Episcopal News Service Friday, March 24, 2006
Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel announces $400,000 in grants
Initiatives support affordable housing in New York, theological education in Africa
[Trinity Church] Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel in New York has awarded nine grants totaling $424,920 for initiatives to change New York housing policy, fight hunger, and strengthen education in New York and Africa.
"How we live and learn are critical questions here in New York and across the world," said the Rev. Canon James H. Cooper, the 17th rector of the Parish of Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel, in the March 15 announcement. "These projects continue Trinity's commitment to help people transform their lives and communities."
The Trinity Grants Program began funding housing initiatives in New York in 1972 and has supported all aspects of affordable housing, from transitional housing for homeless persons to rebuilding single-family homes in East Brooklyn and the South Bronx. Two of the new grants supporting advocacy for increased access to affordable housing in New York will be awarded to Picture the Homeless and Habitat for Humanity.
Picture the Homeless was founded in 1999 by two homeless men seeking basic shelter and greater respect for the nearly 40,000 homeless persons in New York City. A $50,000 grant will build alliances between Episcopal faith communities and homeless organizers to increase available housing for the poorest New Yorkers. Habitat for Humanity is a familiar organization with a new focus: training advocates as well as building homes. A renewal grant of $60,000 will allow Habitat to build on early success in attracting more than 1,500 volunteers to organize congregations and write letters advocating better local, state, and federal housing polices.
Additional grants will continue Trinity-St. Paul's longstanding commitment to theological education in the Global South. St. Paul's United Theological College, Limuru, Kenya, will receive a one-year grant of $127,475 to benefit the college's library through Internet access resources. One of the largest theological libraries in Africa, this grant will enable the college to make its collection available online.
The Episcopal Church of Sudan's Bishop Allison Theological College will receive $5,875 to buy three laptop computers and a printer.
Currently in exile in Arua, Uganda, the seminary serves the Sudanese Church, which has been torn by civil war. The money will support the seminary's continued instruction until it returns to its home country.
"The Episcopal Church of Sudan is one of the fastest growing in Africa despite the fact that most of its members are in exile or internally displaced peoples' camps," said the Rev. Canon James G. Callaway Jr., deputy for Faith Formation and Development at Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel. "For both colleges, information technology will help students tell their story to the world and access online resources from other institutions."
The March 15 grants are the first of three funding cycles annually awarded by Trinity. More information is available at www.trinitywallstreet.org/grants/
Trinity Church is one of the country's oldest philanthropies. Its grants fall under four main objectives:
* strengthening the church in the Global South, * social transformation in metropolitan New York, * spiritual formation and development, and strengthening telecommunications in the Anglican Communion as a whole.
Trinity Church was established under British royal charter in 1697. The parish, consisting of Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, has a diverse congregation drawn from the New York region and offers 18 worship services during the week as well as daily interdenominational prayers for peace at St. Paul's Chapel.
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