Missional Innovation Grant Recipients

Each year, the Baltimore-Washington Conference offers Missional Innovation Grants to individuals, groups and churches that are making a vital difference in their communities and the world. The grants recognize that discipleship often has the most impact when it is done at a local church level, with people living out their faith assisting people in their communities. The conference seeks to support these efforts by enabling creative and vital expressions of God’s love as it inspires and enables discipleship.

These annual awards are given in the areas of Advocacy and Action, Wellness and Mission, and Young People’s Ministries. Money for the financial assistance is provided by grants received by the Conference from a variety of sources and mission shares contributed by local churches. Learn more and apply.

2025 Missional Innovation Grants

Advocacy and Action

$5,000 to St Luke UMC 2 Fish & 5 Loaves - Confronts food insecurity in one of the state’s most vulnerable communities. This network provides consistent, high-quality meals through a united collaborative community effort that serves over 700 meals per month.

Wellness and Missions

$5,000 to Capitol Hill UMC Draw Nigh Expressive Arts Group - A 40-week creative worship experience using expressive arts, led by a trained spiritual and mental health provider, to serve neighbors dealing with mental health, addiction, and trauma through the church's ministries. It directly supports Wellness by integrating clinical expertise (art therapy) and spiritual health into ministry for individuals struggling with trauma and mental health.

$4,000 to Trinity UMC Affordable Produce Market - This ministry operates a market to provide low-cost access to healthy fresh fruits, and vegetables, addressing food insecurity in the "food pantry desert" of the greater Odenton area. Providing healthy food choices that promote long-term health and well-being while lessening the stigma of receiving free food.

$5,000 to Jones Memorial UMC Food Pantry - This project increases the food pantry's capacity and expands outreach to youth in Ward 7, Washington, D.C., by layering food distribution with health education and proactive partnerships. Addressing community Wellness through combating food insecurity and providing youth resources and health education.

$5,000 to Clinton UMC Beauty for Ashes - This innovative ministry utilizes clinical expertise, expressive arts (art therapy), prayer, yoga, and wellness resources to improve mental health and address the sharp rise in domestic violence, assault, and suicides in the community. It is highly focused on Wellness by offering a clinically-integrated, holistic approach to address severe mental health crises and trauma.

$5,000 to Project Transformation Summer Camp 2026 - This is a holistic, community-based summer program for youth (K-8) that focuses on literacy improvement and social-emotional learning, crossing a wide spectrum of age, culture, and socioeconomic status. Fosters the holistic development of children and youth in the community.

$2,775 to Calvary UMC 2026 Health and Wellness Fair - This is an annual fair connecting people with limited access to health services with providers, agencies, and organizations, utilizing the church facility as a missional imperative. Expanding health access and resources to individuals in a local area that is otherwise underserved by health services.

$5,000 to New Waverly UMC Soup Kitchen/Outreach - This primary mission project provides meals, standing in the gap to address the great need for food in the local community near a high school and university. Providing essential sustenance and keeping the faith community engaged in its core mission of service.

$5,000 to St. Matthew's New Life/Govans-Boundary/New Waverly Wellness Festival - This project is a community festival centered on well-being and health outreach, sponsored by a collaborative of churches. It supports community Wellness through an innovative, large-scale event designed to promote community health and serve as a form of missional outreach.

$2,500 to Bethany Korean Hope & Restoration Ministry - Building on existing ministry to homeless neighbors and incarcerated women, this project intentionally forms a Christian community in these spaces through regular worship, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. Creating a New Faith Expression and reaching new people among marginalized populations in downtown Baltimore.

Young People’s Ministries

$2,250 to North Carroll Cooperative Parish Body, Mind, Spirit Young Adult Hub - Building on a successful summer camp, this ministry creates opportunities for college-aged young people to place faith at the center of their health and wellness. It was selected for its high potential to offer a replicable model of ministry driven by young people's leadership, deepening their discipleship and creating an innovative United Methodist presence.

$5,000 to Glenelg UMC Youth Missions - This project expands the church’s youth mission opportunities to include a domestic mission and their first-ever international mission trip, prioritizing youth leadership, planning, and fundraising. The grant provides essential seed money to foster cultural awareness, leadership development, and peer evangelism, thereby growing vibrant youth participation in the church and the world.

