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If you have any questions not answered in this FAQ section about the PHW Collaborative, PHW Mini-Grant, or PHW Community Mini-grant, please contact our Program Coordinator, Michelle S. Peedin, at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org or 919-828-6501 ext. 107.
CLICK HERE to view the PHW team contact information by location and focus area.
Who is the health lead?
The health lead is the contact person at your congregation that is part of the health ministry who is dedicated to completing form submissions and maintaining the relationship with Partners of Health and Wholeness. The health lead is also the person who would ask the clergy person to submit a Clergy Commitment as well. The health lead and clergy person may be the same person. We recommend finding a health lead who is not the clergy person because we want to respect the set of responsibilities that clergy already have on their plate.
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What is the Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW) Collaborative Pledge?
As our name states, we partner with faith communities as they seek to live more healthy, whole, abundant lives. We see the PHW Collaborative Pledge as a commitment to continuing a journey of putting faith into action. The congregations that have participated have done and are doing amazing work. We also facilitate connections and relationships between our congregations to share wisdom, provide support, and build a community around health and wholeness. We aim to recognize depth and sustainability and the good work that congregations of all sizes are doing not only to promote health but to live it out in their communities.
In addition to the PHW Collaborative Pledge, we ask all congregations to submit a Clergy Commitment each year. The intent of our Clergy Commitment is to give the congregational Health Lead and PHW an active promise by the clergy person(s) to support the health ministry and integrate health as a faith issue.
Who is the PHW Collaborative for?
Any worshipping community or congregation working to promote health and wholeness through wellness programs such as serving healthier meals, decreasing tobacco use among congregants, increasing physical activity, and addressing mental health concerns.
*We define a worshipping community as a congregation that holds regular religious services in an established place of worship and also has a health ministry or would like to start a health ministry dedicated to the well-being of its members and its surrounding community.
Due to our grant guidelines, we are unable to support non-profit agencies.
Does my congregation have to be a part of the NC Council of Churches to be a part of the Collaborative?
No. Although you may be without knowing it—here is a list of our member denominations.
Does my congregation have to be a Christian denomination to be a part of the Collaborative?
No, the PHW Collaborative Pledge is open to any worshipping community. Due to our roots with the NC Council of Churches, much of the language used on our website and in our worship materials are of the Christian tradition. However, we welcome and encourage ALL worshipping communities to make positive changes to improve health by submitting a Collaborative Pledge and applying for a PHW mini-grant or Community mini-grant.
Why should my faith community submit a PHW Collaborative Pledge?
Submitting a PHW Collaborative Pledge is a great way for your congregation to be recognized for the work being done to promote health and wholeness in your faith community. Whether you are just starting a health initiative or have an established one, you can celebrate your efforts to serve healthier meals, decrease tobacco use among congregants, increase physical activity, address mental health concerns, and more.
Becoming involved in the PHW Collaborative can also be a motivating tool for your congregation. Not only is making the PHW Collaborative Pledge from year to year an accomplishment, but it also presents the opportunity to improve and expand health efforts within a network of dedicated congregations across the state. Being a part of the PHW network also offers you a great resource through our PHW team members and access to health webinars throughout the year. To learn more about our team focus areas please click here. We are continuously trying to improve our efforts and resources. Please do not hesitate to contact us with a health and wholeness question.
Submitting a PHW Collaborative Pledge also makes your congregation eligible to apply for a mini-grant of up to $1000 or a PHW Community mini-grant with at least 2 other congregations for up to $5,000 to fund your health initiatives.
When can I submit a PHW Collaborative Pledge?
The PHW Collaborative dates for 2021 are January 15th to November 31st. When submitting your PHW Collaborative Pledge, you will be asked to describe the health topics that your congregation has focused on during the past 12 months and the health topics that your congregation will focus on in the next 12 months.
In addition to the PHW Collaborative Pledge, we ask all congregations to submit a Clergy Commitment each year. The intent of our Clergy Commitment is to give the congregational Health Lead and PHW an active promise by the clergy person(s) to support the health ministry and integrate health as a faith issue.
If I do the PHW Collaborative Pledge online, can I save my form partway through and come back to it?
