A member of Ishpeming: Wesley UMC shares a powerful story of receiving a grant to help fund their Keep Kids Warm project. Let this story inspire you, and then sign up for one of the upcoming grant and fund development workshops hosted by the Michigan Conference.
Editor’s note: This month, the Michigan Conference’s Connectional Ministries Team will host several online workshops and trainings on grant writing and nontraditional funding sources. Click to learn more and to register.
Scott Sherrill, our pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Ishpeming, forwarded the information to me about the grants classes offered through the Michigan Conference, led by Lisa Batten.
I am a volunteer grants writer for our Keep Kids Warm project. Through this project, we provide new winter outerwear for children in need in our communities. We are in need of more funding each year because the number of families requesting winter gear continues to increase, and the cost of new winter gear also rises annually (although we attempt to purchase winter gear in the spring at clearance prices).
I signed up for the grants classes, which have been really helpful. One of the classes presented tips for writing grants. One of the classes shared the GrantStation tools. What a valuable resource! Lisa provided a helpful list of steps to use GrantStation. The other classes are “open labs” where we can ask questions, learn about the grants other people are working on, and so on.
Lisa also sends out a list of grants and resources that may be helpful to us. She suggested I apply for the M.E. Foundation grant. She said this grant is only open to organizations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in Boston, Massachusetts.
I applied for the grant — requesting $500. Their board of trustees contacted me, suggesting that they add an additional zero to the $500 we requested. They are willing to donate $5,000! This accounts for one-quarter of our total budget.
Thank you to Lisa and the grants classes offered through the Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church!
God is good!
Last Updated on June 12, 2025