ACTS/VIM
MISSION STATEMENT AND CRITERIA

(A Commitment To Serve/Venture In Mission)

Applications are received twice a year: February 15 and September 15, with disbursements in June and December, respectively.

Applications are accepted from individual churches, multiple congregation initiatives
and district inititatives.

There are separate applications for the three categories (individual church, multiple congregation and district initiatives).


Individual church application in PDF form, click here
Individual church application in Microsoft Word, click here
This application form was revised for August 2010 and must be used.

Assistance is available from any member of the ACTS/VIM board. The names and contact information are provided in the application package.

First time applicants are welcomed and should not hesitate to contact anyone on the board with any questions, concerns or need for assistance.

Please take note of several changes for ACTS/VIM applications:

  • The application for individual congregations is new and must be used.  Older versions will not be accepted.
  • The deadline of September 15 is a firm date for submission.  Late applications will not be accepted.
  • All portions of the application are required at the time of submission, including the vestry resolution and all requested budgets.
  • Incomplete applications will be rejected.


Multiple congregation and district initiative applications are welcomed and encouraged.

Multiple congregation application in PDF form, click here
Multiple congregation application in Microsoft Word, click here


District initiative application in PDF form, click here
District initiative in Microsoft Word, click here

For additional information, call 973-430-9900.


The application forms are in PDF (Portable Document Format) and require an Adobe PDF reader. Click on the icon to obtain the FREE Adobe PDF reader.)

Mission Statement:
Through financial support of programs and projects that encourage both congregational development and community outreach, ACTS/VIM endeavors to increase the activity of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Newark as it expresses Jesus' vision for God's people preserved in the Gospel.
(revised Mission Statement and Criteria adopted by Diocesan Council, June 2001)

ACTS/VIM funds proposals that address one or more of the following:

  1. Connect congregational development and community outreach;
  2. Promote inclusivity and welcoming of outsiders (or program beneficiaries) into the Episcopal Church;
  3. Foster and broaden clergy and lay leadership in the congregation;
  4. Demonstrate responsible stewardship of resources;
  5. Offer creative vision for the church's witness and presence in the community; and,
  6. Promote collaboration and cooperation.
  7. Promote initial resources for new endeavors (seed money), which might otherwise be difficult to fund.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES FOR ACTS/VIM GRANT PROPOSALS
(revised and adopted by Diocesan Council, June 2001 and March 2005 and 2007)

  1. Proposals submitted by February 15 will be considered for spring funding, by September 15 for fall funding. Late applications will not be considered for funding.
  2. At the Board's first meetings after February 15 and September 15, all proposals will be reviewed to determine whether they meet the following the guidelines. If a proposal does not meet the criteria, the applicant will be notified immediately by mail of the reasons for the disqualification.
    1. Proposals should demonstrate a clear Episcopal congregational or diocesan relationship, and should project a life giving quality to your congregation/community.
    2. Copies of the operating budget for the current and past year should be included.
    3. Qualifications and/or professional credentials of project director and/or team assigned to the project should be included, as appropriate.
    4. Requests may not exceed $20,000 per granting period. There is no restriction on applying for additional funds in succeeding granting periods.
    5. Grant requests for program are given priority.
    6. Proposals should demonstrate that the applicant has researched other funding sources, including matching funds.
    7. Before funds are committed, proposals need approvals from appropriate consulting bodies: Department of Missions, Department of Program, Art & Architecture Committee, Finance Committee, etc. Investigation by the A/V Board and consulting bodies may run concurrently. After funds are committed, consulting bodies may assist the Board in judging effectiveness of program or project.
    8. After a grant is made the Board, as part of its procedures, requires written reports on the project including financial accountability, evaluation of the goals and objectives and any problems encountered.
    9. Before any changes in program design or costs are made during the life of the grant, written approval of the ACTS/Vim Board must be obtained.
    10. In the event a project is not completed or is terminated, all remaining funds must be returned to the Board together with a written report of reasons for termination.
    11. Where funds are committed to a project and that project does not start within 12 months, all funds will automatically revert back to the ACTS/Vim account for redistribution in the next granting period. The original proposal may be resubmitted, although it would then become one of any of received in the particular granting period.
    12. The Board will provide assistance in writing proposals on request.
    13. Current church audits must be on file with the Diocesan Finance Office as required by National Church Canon I.7.
    14. Current Parochial Reports must be on file with the Diocesan Finance Office as required under Canon I.6.1 of the National Church.
    15. Current Parochial Reports must be on file with the Diocesan Finance Office by the time of the meeting that disbursement of funds is decided. If the parochial report is not on file by that meeting, the application will not be considered for funding.
    16. Current pledge commitment cards must be on file with the Diocesan Finance Office.