No. Our applications does not allow for a congregational Health Lead to pause the form or save it mid-way through. We recommend you print this document to prepare your responses BEFORE entering them on the form. We also highly recommend you save your answers on a separate document as you fill out the form so that you do not lose your responses if the form closes for any reason. Once you have submitted the form successfully, a copy of your answers will be sent to your email and your faith leader’s email.
Can I view my PHW Collaborative Pledge once it is submitted?
Yes. Once you have submitted the form successfully, a copy of your answers will be sent to your email and your faith leader’s email. Nevertheless, we recommend you print the pledge to prepare your responses BEFORE entering them on the form. We also highly recommend you save your answers on a separate document as you fill out the form so that you do not lose your responses if the form closes for any reason.
Who is the health lead?
The health lead is the contact person at your congregation that is part of the health ministry who is dedicated to completing form submissions and maintaining the relationship with Partners of Health and Wholeness. The health lead is also the person who would ask the clergy person to submit a Clergy Commitment as well. The health lead and clergy person may be the same person. We recommend finding a health lead who is not the clergy person because we want to respect the set of responsibilities that clergy already have on their plate.
When my congregation’s PHW Collaborative Pledge has been accepted, am I automatically approved for a PHW mini-grant?
No. You will need to complete a separate mini-grant application during one of the open mini-grant cycles. In 2021 our mini-grant cycles will be open: February-March, June-July, and October-November.
When will I hear back after I submit my PHW Collaborative Pledge form?
We ask that you give us 2-3 weeks to respond to your submitted form. Our Program Coordinator will be in touch with you if we have any follow-up questions or comments. Otherwise, certificates will be mailed within 4 weeks.
The above timeline is subject to change during COVID-19 office changes.
I submitted my PHW Collaborative Pledge via mail but did not get confirmation it was received. What should I do?
Once you have submitted the form, barring no complications, a copy of your answers will be sent to your email. If you have not gotten confirmation please call our office at 919-828-6501 or email our Program Coordinator, Michelle Peedin, at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org.
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Who is eligible for a mini-grant?
Before you are eligible to apply for a mini-grant, you must have submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge within the past 12 months. Each congregation is eligible to apply for a mini-grant once every 12 months.
Eligibility for mini-grant funds are based on the following requirements:
- Your congregation must have submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge within the last 12 months prior to applying for a PHW mini-grant. NOTE: If you are unsure when the last PHW Collaborative Pledge was submitted from your congregation, email our Program Coordinator at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org.
- Your congregation cannot have received a PHW mini-grant in the last 12 months.
- A new PHW Collaborative Pledge must be submitted and accepted before each mini-grant application
- The mini-grant must be used to support your congregation’s health ministry and it’s mission.
- Ten percent (10%) of the money awarded may be given to your health lead to use at their discretion towards a health ministry project or program.
You are able to request up to $1,000 for an individual mini-grant or, if you apply with at least 2 other congregations, you are able to request up to $5000 for a community mini-grant. Please give mindful consideration to the amount that you request. Allocated funds will be shared across our state and are limited. Some grants may be partially funded depending on need, response, and availability.
What can I use my mini-grant for?
The mini-grant must be used to support your congregation’s health ministry and it’s mission. The mini-grant should be used for projects that engage the congregants and fulfill a health need in the church and in the surrounding community. Once you have received the mini-grant check it must be used to fulfill the health and wholeness activities outlined and approved in your mini-grant application. Additionally, ten percent (10%) of the money awarded may be given to your health lead to use at their discretion towards a health ministry project or program. They work hard and it’s a token of our appreciation for the work they do.
Priority is given to projects that address one of PHW’s five focus areas: healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco prevention and cessation, mental health advocacy, and healthy aging. Our grantees have used funding to host health fairs, start a community garden, provide healthy snacks for youth, create a walking trail on church grounds or create a walking track in the church parking lot, conduct healthy cooking demonstrations, purchase tobacco cessation signs, invite personal trainers to lead exercise classes, provide healthier church meals, hold CPR/First Aid training for the congregation, promote breastfeeding, purchase healthy cooking equipment, maintain defibrillators, put on a mental health speaker series, host support groups, buy supplies for blood pressure checks, and more much.
