The purpose of the Discipleship Ministries Racial Ethnic Local Church Grants (RELCC) is to provide funding to strengthen the ethnic local church through leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship and spiritual formation as they engage in developing disciple making systems inside the church walls as well as in the local community. 

Priority is given to new programs and ministries that move churches to places where disciples are formed, grow and make new disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. 

A maximum of one grant per U.S. jurisdiction will be awarded.

Projects must reflect the strategic priorities of Discipleship Ministries (see below):

1. Improving disciple-making systems in existing local churches.
2. Increasing engagement with people outside the church who claim “no religious preference” and consider the church irrelevant.
3. Strengthening churches that are pre-dominantly non-white; that is: churches that are predominantly African-American, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander, or multi-ethnic. 

Please note:

Funds are not provided for personnel or equipment.
The MAXIMUM grant is $10,000. Applications are due September 30, 2023.

Discipleship Ministries staff are also available to answer questions about the application process.

Additionally, Discipleship Ministries staff will host a webinar for potential applicants on June 28. The webinar will address designing and evaluating your proposed project, and completing the grant application. Please email Naomi Annandale (below) to receive a link for the webinar. 

Naomi Annandale
Executive Director of Research and Strategic Evaluation
nannandale@umcdiscipleship.org
(877) 899-2780, ext. 1743 (toll-free)

Patricia Peña
ppena@umcdiscipleship.org
Director, Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement, Path 1
(877) 899-2780,

David Kim
Director, Korean, Asian American, & Pacific Islander Ministries
dkim@umcdiscipleship.org
(877) 899-2780, ext. 7050 (toll-free)