Best Grants for Religious Nonprofits in Mississippi

Religious and other 501(c)(3) organizations serving Mississippi and the broader Southern region can seek support for programs in poverty relief, education, medical assistance, disaster relief, and related services. Focused on tangible impact, Robinson Foundation invites single-year proposals from charities active for more than three years; capital projects are not funded.

The Franklin Research Grants support noncommercial research by funding travel to libraries and archives, purchasing research materials, and covering fieldwork or laboratory expenses. With a maximum award of $6,000, these grants are aimed at scholars with a doctorate or equivalent publications, excluding Ph.D. candidates. Grants are taxable, not retroactive, and are not intended for conference attendance or publication costs. The program encourages young scholars and allows reapplications after two years.

The James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation focuses on enriching lives and making a positive impact in local communities. They prioritize funding for tax-exempt organizations that enhance education, health care, and support the under-served. The Foundation seeks to partner with those who demonstrate accountability and effective resource management, aligning with their mission for community enrichment and leadership development.

Media professionals and organizations in Mississippi and beyond creating secular content about religious issues, values, or themes can apply for the Wilbur Awards. Grants from Religion Communicators Council help recognize excellence in audio, audio-visual, image, and written work published in 2024, which may benefit religious nonprofits engaged in public communications.

Religious and faith-based nonprofits in Mississippi seeking support for arts, education, or religion-focused projects can apply for grants from the Chisholm Foundation, which accepts applications from across the U.S. Focus is on new or demonstration projects that can attract additional supporters, with applications typically due March 1 for May and September 1 for November decisions.

Mississippi religious nonprofits with historic, community-serving houses of worship can access funding through the National Fund for Sacred Places for major capital preservation projects. Administered by Partners for Sacred Places, this U.S.-wide program offers US $50,000 - US $500,000 matching grants plus training and technical assistance for urgent repairs, accessibility, and space renovations.

U.S. junior humanities and humanistic social science faculty seeking sabbatical time for research and writing can receive up to US $35,000, plus travel and research funds, through the Career Enhancement Fellowship. Institute for Citizens & Scholars backs scholars whose work advances campus diversity, which may include religion and spirituality programs at Mississippi colleges and universities.

Doctoral candidates who are alumni of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and nearing dissertation completion can receive up to US $30,000 to spend a year writing their dissertation. Grants from Institute for Citizens & Scholars help support graduate students in eligible humanities, social science, and physical science fields, including those in Mississippi and in religion and spirituality-related disciplines.

Adjunct faculty who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, are alumni of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and teach in eligible humanities or social science fields can receive support for research and scholarship, including religion and theology, in Mississippi and nationwide. Institute for Citizens & Scholars provides US $10,000, mentoring, and conference funding to help fellows pursue tenure-track positions.

Presbyterian women of color, clergywomen, college women, and other women in the U.S., including Mississippi, can receive up to US $3,000 for leadership and spiritual development or college expenses. The Katie Cannon Scholarship from Presbyterian Mission Agency supports participation in leadership events and equips women for greater service in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Religious 501(c)(3) organizations in Mississippi can seek project or program support, including faith-based work, from the Andrew Burgin Charitable Trust, with typical awards of US $5,000 - US $20,000. The trust primarily supports Alabama groups but may fund qualified religious and charitable organizations elsewhere, including Mississippi, across education, health, human services, and related areas.

Harry Kramer Memorial Fund provides Mississippi religious and faith-supported 501(c)(3) organizations with US $10,000 - US $25,000 for programs such as care of the sick or aged, education in South Florida, and support benefiting people in Israel. Eligible U.S. charities with strong religious backing may be especially competitive for this funding.

Religious and other 501(c)(3) organizations in Mississippi can seek funding for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational programs. Grants from Winter Clarence W Charitable Trust help support work in areas like religion and spirituality, human services, education, and health, with typical awards of US $3,000 - US $5,000 and a preference for Bucks County, PA organizations.

Mississippi religious and spirituality-focused 501(c)(3) organizations can access funding through Tuttleman Foundation to support programs in spirituality, basic human services, health care access, education, and arts and museums. This national funder offers grants ranging from US $1,000 - US $250,000 for organizations working within its stated priority areas.

Mississippi religious congregations planning new worship sanctuaries can access funding through the John C Lasko Foundation Trust for church construction projects. Eligible applicants must own the land, fund at least 50% of project costs, and seek support specifically for sanctuary space as part of a capital project serving a broad community need.

Mississippi religious and spiritual 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking general operating support can access funding through the Larry H Miller Family Foundation; awards up to US $10,000. Eligible requests must advance health, food and shelter, education, jobs and economic self-reliance, or cultural and spiritual enrichment, with organizations serving U.S. communities, especially those with Utah impact.

