Current Recipients | Thank Offering Resources | Applying for a Thank Offering Grant | Promotional videos and more!
The Thank Offering is one of Presbyterian Women’s two offerings. Received in the fall each year, it gives women a tangible way to express their gratitude for the special blessings in their lives. Thank Offering grants range from $5,000 to $50,000. At least 40 percent of the offering funds health ministries.
Thank Offering Resources
Promotional materials are mailed to each congregation, attn: PW/Women’s Group, in August. Order or download resources to promote and receive the Thank Offering.
Thank Offering Current Recipients
The Creative Ministries Offering Committee of Presbyterian Women reviewed 24 Thank Offering applications and selected 10 projects for funding this year. Eight of the projects serve people in the United States and two are international. In keeping with the Thank Offering bylaws, more than 40 percent of the selected projects are related to health ministries.
NATIONAL
Synod of the Covenant
Maumee Valley Presbytery
Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity Home Repair Ministry
Stabilizing Homeownership in Marginalized Communities
Maumee, OH
$30,000
mvhabitat.org
The Thank Offering grant will enable the purchase of materials such as siding, wood, paint, concrete reinforcements, doors and windows for home repair in three areas designated in the Neighborhood Stabilization Plan for the City of Toledo, Ohio. This program strategically focuses resources block by block to elevate home ownership, make critical health- and safety-related updates and support neighborhood beautification projects. The project’s goal is to lift up marginalized neighborhoods so that residents want to live in the community, families find stability and seniors are able to age in their homes.
Synod of the Covenant
Presbytery of Miami Valley
Presbyterian Women of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dayton, OH
Tornado Survivors’ Pathway to Homeownership
Dayton, OH
$13,000
westminsterdayton.org
In 2019, tornadoes struck central Ohio, destroying 1,500 homes—many of them subsidized rental units. Finding safe and affordable housing became a huge challenge, so a community-wide partnership was organized to provide homes for tornado-impacted families. Focusing on renters who are mortgage ready, this project helps build, rehabilitate and sell properties to first-time homeowners, creating an opportunity for them to live safely and to build equity. The Thank Offering grant will provide supplies for building and rehabbing homes, and due to the project’s financial structure, these funds will continue into perpetuity. Once a tornado survivor purchases a home, the proceeds will support the next home that is built, providing even more access to affordable housing.
Synod of Living Waters
Presbytery of East Tennessee
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area
Orchard Knob Collaborative
Chattanooga, TN
$20,000
habichatt.org
When families lack funds to cover their housing needs, they experience poor health outcomes and lower levels of engagement in the community. The Orchard Knob Collaborative (OKC) is committed to restoring and strengthening their neighborhood by using a long-range, inclusive approach to assist low-income households with home repair. The Thank Offering grant will purchase materials to alleviate health, life and safety issues, address code violations and increase energy efficiency. By making repairs and reducing exposure to lead paint, asbestos and allergens, residents will live in safer and more inviting homes that will lead to an improved quality of life.
Synod of Living Waters
Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley
Presbyterian Home for Children
Union Village Capital Campaign
Talladega, AL
$50,000
phfc.org
Union Village is an innovative program by Presbyterian Home for Children, in partnership with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, that turns unused farmland into much needed accessible, affordable and secure housing for adults with multiple disabilities. This supportive housing community empowers independent living and is one of the few programs designed for this vulnerable population in the United States. The Thank Offering grant will support construction of 16 tiny homes that provide special accommodations such as zero-step entry into the house and bathroom, and strategic placement of lighting and sensory-assist devices.
Synod of Mid-Atlantic
Presbytery of New Hope
Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women
Women’s Reentry Project (WRP)
Raleigh, NC
$50,000
ipmforwomen.org
The Women’s Reentry Project (WRP) helps women prepare for and navigate life after incarceration by developing tools to forge new and better lives. The WRP combines housing—which is a significant barrier to successful reentry—with wraparound social and vocational support. The Thank Offering grant will help fund three forms of subsidized housing: Bridge Housing upon release from prison; Stable Supportive Housing for 12-18 months; and Independent Housing, for those who continue in the program as nonresidents. Using gender-specific, trauma-informed, evidence-based services, this program helps women achieve stability, family reunification and independent living.
