Trinity Church Wall Street Awards $5.4 million to Build Resiliency Through Financial and Leadership Capacities of Church Partners Across the Globe

Trinity Church Wall Street
Posted Sep 7, 2022

Trinity Church Wall Street is providing $5.4 million to nonprofits, dioceses, and seminaries across the United States and internationally to fund a variety of projects focused on leadership training and mission real estate development.

The latest set of leadership development grants feature a focus on continuing education programs, community engagement for faith leaders, and the growing need to develop lay leadership in the church.

“As churches and seminaries adapt to the lifting of pandemic restrictions, they recognize that their work and ministries are forever changed,” said Rob Garris, Managing Director for Leadership Development at Trinity Church Wall Street. “The future is unclear, but undoubtedly digital forms of worship, learning, formation, and community building with expanding roles for lay leaders are now a regular part of life for many of our partners.”

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale is using a $200,000 grant to support a fellowship program focused on individualized coaching for faith leaders, creating affordable online faith and leadership courses, and a podcast series on contemporary issues of importance to faith leaders.

A $500,000 grant will help the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest improve access to continuing education for established ordained and lay leaders through its Iona Initiative. It is also developing Spanish-language resources on faith and leadership with a prior grant from Trinity, reflecting the growing numbers of Spanish-speaking congregants and leaders in the Church.

As well as requiring new forms of worship and community, the pandemic has also highlighted the need to build financial capacity beyond the collection plate.

Trinity has expanded its Mission Real Estate Development work to encompass churches throughout the United States facing the challenge of reimagining how their property may be utilized to provide sustainable financial support and to serve the needs of underserved neighborhoods which the pandemic has exposed. Trinity provides funding for feasibility studies and pre-development costs to determine the most viable development concepts that align with the missional priority of the church in its community.

Trinity’s commitment to its partners internationally continues with over $1 million in grants focused on mission real estate development to support work to advance their missions.

The Diocese of Tamale in Ghana is using a $270,000 grant to complete work on a student housing development. Trinity originally provided a $242,000 grant to the Diocese in 2018.

Irembo Hotel in Burundi

In Ngozi, Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, the Diocese of Buye is expanding the Irembo Hotel with a $475,000 grant. The hotel maintained a resilient 80% occupancy throughout the pandemic by offering safe and affordable accommodations for local civic, religious, and business travelers. The income from this project supports the Diocese’s focus on helping local farmers respond to the impacts of climate change in an agrarian economy and supporting vulnerable people.

“These projects will generate direct investments in ministry and provide community support,” said The Rev. James Clark, Managing Director for Mission Real Estate Development for Trinity Church Wall Street. “They will also strengthen the financial health and resilience of church institutions emerging from the latest stage of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as provide immediate income to households from the creation of construction jobs and full-time positions operating the projects.”

Trinity has awarded a total $23.4 million in grants so far this year across all its philanthropic initiatives to organizations in New York City, the U.S., and internationally.

The Mission Real Estate Development and Leadership Development grantees are:

CAPA – Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa

Diocese of Buye, Burundi

Diocese of Kondoa, Tanzania

Diocese of Sekondi, Ghana

Diocese of Tamale, Ghana

Diocese of Wiawso, Ghana

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas

Christ Episcopal Church Dearborn, Michigan

Clal – National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

Cyclical Incorporated

Diocese of Kurunagala, Sri Lanka

Diocese of Olympia

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative Inc.

Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Episcopal Theological School at Claremont Bloy House

Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest

London Diocesan Fund

National Interfaith Cable Coalition d/b/a Odyssey Impact

Partnership for Renewal

Princeton Theological Seminary

Saint Andrew’s Theological Seminary

Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference Inc.

The Episcopal Church Foundation

The FaithX Project

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. George-in-the-East with St. Paul

Trustees of Boston University

United Church of Canada

United Theological College

Virginia Theological Seminary

Washington National Cathedral

Wesley Theological Seminary of The United Methodist Church

Yale University

About Trinity Church Wall Street

Now in its fourth century, Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing and inclusive Episcopal parish of more than 1,200 members that seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities. The parish is guided by its core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. Members come from the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding areas to form a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse congregation. More than 20 worship services are offered every week at its historic sanctuaries, Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission, and online at trinitywallstreet.org. The parish welcomes approximately 2 million visitors per year.

Contact: Tiani Jones 917.710.3289, tjones@trinitywallstreet.org