The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

The House of Deputies Committee on Racial Justice and Reconciliation presented its Report #25 on Resolution D006 (Resolution Establishing Equity in the Awarding of TEC Grants) and moved adoption of a substitute.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D006)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church direct that 25% percent of the grants that are annually awarded by The Episcopal Church be set aside and awarded to congregations or organizations that are predominately made up of people of color; and be it further

Resolved, That all TEC Grants shall be communicated in a timely manner and through an appropriate medium to ensure that grant availability, criteria, and timelines reach the appropriate audiences; and be it further

Resolved, That all grant reviewers shall have taken TEC’s anti-racism training; and be it further

Resolved, That grant criteria that may create hardships for congregations that are struggling financially or who lack partners be eliminated; and be it further

Resolved, That grant-writing resources and other relevant expertise be made available when requested by a potential grant applicant; and be it further

Resolved, That each office of TEC which makes such annual grants shall report to each successive General Convention on its progress in the effectuation of this resolution’s purposes, specifically a report detailing a breakdown of the dollar amounts of grants awarded to congregations or organizations of color versus those awarded to majority congregations or organization shall be provided.

Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church direct that all Episcopal Church grantmaking meet the following criteria:

• The call for grant applications is communicated at least two months ahead of the grant deadline and through appropriate media to ensure that grant availability, criteria, and timelines reach broad audiences, with specific efforts to reach congregations and communities of color;
• All grant reviewers have taken anti-racism training offered through the Episcopal Church;
• Grant eligibility criteria do not create unnecessary hardship for congregations that are struggling financially or who lack project partners;
• Grant-writing resources and other relevant expertise are made available to potential grant applicants (as examples, these could include grant-writing resources sent along with the grant application announcement; webinars with the grantmaking committee to explain the purpose of the grants and the process for applying; assembling a resource bank of knowledgeable volunteers who can assist applicants as they write the applications; and offering support from the grantmaking committee in reading drafts, raising questions needing further clarification, and making suggestions ahead of the submission deadline);

And be it further

Resolved, That each office or interim body that oversees Episcopal Church grants be directed to make diligent efforts to award a significant percentage of grants to congregations and communities of color; and be it further

Resolved, That each office or interim body that oversees Episcopal Church grants be directed to report to General Convention each triennium with a breakdown of the dollar amounts of grants awarded to congregations and communities of color versus majority white congregations and communities; and in the case of Episcopal Church grants that must be approved by Executive Council, that same breakdown of information about the proposed awards be provided by grantmaking committees to Executive Council ahead of the approvals process.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #78)