2026 Annual Conference MEM Grant and RELC Grants available

March 6, 2026 / By UNY Communications / Email

The General Board of Global Ministries Annual Conference Multiethnic Ministries Grant and the Racial/Ethnic Local Church Grant applications are open until March 31. This year, all grant applications are online. Annual Conference

Multiethnic Ministries Grant ($20,000) – Up to 5 Grants Available 

Multiethnic Ministries (MEM) grants are provided to assist annual conferences with conference-wide programs focusing on racial/ethnic leadership development and racial/ethnic church growth and development. The MEM grants provide financial resources up to $20,000 per annual conference.

Program Objectives:

1. Leadership Development

• Contextually appropriate training programs and resources for emerging racial/ethnic clergy and/or lay leaders.

• Training programs and opportunities that develop children, youth and young adults in racial/ethnic churches.

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2. Church Growth and Development

• The development of racial/ethnic new church starts and congregations.

• The revitalization of existing and emerging racial/ethnic congregations.

• The development and resourcing of multicultural congregations and ministries.

Program Criteria:

• The ministry/project must focus on racial/ethnic leadership development and/or racial/ethnic church growth and development.

• The ministry/project must involve racial/ethnic conference members (clergy and/or lay) in the planning, leadership and decision-making.

• Priority will be given to new programs. Grants funded in the previous three years will not be given priority for the funding in the current year cycle.

• Maximum grant for a project is $20,000 and applications must reflect other resources supplied by the conference. Annual conferences must contribute at least 10% of the requested grant amount, and the contribution must be reflected in the income section of the budget.

Click here to apply.

Racial/Ethnic Local Church Block Grant ($40,000) – Up to 5 Grants Available 

Racial/Ethnic Local Church (RELC) Block Grants support racial/ethnic churches in the U.S. by funding ministries and programs focused on leadership development and church growth and development. Eligible congregations must have at least 51% nonwhite membership. Grants are awarded to conferences, which then use the funds to strengthen local racial/ethnic ministries. Individual congregations cannot apply directly. 

Program Objectives:

1. Leadership Development

• Contextually appropriate local church training programs and resources for emerging racial- ethnic leaders.

• Local church training programs and opportunities that develop children, youth and young adults in racial-ethnic churches.

2. Church Growth and Development

• The development of racial-ethnic new church starts and congregations.

• The revitalization of existing and emerging racial-ethnic congregations.

• The development, resourcing and multi-cultural congregations and ministries.

• One-year salary support for racial-ethnic pastors in racial-ethnic local churches and/or racial-ethnic pastoral leadership involved in the development and strengthening of racial-ethnic congregations. (This salary supplement cannot be used to meet conference minimum salary or to complete equitable compensation and salary supplement funds must include the appropriate fringe benefits.) 

Program Criteria:

• No more than $10,000 can be used in a singular congregation.

• The ministry/project must focus on developing and strengthening the racial-ethnic local church for witness and mission.

• The ministry/project must be a program of a majority racial-ethnic local church or annual conference of the United Methodist Church in the United States.

• Grant funds must be used for ministry within the local church setting.

• Block grants can be used to provide smaller grant awards to local racial/ethnic churches.

Click here to apply. 

Annual Conferences are eligible to apply for both the Annual Conference Multiethnic Ministries Grant AND the Racial/Ethnic Local Church Grant.To learn more about additional grant opportunities to support congregations in your conference, click here.  https://umcmission.org/work/church-engagement/multiethnic-ministries. 

For questions, please contact Executive Director of Multiethnic Ministries, Dana Lyles at dlyles@umcmission.org.