$2,250 to Clinton UMC Fanning the Flame: Children and Youth Initiative - The project is designed to enhance youth involvement within the church and the wider community. This initiative was supported because it is vital for the church's growth and sustainability, and it also provides a beneficial model for other local churches in their geographic HUB.

$5,000 to Glen Mar Church MLK Jr. Day of Service - This large-scale, all-ages community outreach event utilizes the church facility to host over 1,000 volunteers for multiple on-site and off-site service opportunities. It met the criteria by serving as a highly accessible annual model to reach people of all ages, including children and youth, and fulfill the mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world.

$2,250 to Project Transformation DC Next Level Leadership - A holistic summer program for children (K-8) that intentionally engages young adults as interns in purposeful leadership and ministry. The unique model was a perfect match for the YPM goals by focusing on literacy, holistic child development, and crossing social walls to connect churches and diverse communities.

$5,000 to Bethany Korean UMC Bethany Onebody College Ministry - This ministry is a powerful trial project designed to provide community and growth in discipleship for young adults. It creates a helpful and ambitious model for campus and Young Adult ministry that has the potential to reach new persons in the Conference.

$3,250 to Bowie UMC The Reintroduction - Isaiah 43:19 - This project focuses on developing young adult disciples at Bowie United Methodist Church, leveraging the church's proximity to Bowie State University. It presents a significant missional opportunity to revitalize the church and develop young adult ministry due to the pastor's unique effectiveness with young people.

2024 Grants

Advocacy and Action

$5,000 to TraRon Camp
$3,000 to Courage to Lead for Young Leaders & Activists Retreat
$3,000 to Silence the Violence Concert/The TraRon Center
$3,000 to JAF Civil Rights Pilgrimage
$2,000 to Church-based Cash Economy Organizing Project
$5,000 to Campus Ministries Service Project
$5,000 to CROSS Academy Summer Youth Enrichment Program
$3,000 to Bridging the Racial Gap
$5,000 to Ward 4 Community Peace Building Initiative
$3,000 to Jones Memorial UMC

Wellness and Missions

$4,750 to Backpack Buddies Program
$5,000 to Taste and See
$750 to Feeding Friendz - Thanksgiving Meal
$5,000 to Wellthy Warriors Wellness Ministry
$5,000 to Project Go (Green & Organize)
$5,000 to Middle School Camp
$2,500 to Mental Health Ministry
$5,000 to Ward 4 Community Peace Building Initiative
$2,000 to Health and Wellness Fair
$5,000 to Friendship Beyond Borders

Young People’s Ministries

$5,000 to Youth Summit/Joint Cluster Youth Initiatives
$1,500 to MLK Day of Service
$5,000 to Courage to Lead for Young Leaders & Activists Retreat
$5,000 to JAF Civil Rights Pilgrimage
$5,000 to Middle School Camp
$2,000 to Ward 4 Community Peace Building Initiative
$5,000 to Bands from the Block
$1,500 to Elementary Success Summer Tutoring Program
$5,000 to "You Give Them Something to Eat" (Matthew 14:16)
$3,000 to Young Achievers Ministry

2023 Grants

Advocacy and Action

$5,000 to TraRon Camp and Jenna Johnson
$5,000 Financial Literacy Camp

Wellness and Missions

$5,000 to Mental Health Ministry at Christ UMC and Shemaiah Strickland
$5,000 to 1-2-1 Caring Ministry and Lynne Humphries Ross
$5,000 to Feeding Friendz and Pat Baughman
$5,000 to Spirit Sickle Cell and Lorraine Brown

Young People’s Ministries

$5,000 to Friendship Beyond Borders and Won Cho
$1,000 to MLK Day of Service at Glen Mar UMC and Bruce Leothold
$1,000 to Technical Team Youth Ministry at John Wesley UMC and Daphne Fraser
$5,000 to Project Transformation D.C, and Rachel Luna
$3,000 to More Tasty Blessings: To Go Youth Community Service at Lusby Charge and Francine Clark
$5,000 to God’s Work Through Our Youth at Mt. Nebo UMC and Donald Dorsey
$5,000 to Youth Warriors District Youth Conference, New Waverly UMC and Alex Bull

2022 Grants

Advocacy & Action

$5,000 to College Park UMC for their Community Meals Workforce Development program.

