they generally won't fund with public money is worship, religious instruction, or proselytization. That distinction — what your church does for everyone versus its religious activities — is the whole game.
Churches leave real money on the table because they assume grants aren’t for them. They are — for the community-serving side of your work. Start with these, then read what funders will and won’t fund.
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