The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) has just received a grant for an initiative entitled, Pivot 2021: Addressing the Needs of Underserved Episcopal Faith Communities in a Digital World from Trinity Church Wall Street. The purpose of the grant is to create a digital version of ECF’s successful Congregational Leadership Initiative (CLI) to be available online to the entire church.

ECF President Donald Romanik said, “ECF is honored to receive this generous grant from Trinity Church Wall Street. This grant will enable us to serve our church in a meaningful and significant way, allowing us to further live into our mission of vitalizing Episcopal faith communities.”

Innovation has been embedded in the DNA of ECF from the beginning. Through partnerships and collaborations, ECF has served as an incubator for programs like Godly Play, Fresh Start, College for Bishops, and CREDO. More recently, ECF received two three-year grants from the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders (ECFPL).

During Phase I (2016-2018), ECF developed and piloted programs providing lay and clergy leaders with practical, innovative, and contextual resources addressing financial and leadership challenges of the 21st Century Church. In Phase II (2019-2021), we shifted our focus from developing and piloting, to scaling up, expanding, and incorporating these initiatives into ECF’s core program areas. Additionally, we have been intentional about reaching new constituencies and diversifying participants, including cohort-based CLI programs for lay and clergy leaders in the LatinX community, historically and predominantly black congregations, and, moving forward, with multi-cultural and non-parish-based settings.

With the Trinity Church Wall Street leadership grant, ECF looks to leverage online digital platforms to maximize outreach and service delivery to these communities, disseminating our work to the farthest reaches of the Church, while nurturing our partnerships to broaden our impact.

Founded in 1949, The Episcopal Church Foundation is an independent, lay-led and inclusive organization that helps build, vitalize and transform Episcopal faith communities focusing on formation, finance and resources. Our purpose is to be a catalyst, agent, and advocate for transformation, renewal and growth in the Episcopal Church in practical, innovative and spiritually-grounded ways.

For more information, please click here.

Contact
Charis Bhagianathan
cbhagianathan@ecf.org