Guidelines and Supporting Forms
Overview
God created the world as an intricate web of relationships. When creation suffers, people suffer too, as part of creation.
At the moment, many parts of the world are seeing increased flooding, droughts, hurricanes and other natural disasters due to increased environmental degradation and to climate change. Population challenges, consumer demand and environmental pollution also stress ecosystems.
Recognizing our responsibility in this global challenge, Mennonite World Conference has established a Creation Care Fund to support Mennonite initiatives that respond to our contemporary ecological crises.
What is the MWC Creation Care Fund?
Air travel is the aspect of Mennonite World Conference operations that has the highest environmental impact. Since 2010 it has been MWC policy to collect a carbon surcharge on its organizational air travel and place it in a Creation Care Account of the Global Church Sharing Fund for future redistribution.
The purpose of the surcharge is to:
- acknowledge the impact of air travel in a concrete way,
- publicly demonstrate MWC’s commitment to care for God’s creation,
- use the funds for an activity that in some way offsets the impact of flying.
The Creation Care Fund, a new initiative of Mennonite World Conference beginning in 2025, uses the carbon surcharge to award grants to Anabaptist churches in the Global South who are carrying out projects and initiatives that directly improve and restore God’s creation in their regions.
This grant is focused on Global South recipients in recognition of the disproportionate impact that environmental issues have on the Global South, their historically lower responsibility for those global impacts compared to the Global North and the generally lower availability of resources to respond to those issues.
To receive this funding, Anabaptist churches are required to apply for a grant following the instructions provided in these guidelines. The Creation Care Task Force within the MWC is responsible for reviewing grant proposals and the MWC staff will distribute the funds.
Who can apply?
- National church bodies based in Africa, Asia or Latin America who are members of MWC.
How much money can applicants request?
- Applications for Creations Care grants can range from $1 000 to $5 000 (or up to $10 000 for a regional or larger-scale project, e.g., involving several member churches).
What kinds of projects are appropriate?
Projects that:
- Improve the local ecosystems and the lives of the people who depend on them.
- Enable communities to withstand present or future impacts of climate change.
- Reduce carbon emissions.
Expand section for more details on project criteria and on the kinds of projects considered
Projects and initiatives eligible for MWC Creation Care Grants may include:
- Small-scale infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions or adapt to/mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- Actions to preserve or restore ecosystems or biodiversity.
- Education/awareness-raising on creation care for youth, church members or leaders, or local communities.
- Advocacy to challenge governments and authorities to act for the care of creation.
Examples of possible creation care projects or initiatives:
- Planting and maintaining native trees.
- Installing solar panels or other renewable energy infrastructure.
- Organizing cleanups
- Creating a community garden.
- Developing a circular/local economy.
- Promoting diets with reduced content of animal-based products to reduce carbon emissions.
- Defending or restoring a local area subject to contamination or environmental deterioration or joining others in this defense.
- Providing training on regenerative farming methods, waste management, conservation of rivers or forested areas, etc.
- Training church members or leaders to advocate for creation care.
- Organizing trainings: a youth camp on the theme of creation care, events/actions during the Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October), creating liturgies or materials focused on creation care for use in MWC churches.
Also see Climate Pollinator: Stories on Anabaptists and the Climate by Sierra Ross Richer for inspiring stories about what others have done.
Contact: For questions, or to get feedback on whether specific project ideas would fit within the intent of the Creation Care Grants, contact the Creation Care Task Force.
Priority will be given to endeavours that include youth and young adults or are multi-generational and that inspire a broader community to act for the care of creation.
What do we need to get started?
- A Spirit-inspired idea.
- A team of at least three people willing to take responsibility for the project and grant paperwork.
- The approval or backing of your national church.
- Fill in this pre-application form, giving us a brief idea of the project or initiative you would like support for, and wait for our response and feedback within the next 6 weeks.
Click “page 2” to fill out the Grant Application Pre-Form.