Below is a list of items that we partially fund or do not fund. Please read through this list before submitting your PHW Mini-Grant application. We encourage our congregations to seek local and low/no-cost resources to fulfill their health ministry needs. We also understand that it is not always an option. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Michelle Peedin at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org or one of our PHW team members.
- Pamphlets: Needs-based – Many organizations offer low or no cost pamphlets
- Books: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific books
- DVDs: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific DVDs
- Door prizes & incentives i.e. T-shirts, awards: up to 33% of the total budget – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copies: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copier ink: up to 33% of the total budget
- Presenters: Needs-based – preference towards PHW staff, local specialists, or low-cost presenters
- Technology: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is made clear
- Office Furniture: We do not fund
- Rent: We do not fund
- Utilities: We do not fund
- Salary: We do not fund
To access a more detailed list of mini-grant ideas we typically do fund, click here.
Do we fund non-profit organizations?
No. We have many congregations that work alongside non-profits doing meaningful work however PHW mini-grants are exclusively for worshipping communities and their health ministries.
*We define a worshipping community as a congregation that holds regular religious services in an established place of worship and also has a health ministry or would like to start a health ministry dedicated to the well-being of its members and its surrounding community.
Is submitting a PHW Collaborative Pledge the same as applying for a mini-grant? (Is there a separate mini-grant application?)
No, applying for the PHW Collaborative and applying for a PHW Mini-Grant is not the same thing. There is a separate mini-grant application. Before you are eligible to apply for a mini-grant, you must have submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge within the past 12 months. Once your PHW Collaborative Pledge is accepted, you will receive information about applying for a mini-grant.
Who should submit the mini-grant application?
We recommend that your congregation health lead (a designated contact person in your health ministry) who completed the PHW Collaborative Pledge submit the mini-grant application. However, sometimes the clergy person or another person involved with the health initiatives will submit the application if your designated church health lead is unable. Please note we update our congregation contact information based on the most recent form.
For a PHW Community Mini-Grant, the main health lead will be the person who submits the application. NOTE: A copy of your form submission will be sent to each of the health leads listed. Once each health lead has read the copy of the submission, each health lead must respond to the email with their agreement statement indicating their understanding of the grant eligibility guidelines and agreeing to the mini-grant application. We are unable to review the application until we have received an agreement statement from each health lead.
When will the mini-grant cycle open again?
In 2021 our mini-grant cycles will be open in February-March, June-July, and October-November. To learn more about the PHW Mini-Grant CLICK HERE.
Does my congregation have to be a Christian denomination to receive a mini-grant?
No, similar to the PHW Collaborative Pledge, our mini-grant program is open to any worshipping community or congregation. Just remember, before you are eligible to apply for a mini-grant, you must has submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge and have not received a mini-grant in the last 12 months.
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What is the PHW Community Mini-Grant for?
We created the PHW Community Mini-Grant to support and inspire faith communities to work together to improve the health and wholeness of a shared community. We have witnessed the richness of crossing denominational or geographical boundaries to build coalition.
What is the difference between the PHW Individual Mini-Grant and the PHW Community Mini-Grant?
- Must be a minimum of 3 congregations working together.
- You can apply for up to $5000.
- A main health lead must be identified among the group. The main health lead will be the one to submit the mini-grant application.
- We expect the coalition to have already discussed and agreed on the course of action for the mini-grant prior to submitting the application.
- A copy of your form submission will be sent to each of the health leads listed.
- Once each health lead has read the copy of the submission, each health lead must respond to the email with their agreement statement indicating their understanding of the grant eligibility guidelines and agreeing to the mini-grant application.
- We are unable to review the application until we have received an agreement statement from each health lead.
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How do I submit my mini-grant application?
The best way to apply is online.
If you would like to submit a hard copy of the application, please call 919-828-6501 or email our Program Coordinator, Michelle S. Peedin at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org .
How do I know what to put in my mini-grant application?
We do our best to explain each of our application questions in detail. If you have any questions or concerns about the application please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Michelle S. Peedin at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org or one of our PHW team members.
