PAW announces grant award for the Lead Well program at the national convention in Baltimore.

Planning & Design Process Financial Stability ● Ministry Management ● Emotional Wellness ● Community Leadership Vision : The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) is a membership organization that exists to equip and deploy people and resources to preach, teach, and reach the least and the lost, so that Christ may be preeminent in every life. To be effective in that purpose, PAW leadership sought a more comprehensive strategy to expand support for pastors to grow their economic knowledge and foundational operational practices. In November 2023, First Assistant Presiding Bishop Mark Tolbert secured a $50,000 planning grant from Lilly Endowment, a private foundation that has a special interest in supporting efforts to reduce or alleviate some of the financial pressures that impair the abilities of pastors to lead congregations effectively (through their National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders or "ECFPL"). The grant perimeters were aligned to PAW's own interest in nurturing its member pastors’ abilities to navigate their economic pressures. Opportunity : Concept Planning : In December 2023, Bishop Tolbert convened a think tank with 12 diverse participants from around the country. With the support of Presiding Bishop Theodore Brooks, he charged the group with designing a program that could address the economic challenges faced by pastors, their families, and their congregations – and that would meet the requirements of Lilly's ECFPL implementation grant. For two days, across six working sessions, think tank participants discussed problems, needs, challenges, trends, and potential opportunities and solutions. A facilitator charged the group to drill down on key priorities and identify elements that would ideally comprise the program. After numerous follow-up meetings with the think tank, the program design, entitled "Lead Well," was finalized in February 2024. A grantwriter prepared a draft application for discussion and then finalized and submitted the application in March 2024. In July 2024, Lilly Endowment gifted the PAW a $1.25 million grant to implement the proposal over the next 2 years (through July 2026). The final result of this process is explained in Overview . Final Proposal : More on the planning and design process can be found in Program Design , Research & Evaluation , and Advisory Board (formerly the Think Tank).

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Grants ! Financial Stability ● Ministry Management ● Emotional Wellness ● Community Leadership The purpose of the pastor grant fund (Ministerial Excellence Fund) is to offer financial relief directly to PAW pastors. Grants from this fund have been designed as an incentive for learning – meaning PAW pastors can only access these grant funds after they've completed the Comprehensive Learning Series . Making grants available for pastor's personal debt, along with providing financial education was a requirement of our funder. Note: Grants are not guaranteed and subject to funds being available. Pastor Grant Fund "Ministerial Excellence Fund" Grants for PAW Pastors Mark as Starred Mark as Starred Mark as Starred Mark as Starred Mark as Starred Mark as Starred Offers financial relief directly to pastors via grants Must be a pastor credentialed by and in good standing with PAW Grant eligible after completion of required learning Grant awards amounts will vary per pastor, Funds will be distributed directly to creditors (not pastors to avoid tax consequences) Use limited to personal debt relief and hardships *Note: In some cases grants may be applied to personal debt related to church building operations, but may be subject to additional approval. At this time only US pastors are eligible for the grants and mini scholarships. *Bonus: there will be additional consideration given to applications that demonstrate a pastor involved their spouse and/or church administrator. Debt Relief Credit cards. Mortgage. Rent. Home repair. Car repair. Medical bills. College expenses. Hardships Housing assistance. Disaster assistance. Sudden illness. Relocation costs. Process Application ● Review ● Disbursement Grant applications will not available until late May 2026 for eligible PAW pastors. Invited to apply for grants through an online application, after learning requirement is met Substantiate need/debt with documentation Letter of support from congregation required Applications will be scored against a rubric used by a Grant Review Committee Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed throughout the year Once a grant is approved PAW will directly pay creditors on pastor's behalf * At this time only PAW pastors in the United States are eligible for the grants, scholarships, and coaching benefits (as directed by the funder). Grant Matching Every dollar we raise for the pastor grants fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Lilly Endowment (up to $600,000). Our goal is to maximize the match so we can bless as many PAW pastors in need as possible! If you're interested in helping us reach our goal, please consider contributing to the Ministerial Excellence Fund. Visit Donate. Please help us spread the word by sharing the following link: https://leadwellpaw.org/donate#donate