Tithe Grantees
Holy Trinity has made a commitment to donate a tithe (10% of the parish's ordinary income which includes offertory, pledges and holiday giving) to various social service, advocacy, educational, and Jesuit-related organizations that serve the poor and vulnerable. Grants are awarded each spring after parishioners on the social justice committee review proposals and make recommendations to the pastor.
2022/23
The priority large grant theme for 2023 is marginalized women in the DMV community. We are primarily interested in dynamic programs or projects that improve the health and well-being of women, specifically their psycho-social health. Marginalized populations are those whose situations are highly unstable and crisis-prone because of mental and/or physical illness, addiction, significant economic hardship, ethnic/racial or other discrimination, and/or societal disinvestment in them and their communities. All applicants must have tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Proposals must describe an explicit, identifiable need. The deadline for submissions is March 3.
Holy Trinity’s tithe program seeks to address the root causes of poverty. The committee is also guided by the Apostolic Preferences: Showing the Way to God; Walking with the Excluded; Journeying with Youth; and Care for Our Common Home. In addition to the large grant theme, the committee awards small grants (less than $20,000) to organizations addressing environmental justice, racial justice, refugees/migration, returning citizens, homelessness, and education. We determine awardees in collaboration with members of the parish through prayer and discernment. This concrete and ongoing commitment to social justice is a priority among Holy Trinity parishioners and its careful and transparent distribution is an important responsibility of the Social Justice Committee.
The Tithe Committee received a record number of requests for the 21/22 grant period with close to 60 requests exceeding $1.5M. Selecting grant recipients from an outstanding and varied group proved a challenging task , and committee members spent several months in discussion and discernment. The final awards are identified below. We are excited to partner with nine new organizations this year. All grant recipients are required to provide regular reporting on the grant. As always, thank you to our parishioners for your financial support. The tithe amount for 2021 was $389,706. This amount is a result of your generous regular offertory and pledge collections. An additional $42,633 was applied from social justice ministry funds, bringing the total to $432,369. These supplemental funds were used specifically for organizations addressing food insecurity and homelessness.