Priority is given to projects that address one of PHW’s five focus areas: healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco prevention and cessation, mental health advocacy, and healthy aging. Our grantees have used funding to host health fairs, start a community garden, provide healthy snacks for youth, create a walking trail on church grounds or create a walking track in the church parking lot, conduct healthy cooking demonstrations, purchase tobacco cessation signs, invite personal trainers to lead exercise classes, provide healthier church meals, hold CPR/First Aid training for the congregation, promote breastfeeding, purchase healthy cooking equipment, maintain defibrillators, put on a mental health speaker series, host support groups, buy supplies for blood pressure checks, and more much.
Below is a list of items that we partially fund or do not fund. Please read through this list before submitting your PHW Mini-Grant application. We encourage our congregations to seek local and low/no-cost resources to fulfill their health ministry needs. We also understand that it is not always an option.
- Pamphlets: Needs-based – Many organizations offer low or no cost pamphlets
- Books: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific books
- DVDs: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific DVDs
- Door prizes & incentives i.e. T-shirts, awards: up to 33% of the total budget – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copies: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copier ink: up to 33% of the total budget
- Presenters: Needs-based – preference towards PHW staff, local specialists, or low-cost presenters
- Technology: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is made clear
- Office Furniture: We do not fund
- Rent: We do not fund
- Utilities: We do not fund
- Salary: We do not fund
To access a more detailed set of guidelines for mini-grant ideas we typically do fund, click here.
When will I hear back after I submit my mini-grant application?
We ask that you give us 2-3 weeks to respond to your mini-grant application. Our Program Coordinator will be in touch with you if we have any follow-up questions or to let you know your application has been approved. Checks will be mailed within 4 weeks.
Who will the mini-grant check be made out/sent to?
Traditionally, the check is sent to the congregation and made out to the congregation name. The envelope will also have a line that says “C/o Health Lead Name”. If you do not receive the check within 4 weeks of receiving your approval email, please call 919-828-6501 or email our Program Coordinator at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org .
For a PHW Community Mini-Grant check, the check will be made out to the main health lead’s congregation. It is expected that the funds will be distributed evenly between the congregations according to the PHW Mini-Grant application.
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Once awarded, who is responsible for managing the mini-grant funding?
Applying for and accepting a mini-grant means that all parties involved (i.e. faith leader, PHW health lead, secretary and/or treasurer) will adhere to the requirements and will work together to ensure mini-grant activities are successfully completed, and the funds are administered properly and in a timely fashion.
Do I have to keep receipts for spending the mini-grant?
While actual receipts are rarely required, a year-end budget summary may be useful for your congregation. We do recommend you keep receipts for your own records.
Do I have to provide information about how the mini-grant was used?
No, but we rely on our PHW team members to reach out to each congregation and visit the projects and programs being done.
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Priority is given to projects that address one of PHW’s five focus areas: healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco prevention and cessation, mental health advocacy, and healthy aging. Our grantees have used funding to host health fairs, start a community garden, provide healthy snacks for youth, create a walking trail on church grounds or create a walking track in the church parking lot, conduct healthy cooking demonstrations, purchase tobacco cessation signs, invite personal trainers to lead exercise classes, provide healthier church meals, hold CPR/First Aid training for the congregation, promote breastfeeding, purchase healthy cooking equipment, maintain defibrillators, put on a mental health speaker series, host support groups, buy supplies for blood pressure checks, and more much.
Below is a list of items that we partially fund or do not fund. Please read through this list before submitting your PHW Mini-Grant application. We encourage our congregations to seek local and low/no-cost resources to fulfill their health ministry needs. We also understand that it is not always an option.
- Pamphlets: Needs-based – Many organizations offer low or no cost pamphlets
- Books: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific books
- DVDs: Needs-based – Please reach out to PHW about specific DVDs
- Door prizes & incentives i.e. T-shirts, awards: up to 33% of the total budget – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copies: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is clear
- Copier ink: up to 33% of the total budget
- Presenters: Needs-based – preference towards PHW staff, local specialists, or low-cost presenters
- Technology: Needs-based – If direct connection to health ministry is made clear
- Office Furniture: We do not fund
- Rent: We do not fund
- Utilities: We do not fund
- Salary: We do not fund
To access a more detailed set of guidelines for mini-grant ideas we typically do and do not fund, click here.
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