PROGRAMS

Annual Grants

Episcopal Charities is best known for the annual grants of unrestricted funds given to support the work of its ministry partners that touches the lives of more than 60,000 people across the Diocese of Chicago each year.  Grants made by ECCS in 2011 total $643,000 and, over the past decade, exceed $10.2 million.  These unrestricted funds are especially valuable to recipients who use them to ensure the excellence in their work that public (government) funding and other private grants do not always make possible.

The Julian Year

The Julian Year is a community of young adults living together in simplicity and intentional community.  “Julians,” named after 14th-century mystic Julian of Norwich, live in the space where the spiritual life overlaps with the needs of the world through intentional community and simple living at home, meaningful work at an internship site with or on behalf of those in need, spiritual development both in community as well as individually, and pubic life formation.  This yearlong experience promotes inward and outward growth of its participants and develops a new generation of effective leaders for the world and for the church.

Capacity Building

Episcopal Charities' Capacity Building Program helps ministry partners, Episcopal congregations, and other faith-based ministries realize their full potential by providing the training opportunities, learning resources, consultation, and one-to-one support they need to:

  1. Develop and manage effective governing boards,
  2. Secure sufficient levels of charitable giving, including charitable bequests, and
  3. Increase awareness of their organization's mission among key constituents.

Episcopal Charities’ staff and a cadre of qualified volunteers also work with Missions and Outreach Committees at Episcopal congregations to help them become more intentional and strategic in their philanthropy.

The Capacity Building Program was developed with the generous support of The Chicago Community Trust, the Polk Bros. Foundation, The Mary A. Ackermann Trust (Bank of America), and individual donors.