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(Editor's Note: Don't miss our updated and expanded coverage on churches, grants, and outreach efforts: 6 Trends in 2010 for Grants, Finding Funds, Finding Grants, How Two Churches Do It, and The Case for Nonprofits).

If your church is starting a program for which funding or materials are needed, you may want to consider asking a local agency, business, foundation, or private charity for assistance. To do that, you must write a grant proposal.

Writing such a proposal isn't so difficult. If your church is doing what God has called it to do, then asking for aid is an honorable way of searching for the resources God is ready to provide.

Proposal writing shouldn't be like a game of chance, in which the church targets dozens of prospects and fires off a form letter to each. Here's a better way to win grants:

1. Know what God wants you to do. Determine exactly what God is calling you to do, how it should be done, and what resources you need to carry it out. Pray as individuals and as a corporate body about your plans. Ask for guidance. And trust God to provide for the needs of his ministry.

2. Determine what grant you need. Several types of grants are available, so make sure you request the right one. For example, a capital grant is designated for construction or renovation. It can be used for building or altering a facility to make it suitable for the program you're planning. An operating grant will fund the daily cost of a program or project, including items such as salaries or utility bills. A special funding grant can finance a particular project, such as a summer youth program. A debt retirement grant can help a church pay off its debt.

3. Network within the church body. Ask the congregation for suggestions of foundations, charities, businesses, church groups, government agencies, and corporations that offer grants. If a church member knows someone in an organization who can help you, cultivate that relationship.

4. See what your denomination has to offer. Check with denominational headquarters to see if grants are available from the denomination or church-related foundations. Aid Associations for Lutherans, for example, sometimes provides matching funds to local Lutheran churches. The Episcopal Church offers substantial grants for programs that address human need. If you want to start a food and clothing bank, contact churches of other denominations, neighborhood associations, and local agencies to see if you can work together on the project.

5. Research groups with similar values. Look for agencies, organizations, and individuals that share your values and might want to help you out financially. Check the phone book (under "Foundations"), the Internet, and your local library. Resources, such as the Foundation Directory, list grant-giving organizations by subject and geographic area (see sidebar). While you're at the library, check out resources that tell how to write grant proposals.

The directory lists the priorities of each foundation. Some organizations don't offer grants specifically to churches, but others are willing to give to certain kinds of church programs. For example, Newman's Own Foundation, founded by actor Paul Newman, lists the Southminster Presbyterian Youth Group in Beaverton, Oregon, as a recipient of one of its grants. It also provided funds to the Salvation Army in Titusville, Florida.

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