The Cast the Net strategic visioning process is asking clergy and lay leaders to imagine how we can be innovative in finding new ways of being Church. The Cast & Learn grant program is a new funding stream to encourage parishes to take up this opportunity.
The program provides $300,000 of funding over two years (2023-2024) to be allocated as one-time grants of between $10,000 and $40,000 to parishes wanting to innovate, learn and grow in this time of transformation.
Cast & Learn funds projects that are larger than Reach Grants but don’t meet the criteria for Stretch Grants, and projects that are smaller and shorter than a “congregational growth” or “innovative forms of ministry” initiative.
Eligible programs are ones that:
- are clearly focused
- can be implemented and tested within one year
- need funding for program and personnel.
Examples include:
- starting a new alternative worship service
- expanding a children or youth program
- learning how to be Church with people who worship online
Guidelines
- The project must be designed to reach out to people not currently connecting with the church (unchurched, dechurched, drifted away).
- The project must be designed to increase the engagement of lay people in the parish through leadership and/or participation.
- Your parish must be able to identify what it wants to learn through the Cast & Learn initiative.
- The project must be implemented within one year.
- Your proposal needs to investigate and propose steps to procure alternative funding for the future life of the project. Sources could include the parish, diocesan grants and extra-diocesan grants.
- At its conclusion, you will submit a review and report to the College of Bishops and the Project Enabling and Monitoring Group (PEMG) so that what you’ve learned can help other missional ideas flourish.
How to apply
The Project Enabling and Monitoring Group (PEMG) will receive applications, and parishes will be invited to pitch their projects to PEMG for its consideration and comment.
Projects will be designated as falling under either the “congregational growth” stream or the “new or innovative forms of ministry” stream.
Eligible proposals will be sent to the College of Bishops for its consideration.
Either the College (for new or innovative forms of ministry) or PEMG (for congregational growth) will send eligible proposals to Synod Council for its consideration.
For more information, contact Canon Janet Marshall, director of Congregational Development, at jmarshall@toronto.anglican.ca or 416-363-6021 (1-800-668-8932).