Versacare Foundation has announced that their Catalyst Grant program, with funding up to $10,000, will now be open year-round. “We realized that limiting applications to only part of the year made it difficult for organizations to apply for and receive the funds when they needed them,” explained Kelly Daugherty, program director at Versacare Foundation.
The foundation offers four main grant categories: K-12 schools, Catalyst, Venture, and Impact. These grants are available within the North American Division and the Inter-American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and they focus on programmatic ministries aiming to “create loving and just communities,” said Daugherty.
Catalyst grants are designed to alleviate immediate needs, she explained, while emphasizing the foundation’s grants come with “a funding philosophy aimed at sustainable impact rather than mere transactions.” Versacare leaders guide the foundation with a passion for long-term community impact instead of just one-time activities. This allows for greater reach of funded ministries, influencing the lives of as many within the community as possible.
“When considering applications, we look to launch and support quality, innovative missions, and ministries,” said Tom Macomber, president of Versacare Foundation, “and to encourage responsible philanthropy.”
But it’s not just about the ministry outside the requesting organization; Versacare also looks to further support and guide the recipients of the funding. “We coach organizations to avoid single-source funding dependency and encourage a business-minded approach to what they’re doing to create sustainable ministries,” Macomber explained. “We want these programs to continue to thrive, even after their initial grant money is gone.”
Whenever a Versacare grant is awarded, the foundation provides resources beyond the funding to help organizations be successful in the long-term, focusing on financial management, budgeting, and seeking additional and ongoing financial support from various sources.
Inspired by Jesus’ ministry and by Adventist heritage, the foundation has distributed nearly $40M in grants since 1990, primarily supporting Adventist ministries. Among those funded within the Pacific Union are Pacific Union Festival of Sabbath, an Oak and Acorn publishing project, and a community garden and orchard at Pacific Union College Elementary School.
Though Versacare has Adventist roots and a board consisting of Adventist church members, it is an independent foundation unbound by church structure. It is self-funded through endowment from previous assets, and it primarily funds Adventist or Adventist-adjacent ministries.
For information on how your ministry can apply for a Versacare Foundation grant, visit versacare.org.