Synod of South Atlantic
Cherokee Presbytery
Cancer Navigators, Inc.
Day & Overnight Transformations Retreats for Cancer Patients
Rome, GA
$9,238
cancernavigatorsga.org
Cancer patients classified as low income must navigate many challenges beyond their illness. They often must choose between securing food or medicine, lack reliable transportation and worry about paying everyday bills. Cancer Navigators (CN) assists medical providers by guiding patients toward a better understanding of diagnosis and care while connecting them with needed services. The Thank Offering grant will provide retreats for 60 cancer patients who do not otherwise have resources to leave for a day. Through an escape from daily life and struggles, these retreats offer patients a rare opportunity to take time for themselves and receive helpful tips and information. By spending time away with other cancer patients, retreat participants witness they are not alone in their cancer journey.
Synod of the Sun
Mission Presbytery
C.A.M.P. University
Commercial Kitchen Safety Update
McAllen, TX
$12,370
campuniversity.org
C.A.M.P. University provides opportunities for adults with special needs to develop skills and interests that facilitate greater independence so they Can Achieve their Maximum Potential (C.A.M.P.). The Thank Offering grant will provide a safe, updated commercial gas range that will be used for teaching adults how to follow instructions, such as recipes, and how to use various kitchen appliances. By providing cooking lessons, clients will learn to safely participate in meal preparation and eventually cook their own lunches at the university as an alternative to bringing lunches from home.
Synod of the Trinity
Presbytery of Philadelphia
Tree of Life Church PC(USA)
Our Community Cup Coffeehouse
Springfield, PA
$7,000
ourcommunitycup.com
When adults with intellectual disabilities and differences reach the age of 21, many supportive programs disappear. Our Community Cup Coffeehouse provides a space for adults with disabilities, their families and caregivers to feel welcome and encouraged to grow in friendship, leadership and faith. Guests meet weekly to share a meal and participate in social activities like playing cards, coloring, singing with live music and participating in talent nights where jugglers, singers, comedians, poets, painters, fiber artists and dancers share their gifts. The Thank Offering grant will fund the use of the building, gifts for musicians, activity costs and food for a year. Since some regular funding was lost during the pandemic, this grant will allow the project to rebuild its financial infrastructure for the long term.
INTERNATIONAL
Haiti
Synod of the South Atlantic
Presbytery of Tampa Bay
Village Partners International and Mombin Crochu Hospital
Addressing Chronic and Recurrent Malnutrition
Mombin Crochu, Haiti
$47,887
villagepartnersinternational.org
As earthquakes, drought, political instability and Covid-19 threaten local food supplies in Haiti, this project will help prevent deaths and address root causes of severe malnutrition for rural, exceptionally poor families in Mombin Crochu. The grant will address several areas: Increase interactions between children with severe malnutrition and clinical providers; educate physicians and nurses to support critically ill children; purchase equipment needed for severely malnourished children and create an emergency stockpile of supplies; provide educational events with communities and families; establish nurseries of Moringa oleifera and Liane panier, plants used as nutritional supplements, for families to cultivate in home gardens for personal consumption and income generation.
Lebanon
Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Rabieh, Lebanon
Contact and Resource Center (CRC)
Enhancement of Women with Physical Challenges in Rural Areas
Tanourine, Lebanon
$49,995
facebook.com/RabiehEvangelicalChurch
The Contact Resource Center (CRC) helps people with disabilities in Lebanon to retain their full human rights and to work towards becoming self-supporting. Rural families may leave their villages looking for safety and seeking work. With the Thank Offering grant, the CRC will equip physically challenged and low-income women with skills to generate income and remain in their own communities. Workshops will be offered to 60 women in 20 villages for sewing and quilting classes, meal sharing and worship. By empowering marginalized women, often considered as dependents for life, this training will offer them a means of independence and the opportunity to enjoy the respect and inclusion they deserve.
See a list of projects funded by the Thank Offering from 1988 through 2021.
Applying for a Thank Offering Grant
Grant requests come from a variety of national and international sources, such as PC(USA) governing bodies, health agencies, overseas churches, ecumenical councils, community groups, educational institutions and church-related groups.
Projects must meet the criteria outlined in the grant application.
To ask a question or to learn more about the Thank Offering, contact Cheri Harper.