The Birthday Offering funds one to five capital improvement projects each year, in amounts of $75,000 to $150,000. The Thank Offering funds up to 20 projects a year with grants between $5,000 and $50,000 that support programmatic projects such as training, advocacy or hunger alleviation, or small capital improvements.
To qualify, a program must
- have a clearly defined purpose that meets basic human needs. The purpose must be in accordance with mission goals and policies of the Presbyterian Church (USA);
- provide a form of aid that has been requested or identified to meet the needs of the people served; and
- be a creative project less than three years old or an existing project moving in a new direction.
A proposal must
- describe how the project will improve the lives of people served and how they will be involved with the project;
- indicate how the project will work with women, children, youth, young adults, persons of diverse races and/or ethnicities, and/or persons with disabilities, to enhance their quality of life;
- list all other sources of money being requested and/or already awarded for this project;
- describe how the program will continue after the grant (if received) is spent;
- explain how the project’s progress will be reported and success measured;
- provide a written endorsement from a Presbyterian Women’s group of a local church, PW in the Presbytery coordinating team, or a PW in the Synod coordinating team. A letter from the presbytery or synod is desirable, but not necessary. If outside the U.S.A., a written endorsement from an indigenous church that is in relationship with the PC(USA) must be provided. Please allow at least six weeks to obtain an endorsement; and be signed by the writer of the proposal and another person responsible for this project (preferably, the board chairperson).
Notify Presbyterian Women if other funding for the project has been received since submission of the proposal. Notification must be received before August 1 for the Birthday Offering and before February 1 for the Thank Offering.
Grants awarded
- are a one-time grant. Although the project does not have to be completed in a single year, the project must be underway within one year of receiving the funds;
- may not be used for payment of current debt, creating or maintaining revolving loan funds, to fund a permanent endowment, or to offset the ongoing operating budget;
Grant recipients
- must return an interim report six months after receiving the first payment, and all supporting documentation before the second payment will be made;
- must return one-year and two-year follow-up reports;
- must notify Presbyterian Women of any change in the proposal, leadership or address.
Priority will be given to applicants that have not been previously funded by Birthday or Thank Offerings.
| Grant | Application Postmark Deadline | Decision | First Payment | Second Payment |
| Birthday Offering | June 1 | September of the same year | October of the decision year | May one year after application |
| Thank Offering | November 1 | March of following year | May of decision year | December of decision year |
Download the Birthday Offering Application.
Download the Thank Offering Application.
To ask a question or to learn more about Birthday or Thank Offering Criteria, contact Cheri Harper.