More Than a Grant: Congregations with Community Builds Partnerships Across Indiana

For nearly three years, an Indiana initiative has invested millions of dollars into an idea that begins not with money, but with relationships: What could happen if congregations and community organizations stopped trying to solve community problems alone?

Congregations With Community, or CWC, brings congregations together with nonprofits, businesses and other community partners to address needs ranging from housing and homelessness to employment, literacy and other issues affecting their communities.

The statewide initiative has awarded 51 grants totaling more than $3.2 million since its launch, according to McKenzie Scott Lewis, senior director of Congregations with Community.

But Lewis says the money is only part of the story.

“The key is that you are not alone,” Lewis told Our Times. “It’s congregations with community. That ‘with’ right there is extremely important because we think that if we are doing things together, we have greater impact.”

Building relationships before programs

CWC is a division of the Center for Congregations and is funded through Lilly Endowment Inc. The initiative was developed after Lilly Endowment approached the Center for Congregations about creating a program that could bring together its interests in religion and community.

The model requires a congregation to work alongside a community partner around a shared issue. CWC’s current grant guidelines say grants can be awarded to Christian congregations in Indiana, or a community development corporation originating from a congregation. Community partners can include nonprofits, businesses and other entities. CWC can also help congregations and organizations identify potential partners when those relationships do not already exist.

That partnership is central to the program. Lewis said one organization may have expertise that the other lacks. A congregation, for example, may bring volunteers, trusted community relationships and infrastructure, while its partner may have specialized knowledge of a particular issue or population.

Instead of requiring either organization to do everything well, CWC asks them to build something together. “When one is a little stronger in another area, they can lead in that portion,” Lewis said. Lewis said CWC’s research has reinforced the importance of those relationships. While conversations about community development often focus on funding, he said, money is ultimately a tool. “The genesis of this thing is to build relationships because it’s tough to help others when you don’t know others.”

From inviting the community in to going into the community

That philosophy also asks congregations to think differently about their relationship with the neighborhoods around them. Lewis pointed to an evaluation of CWC’s work in which a pastor described a shift taking place within the congregation. “We used to ask the community, ‘Can you please come to our church?’” Lewis recalled. “Now they’re asking the community, ‘What are your needs?’” For Lewis, that distinction matters.

Congregations have historically served as places where people gather, develop relationships and experience belonging. CWC’s model builds upon that capacity while encouraging congregations to listen to people outside their walls and work alongside organizations already addressing community needs. It is not about every partner being the same, Lewis said. It is about finding common ground. “If diversity is our strength, then unity is our superpower,” he said.

A different relationship with the funder

CWC’s approach also challenges another traditional relationship: the one between funder and grantee. Lewis calls CWC a “grant plus” model.

Rather than awarding money and waiting for a report demonstrating what an organization accomplished, CWC’s Community Engagement Advisors work with prospective grantees before funding is awarded, during the grant period and after the grant ends. “We want to see you successful,” Lewis said.

That does not mean every project will work exactly as planned. Failure, Lewis said, can be part of the process. The difference is that CWC expects the funder to learn alongside the organizations it supports instead of leaving them alone when challenges arise.

CWC evaluates partnerships in four areas Lewis describes as “integrities”: congregational integrity, community integrity, team integrity and financial integrity. Questions can range from how a congregation is viewed by its community to how partners make decisions, resolve conflict and manage money. When weaknesses are identified, Lewis said CWC can help organizations strengthen their capacity for long-term sustainability.

That support can be particularly significant for grassroots organizations and congregations with strong ideas but limited experience navigating large grants or developing organizational infrastructure.

What partnership can look like

One CWC-funded partnership in Gary offers an example. Butterfly Dreamz partnered with Flourish Church to support young women through programming addressing leadership and multiple dimensions of wellness, including mental, physical, financial and spiritual health.

Butterfly Dreamz was created after its founder’s sister lost her life to gun violence, Lewis said. The organization brought its expertise working with young women. Flourish Church brought volunteers and an established structure. Together, participants have taken part in workshops and community projects, including cleaning parks in Gary.

Lewis said 86% of the young women who participated reported having a greater sense of purpose. For Lewis, that outcome illustrates what can happen when organizations bring their individual strengths into a shared effort.

Making sure Southwest Indiana is included

Although CWC operates statewide, Lewis said reaching communities beyond Central Indiana requires intentional relationship-building.

The Center for Congregations has a regional presence in Evansville, led by the Rev. Dr. J.C. Campbell, and Lewis has made repeated trips to Southwest Indiana to connect with congregations and community leaders.

“We see you,” Lewis said of CWC’s message to Evansville and the surrounding region. “Because you belong.”

Those relationships have also led to investment. CWC has awarded grants to partnerships across Southwest Indiana, including La Iglesia Bautista de Oakhill and Promise Theological Seminary in Vanderburgh County; Beechwood Christian Church and Team OC Mentoring in Orange County; Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church and Terre Haute Friendship House in Vigo County; and McClure Memorial Baptist Church and Memorial Community Development Corporation in Vanderburgh County.

Lewis’ most recent visit brought him back to Evansville as keynote speaker for Memorial Community Development Corp.’s annual luncheon, where he spoke about community as the “soil” in which people plant seeds.

For Lewis, that kind of relationship-building is not separate from CWC’s statewide work — it is central to how the work gets done.

An opportunity for Indiana congregations

CWC currently has a grant opportunity available for Indiana congregations and their community partners.

Current CWC guidelines allow grant requests ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. The program requires the congregation and community partner to focus together on one community challenge or opportunity and create a team to guide the work.

The process does not begin by simply downloading an application.

Interested organizations first connect with CWC, attend an information session and meet with a Community Engagement Advisor. Eligible applicants who complete the required steps are then invited to apply.

And organizations should not assume they are ineligible simply because they have an idea but do not yet have a partner. Lewis said CWC receives calls from both congregations seeking community organizations and community organizations interested in finding congregational partners. “We help facilitate that,” he said.

Lewis told Our Times the current application deadline is Sept. 11 and encouraged interested organizations to contact CWC as soon as possible. For those who may not be ready for this funding cycle, Lewis’ advice begins in the same place as CWC’s broader philosophy. Have a conversation. “Nothing great is ever accomplished without a conversation,” he said.

For Lewis, the long-term measure of CWC’s success will be bigger than the number of grants it awards. He wants CWC to become a trusted resource for partnerships between congregations and community organizations and to continue sharing what those partnerships teach them about strengthening communities across Indiana.

“People don’t know if we don’t tell them,” Lewis said.