Guiding Principles of Fund Disbursement

Priority areas of funding for Concentric include ministries that:

• Disciple people as followers of Christ
• Develop leaders
• Care for the disadvantaged
• Establish new churches
• Advance the Gospel throughout the earth.

Proven Track Record

Because the trustees of Concentric desire to be wise stewards of the funds entrusted to the foundation, disbursements will be made only to existing ministries with a proven track record of wise stewardship and ministry effectiveness. Therefore, an organization must be in existence for at least 3 - 5 years prior to being eligible to apply for foundation funding. Concentric will also consider an organization's alignment with the Standards of Responsible Stewardship established by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). 

Missional Alignment

Anyone requesting funds from Concentric will be required to fill out a Grant Application and to submit organizational financial statements for the past two years of ministry. Grant proposals should explain how the organization and project align with Concentric's missional intent. They should also contain a complete description of the proposed project for which funding is requested including full information on the planned use of funding and the anticipated impact to the ministry constituency, community, and/or world. Anticipated impact should be as specific and measurable as possible.

Responsible Stewardship

As trustees of Concentric, we recognize that the gift of capital resources can be a tool used of God to make a great and lasting impact. At the same time, money has been and can be a disruptive and destructive force in the life of a ministry. Therefore, we take seriously the responsibility to "do no harm" in injecting capital into ministry and will work diligently to seek to avoid creating dependence, long-term instability, or an unhealthy financial situation for an organization. Toward that end, an organizational vetting process will be used to help determine the potential impact (both positive and negative) that a grant may have on a potential recipient organization. 

New Works

Concentric desires to help expand the Kingdom while also seeking to guard against creating unhealthy dependence upon grant money for an organization. Therefore, funds will be used primarily as "new capital" to help with initiatives that will expand a ministry's scope of impact on the Gospel and the cause of Christ on earth. Funds will not typically be disbursed for ongoing general operating expenses. In addition, the organization itself must be committed to funding a significant portion of the project cost apart from the foundation grant. The organization must also be able to demonstrate it's ability to handle ongoing operating costs created by the new initiative without putting the organization in an unhealthy situation over the long-term.

Lasting Impact

Concentric values lasting impact over quick, short-term, activity. Therefore, preference of investment will be in initiatives that have the greatest potential for lasting long-term impact. The foundation also expects that grant recipients will report back on the results of the investment one year and three years after the disbursement of funds. Such reporting is desired from all grant recipients and is required for consideration of any future grant disbursements.

+ Concentric does not support other foundations or individuals. Applications must include a copy of the organization's current IRS exemption letter and most recent IRS form 990 federal tax return to verify their eligibility. 

+ Concentric will not consider multiple grant requests from a single organization in a single year. The foundation will not make multi-year commitments or support organizational fundraising events or lobbying of any kind.