Strengthening faith and transforming ministries. ECF is an independent, lay-led, and inclusive organization that supports the vitality of Episcopal faith communities through endowment management, fellowship programs, planned giving, stewardship, and other resources.
A defining feature of Episcopal Church Foundation’s recent giving is its use of four $55,000 Bridges ECF Lilly Grants in 2023, directed to Episcopal partners in Minnesota, Michigan, Central Pennsylvania, and the Rio Grande. That pattern points to grantmaking built around Episcopal congregational and diocesan vitality rather than isolated one-off awards. The foundation supports Episcopal churches, dioceses, and church-related nonprofits through grants tied to ministry vitality, leadership development, capacity building, stewardship, planned giving, and diocesan support. Recent awards also show support for local church operations and ministry projects at a smaller scale, alongside larger initiative-based grants. In 2025, St Stephen’s Episcopal Church received $40,000 in general support, and Episcopal Project received $25,000 in general support. Other awards went to Episcopal congregations in cities including Minneapolis, Detroit, Harrisburg, Albuquerque, Bronx, Riverside, and Berkeley. The foundation’s grantmaking is organized through active programs and funding opportunities, including community grants, diocesan vitality work, scholarships, and general grant programs for Episcopal institutions and ministry leaders.
Within congregational vitality, Episcopal Church Foundation has funded general support for local churches such as St Mark’s Episcopal Church in 2025, showing an emphasis on sustaining parish ministry. It also backed All Saints Episcopal Church in Riverside, California, with a $16,250 general-support grant in 2024. Leadership and formation appear through diocesan and ministerial grants. The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem received $15,822 in 2023 for Ministerial Excellence, and the foundation also funded the Cross Cultural Studies Program in Minneapolis with $10,000 for the Pivot Program. The foundation’s initiative-based work includes the Bridges ECF Lilly Grant awards, which went to Episcopal Church in Minnesota, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, Episcopal Diocese of Central PA, and Diocese of the Rio Grande in 2023. Those awards signal structured support for church vitality across diocesan settings.
Typical awards are modest in size: the 25th percentile is $7,875, the median is $10,030, and the 75th percentile is $16,395. The recent list also includes several larger initiative grants at $55,000, showing a split between standard operating-style support and program-specific awards. The pattern is not limited to one-off relationships. Trinity Episcopal Church appears multiple times across 2023, 2024, and 2025 with different grant amounts, and St Stephens Episcopal Church also appears in more than one year. The foundation operates through grant programs and requests for proposals, with both unsolicited and structured opportunities listed across its site. It does not make program-related investments and does not fund individuals through these grants.
$139K
$874.1M
$5.2M
$4.6M
Most grants fall between $8K and $16K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$16K
About 10% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Grants are national and all recent awards in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. California is the top state by grant count, with Episcopal churches in Riverside, Berkeley, and Grass Valley among the listed recipients. Other recurring recipient locations include Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, and New Mexico. The top giving state is not the same as the headquarters state: 10% of grants went to recipients in New York, while the foundation is headquartered in New York, NY.
It funds Episcopal congregations, dioceses, and church-related nonprofit organizations. The active program descriptions also point to support for ministry vitality, leadership development, capacity building, faith formation, and diocesan support.
The grant-size distribution centers on relatively small awards: the 25th percentile is $7,875, the median is $10,030, and the 75th percentile is $16,395. Larger initiative grants also appear in the recent list, including several at $55,000.
Yes, some of its grant programs do. The active program list shows community grants and general grant programs marked as accepting unsolicited applications, while other umbrella RFP and initiative pages are not.
Its active programs emphasize congregational and diocesan vitality, leadership and formation, program development, stewardship and planned giving, and capacity building. Recent grants also include ministerial excellence and project expansion funding.