Mississippi religious and faith-based nonprofits can access funding through the Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation for programs in religion, education, health and wellness, literacy, arts, and culture. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations must use funds within the U.S., with a preference for projects aligning with the foundation’s stated funding areas and priorities.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations working in ministry, education, or relationship-based programs that benefit Montanans can apply for support from Gianforte Family Foundation; work may be based in Mississippi if it directly impacts Montana residents. Funding helps equip people to improve their lives sustainably, strengthen families through ministries, and restore individuals through relationships.

High school seniors of African American or African descent from Troy-area schools planning postsecondary education can receive support for college, technical, trade, or certificate programs. With a mission to empower generous people, The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region provides the Michael Gregory Boyd Scholarship for students active in church and/or school service, which may include Mississippi applicants meeting these criteria.

Indiana high school or college-bound students with a minimum 3.0 GPA who embrace constitutionally based limited government and Judeo-Christian values can receive scholarship support for any accredited college or university. With a mission to mobilize people, ideas, and investment, Hamilton County Community Foundation provides this aid; students from Arcadia or Cicero receive preference and Mississippi residents may not be eligible.

501(c)(3) religious nonprofits in Mississippi conducting Protestant Evangelical ministry or regional secular humanitarian programs may be eligible for support to meet community needs. Grants from Huston Foundation help faith-based and other qualifying organizations fund evangelism, discipleship, and innovative, problem-solving services in regional, national, and international contexts.

The ACLS Graduate Internships on the Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future program offers summer opportunities for current PhD students in the humanities and social sciences to engage with organizations addressing the evolving American religious landscape. This initiative aims to cultivate future leaders by providing practical experiences that demonstrate the value of doctoral training beyond academia. Supported by the Templeton Religion Trust, the internships encourage collaboration between fellows and community organizations, fostering a deeper understanding of spiritual infrastructures.

The American Bible Society (ABS) Research Grant invites Christian higher education scholars to explore ways to enhance Bible engagement among young adults aged 18-35. With $50,000 in funding, this grant encourages innovative proposals that promote meaningful interactions with Scripture, evaluate engagement strategies, and cater to diverse Christian traditions. Research teams or individual faculty members with expertise in spiritual formation and discipleship are encouraged to apply, aiming for scalable solutions that positively impact spiritual well-being.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from a high school in Luzerne County who demonstrates academic excellence, good citizenship, participation in athletics, and who is active in a faith or religious-based organization.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from a high school in Lackawanna County who demonstrates academic excellence, good citizenship, participation in athletics, and who is active in a faith or religious-based organization.

Who We Are

Buiding a stronger, More Vibrant Community

For over 70 years, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served Northeastern Pennsylvania as a steward of charitable resources, a grantmaker, and a catalyst for positive change. Guided by our core values of collaboration, trust, integrity, innovation, and inclusivity, we work to ensure that our communities thrive with opportunities for all.

This scholarship is awarded to a student matriculating at a college, university, or business in the year of the scholarship.

Innovation in Religion and Spirituality Seed Grants Call for Proposals

The Religion and the Public Sphere program at the Social Science Research Council aims to foster research on the wider implications of new forms of religious and spiritual life. This program is offered with the support of the Luce Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Templeton World Charity Foundation.

Overview

In recent years, scholars have noted that religious and spiritual life is being substantively reshaped. “Innovation” is one way of framing these changes, but it remains a partial and contested analytic lens, and is popularly associated with the sudden emergence of a “new” element introduced into an otherwise static tradition. Scholarship on religion and spirituality, however, points to a more complex set of processes. The essays in an ongoing forum for The Immanent Frame have set out some initial parameters of these dynamics: rather than invention ex nihilio, what we often see is the strategic recombination of existing elements within a broader context of social, political, and cultural change.

Research Themes

This request invites proposals that examine the dynamics of religious and spiritual change that fall within the frame of “innovation.” Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Explorations of innovations within transnational or diasporic religious and/or spiritual communities within the United States, particularly related to the circulation of ideas and culture from or to the Global South.   
• Gendered knowledge of innovation. 
• Studies of the process by which an innovation attains—or does not attain—legitimacy, relevance, or authority within a given community or institution. 
• The relationship between contemporary economic conditions—poverty, economic insecurity, and competitive pressures for time and money—and innovations in religion and spirituality. 
• Historical studies of innovations in religion and spirituality; the creation, reception, transformation, and longevity of an innovation over time.  
• Civic participation and the social mobilization of new or innovative religious identities, as well as the reinterpretation of religious or spiritual traditions or ideas in the service of particular political or ideological projects.

Program Terms 

The program offers research support over a period of up to 6 months. The grant funds will be up to $10,000 per award.