Young Adult Leadership Development Grants

About Our Ministry

Supporting Disciples Young Adults in Education and Leadership

Through NBA’s Young Adult Leadership Development program area, we seek to co-create spaces with and for young adults 18-30 to flourish in life and service. NBA’s YALD grants are specifically designed to support current and future leaders in identifying their leadership qualities, building leadership capacity, and allowing young adults to explore new possibilities in the areas of service and justice.

Grant Opportunities

Young adults are eligible to apply for either a Development grant or an Exploration/Ingenuity Grant.

Development Grants

These grants are intended for:

  1. Young adults working in a health and social service profession seeking additional training to enhance their knowledge/skills to be more effective in their current role or seeking to advance beyond that role.
  2. Young adults seeking more broad leadership training to hone specific skills in church or community leadership (ex. diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging training, conflict transformation, community organizer training, etc.)
  3. Young adults seeking assistance for formal courses related to fields of study in health and social services.

Exploration/Ingenuity Grants

This grant is for young adults who desire to pursue a passion project, social enterprise idea, or advance a project they already started. Projects or social enterprises must be community or congregation-based, and related to a particular health, social, or justice need in their context.

How to Apply

Applications are currently closed. We will be accepting applications for our summer cycle starting on June 4th. 

To complete the application, you will need to provide the following information:

  • Accurate contact information of the person applying for the grant.
  • A summary detailing the type and purpose of the desired leadership training for the development grant, or project description for the exploration/ingenuity grant, the applicant’s hopes and goals, implementation timeline, and a proposed budget.
  • The amount requested, up to $1,000 USD.

Note: The application has a ‘save’ function. You may begin your application and return to complete it before the deadline.

We highly recommend reading the Additional Information & FAQ below. If you have additional questions not resolved by the FAQ, please contact the NBA Grants Management Coordinator by email at Grants@NBAcares.org.

Additional Information & FAQ

Grant Eligibility Details

Available for Disciples-affiliated Young Adults ages 18-30.

Disciples-affiliated refers to a person who is a member of a Disciples congregation, active with a Disciples region or general ministry, and/or is a student at a Disciples-affiliated institution (e.g. college/university, seminary, Disciples Divinity House).

Funding Amounts

Grants are available up to $1,000 USD.

Reapplication Rules: 

  • Grantees may only be awarded funds once per calendar year.
  • Previously awarded grants must be spent before a new application will be considered in the following year.
  • An individual may be awarded for a maximum of three consecutive years.

Award Requirements: 

  • Grantees will be asked to submit a story of impact within six months of receipt of funds.
  • Grantees must use funds as indicated in their application and confirmed in their award letter.  Should changes need to be made to the application of funds, the grantee should immediately contact the NBA Grants Management Coordinator.
  • Grantees should expect to spend these funds within one calendar year of the award.

Important Dates

Summer Applications

Application Opens: June 4, 2025

Application Closes: July 2, 2025

Award Notifications: by August 15, 2025

What are the areas that NBA YALD grants will NOT support?

  • Donations to congregations, regions, or institutions
  • Endowments
  • Capital improvements (i.e. construction, remodeling, building expansion)
  • Purchase requests (i.e. equipment or goods purchased without clearly articulated programmatic impact or expansion)
  • National ceremonies, memorials, conferences, fundraising dinners, testimonials, or other similar events
  • Elected officials
  • Trainings or projects outside of the United States and Canada, without prior approval

NBA Young Adult Leadership Grants Team

Contact the NBA Young Adult Leadership Grants team at Grants@NBAcares.org.

Kara Whitehouse

OPERATIONS & GRANTS MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

Click to Email (314) 993-9000 x 1332 Read More

Rev. Monica Wedlock Kilpatrick

VICE PRESIDENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Click to Email (314) 993-9000 x 4733 Read More