The giving is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. California has the highest grant count in the recent data, and New York accounts for 10% of grants to recipients in the foundation’s home state.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Stephen's Episcopal Church | — | $40,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Episcopal Project | — | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| St Mark's Episcopal Church | — | $20,326 | 2025 | General support |
| All Saints Episcopal Church | — | $12,500 | 2025 | General support |
| Grace Episcopal Church | — | $11,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Emmanuel Episcopal Church | — | $10,100 | 2025 | General support |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | — | $9,060 | 2025 | General support |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | — | $6,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Valley Forge Park Alliance | — | $5,500 | 2025 | General support |
| All Saints Episcopal Church | Riverside, CA | $16,250 | 2024 | General support |
| St Stephens Episcopal Church | — | $15,000 | 2024 | General support |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | — | $10,060 | 2024 | General support |
| St Thomas Episcopal Church | — | $8,000 | 2024 | General support |
| St Luke's Church | — | $7,250 | 2024 | General support |
| Episcopal Church in Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN | $55,000 | 2023 | Bridges ECF Lilly Grant |
| Diocese of the Rio Grande | Albuquerque, NM | $55,000 | 2023 | Bridges ECF Lilly Grant |
| Episcopal Diocese of Michigan | Detroit, MI | $55,000 | 2023 | Bridges ECF Lilly Grant |
| Episcopal Diocese of Central PA | Harrisburg, PA | $55,000 | 2023 | Bridges ECF Lilly Grant |
| Town Hall Theater | Middlebury, VT | $25,000 | 2023 | Expansion project |
| Christ Church Riverdale | Bronx, NY | $16,830 | 2023 | General Support |
| Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church | Mooresville, NC | $16,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem | Bethlehem, PA | $15,822 | 2023 | Ministerial Excellence |
| St Stephens Episcopal Church | Middlebury, VT | $15,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| St Mark's Episcopal Church | Berkeley, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| Cross Cultural Studies Program | Minneapolis, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | Pivot Program |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | Hannibal, MO | $9,060 | 2023 | General Support |
| Emmanuel Episcopal Church | Grass Valley, CA | $9,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| St Thomas Episcopal Church | Battle Creek, MI | $8,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| St Paul's Episcopal Church | New Albany, IN | $7,500 | 2023 | General Support |
| St Luke's Church | Annapolis, MD | $6,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| All Saints Episcopal Church | Riverside, CA | $5,625 | 2023 | General Support |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Tarrytown, NY | $5,250 | 2023 | General Support |
| Trinity Episcopal Church | Asheville, NC | $5,120 | 2023 | General Support |
St Stephen's Episcopal Church
$40,000General support
Episcopal Project
$25,000General support
St Mark's Episcopal Church
$20,326General support
All Saints Episcopal Church
$12,500General support
Grace Episcopal Church
$11,000General support
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
$10,100General support
Trinity Episcopal Church
$9,060General support
Trinity Episcopal Church
$6,000General support
Valley Forge Park Alliance
$5,500General support
All Saints Episcopal Church
$16,250General support
St Stephens Episcopal Church
$15,000General support
Trinity Episcopal Church
$10,060General support
St Thomas Episcopal Church
$8,000General support
St Luke's Church
$7,250General support
Episcopal Church in Minnesota
$55,000Bridges ECF Lilly Grant
Diocese of the Rio Grande
$55,000Bridges ECF Lilly Grant
Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
$55,000Bridges ECF Lilly Grant
Episcopal Diocese of Central PA
$55,000Bridges ECF Lilly Grant
Town Hall Theater
$25,000Expansion project
Christ Church Riverdale
$16,830General Support
Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church
$16,000General Support
Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
$15,822Ministerial Excellence
St Stephens Episcopal Church
$15,000General Support
St Mark's Episcopal Church
$10,000General Support
Cross Cultural Studies Program
$10,000Pivot Program
Trinity Episcopal Church
$9,060General Support
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
$9,000General Support
St Thomas Episcopal Church
$8,000General Support
St Paul's Episcopal Church
$7,500General Support
St Luke's Church
$6,000General Support
All Saints Episcopal Church
$5,625General Support
Christ Episcopal Church
$5,250General Support
Trinity Episcopal Church
$5,120General Support