SMJA Grants

The Central/Southern Illinois Synod Social Ministry, Justice, and Advocacy Committee (SMJA) distributes annual grants to C/SIS congregations or affiliated ministry organizations for outreach programs. The deadline is April 1 of each year. For further questions, contact the synod office (, 217-753-7915).

• Grants usually average about $500.
• The grant proposal form is available below.
• Grant proposals should follow the form and be limited to three pages in length plus attachments. Proposals that do not follow the form or exceed the length limitation will be returned for revision.
• The program requires involvement of a C/SIS community of disciples in the grant process.
• All proposals must state how a local community of disciples will actively be involved in the implementation of the project. A letter of commitment from the community of disciples must be attached to the proposal. When multiple faith communities support the project, letters must be attached from each.
• The deadline for proposals to be received is April 1 of each year. The committee will meet in April to consider proposals.
• Grant recipients are required to a) submit a mid-year progress report with photos and b) a final report to the committee summarizing their expenditures and describing their progress in achieving their proposed objectives before May 1 the year after initial approval. Success is not required for disbursement of funds, but the reporting of the effort is.
• Online submissions will be automatically sent to the synod office. Completed applications using the PDF form should be sent via mail to the attention of the SMJA committee to the synod office by mail (524 S 5th St, Springfield, IL 62701) or email ().