    3.         Grant requests for building repairs or construction and feasibility studies will not be considered for funding.
    4.         ACTS/VIM will only consider one proposal per institution for each granting period.
    5.         ACTS/VIM will consider funding an institution for no more than three grant periods at the maximum request of $20,000.  After the three periods, ACTS/VIM will consider funding the institution for all additional grant periods at a maximum request of $10,000.
    6.         Provided the ACTS/VIM Board judges a district proposal to have the support of a plurality of the district and to introduce a new ministry serving the district, the proposal shall be considered a new institution for granting purposes.
    7.         Provided the ACTS/VIM Board judges a multi-congregation proposal as incorporating all congregations involved in the proposal, the proposal shall be considered a new institution for granting purposes.

     

REVIEW PROCEDURES

  1. After acceptance of a proposal a liaison team, usually two to four Board members, is assigned. The team will make an on site visit to the project and will inform the applicant of the time set for a hearing on the proposal before the full board. The Board will review the proposal at its following meeting and prepare a recommendation for Diocesan Council. All applicants will be notified of the Board's recommendation to Council.
  2. The Diocesan Council receives summary copies of all ACTS/VIM proposals at its March and September meetings for information. The Council receives for consideration the Board's recommendations at its May and November meetings and votes on the recommendations at its June and December meetings. In the event that the Council does not agree with a Board's recommendation, it is referred back to the Board for reconsideration in accordance with the procedures set forth in the 1986 Diocesan Journal, page 130.

    3.         Once a proposal has been submitted the amount requested cannot be modified.

    4.         The ACTS/VIM Board will notify the applicant in writing of the final recommendation on the proposal after the June and December Council meetings.


DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS

Funds are disbursed shortly after the ratification by the Diocesan Council of the awards at the June and December meetings of council and after receipt of the Grants Agreement form.


The evaluation report should answer the following questions:

1. Who was the population served? Did you receive feedback? If so what was it?

2. Name two measurable goals since the grant was received.

3. Did you achieve or not achieve those goals? What did you learn?
DESCRIPTION OF BOARD MEMBER DUTIES
  1. Prior to the first meeting read all the applications and note any questions you may have for the grantees.
  2. At the first meeting, you will be required to agree to several site visits, either alone or with another board member.
  3. You shall promptly call your grantee site visits and make an appointment to visit them.  You should expect them to be prompt in returning your call.  The appointment should be convenient to the board member, as well as the grantee.
  4. At the site visit, you should:
    • Go to the grantee site when the program is in session, if possible
    • Bring the questions mentioned by the board at the prior board meeting to the visit
    • Have all the questions answered at the site visit or very soon thereafter
    • Review any flaws in their application, including missing documentation, and set a date by which they will give you the changes/missing documents
    • Aprise the grantee of potential problems: missing the final meeting may result in a failure to fund, failing to provide all the information we need may result in a failure to fund and failing to complete any application may result in a failure to fund
    • Explain the process to the grantee, including what will happen at the board meeting, explain who should come to the meeting from the grantee agency

  1. Promptly after the site visit, and at least a week prior to the final board, you should send, via email to the board, a report about your site visit, answers to all questions asked by the board and copies of any documents sent by the grantee that were deemed missing from the application.  Should the application need to be re-worked, the new application should be sent also.
  2. At the board meeting, you should be prepared to provide any additional information, and be ready to decide on the amount to fund each grantee.
  3. At other times during the year, you may be called upon to represent ACTS/VIM, either at information tables, trainings or other diocesan events.  You should be able to participate in these on a regular basis.
  4. There may be additional meetings that you will be required to attend.
  5. You should check your email from the ACTS/VIM board regularly. 


E-mail questions to
Michael Francaviglia

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