Wellness & Missions

$5,000 to Cassandra Nunez/Salem-Hispanic in Baltimore to provide care to current cancer patients by providing appropriate food according to their dietary needs, and spiritual and emotional support.
$2,500 to Cheryl Conway/Grace UMC in Fort Washington for the GRACE GROWS Community Gardening Ministry, in which participants receive training from a master gardener, gain hands-on experience growing food for their families, and learn the health benefits of consuming fresh, nutritious produce.
$2,500 to Project SPIRIT Sickle Cell, Inc., which provides spiritual counseling for young adults to explore their personal beliefs and navigate medical and life transitions as well as the challenges of living with sickle cell disease.
$2,500 to Rev. Twanda King/Union for their community gardening ministry.
$2,500 Valerie Stevens/Fully Alive, a ministry that provides a forum where congregants at Petworth and the Four Church Collaborative +1 renew practices and faith actions to grow physically, inter-relationally, emotionally and socially.

Young People’s Ministry

$5,000 to the Four Church Collaborative Youth Program (FCC), a collaboration between Wards 4, 5, 6, and 7 represented by Mount Vernon UMC, Petworth UMC, Community UMC, and Douglas Memorial UMC in the Greater Washington District that strives to teach core United Methodist values to youth who reside within economically insecure neighborhoods.
$9,000 to the Border Immersion—A Justice Journey between the Hispanic-Latino Ministry and the Young People’s Ministry areas that supports a group of college students and young adults from across the BWC to participate in a four-day educational and public witness action on the Mexico-US border that prioritizes direct dialogue with first-generation immigrants, meetings with local organizations working with directly with immigrant populations and immigration reform and advocacy policy, and reflection on biblical and theological foundations for solidarity with migrants and immigrants.
$5,000 to Project Syria, an expression of young adults, founded and led Friendship Beyond Borders, to connect the world across different backgrounds and cultures so that all may flourish. The Syrian Refugee Education and Health Initiative has supported over 500 Syrian students and young adult refugees in Jordan with educational platforms, classes, and preventative health care, as well as one-on-one relationship building with the Ward Chapel UMC, Glyndon UMC and Prospect and Marvin Chapel UMC in the Baltimore Suburban District.
$1,000 to the MLK Day of Service, a partnership between Glen Mar UMC, Ames Memorial UMC and St. John’s Baptist Church in the Central Maryland District that inspires and strengthens skills among fifteen young adults and encourages them to tell their transformative stories of how God is at work as they partner to meet unmet needs among economically marginalized people in the community.

2021 Grants

Wellness & Missions

$5,000 to Project SPIRIT Sickle Cell, a ministry that supports individuals 18-28 years of age who are living with sickle cell disease to understand the correlation of personal spiritual development, health and well-being as they experience hope through intentional sharing of spiritual guidance and counseling through one-on-one and group sessions.
$5,000 to Hope Rising at Wesley Freedon UMC Eldersburg, which provides a safe place that connects people to resources for abundant health.
$5,000 to Homeless Street Care at Magothy UMC, an outreach project that addresses some of Anne Arundel County’s residents who have fallen between the cracks” and become homeless.

Young People's Ministries

$5,000 to Youth Hang Out, a mission project to get youth involved in the church again and to give them alternative activities in the community.
$5,000 to Howard University Campus Ministry: A project on theology and culture that examines our current and historic harmful interpretations of scripture and traditions that led to slavery, wars, and political discord. This will include a series of podcasts, a worship component, and work experiences.

2020 Grants

Microgrants were given to local congregations assisting their communities in addressing the challenges of COVID-19.

2018 Grants

Abundant Health

$3,000 to Care Pack Ministry and Sophia Didawick of Union Chapel UMC. -- Didawick, a high school student packs and distributes 175 care packs with hygiene items to her fellow students in need each month
(Sophia Didawick also received $5,000 from Young People's Ministries for this bold outreach.)
$2,500 to Save the Sanctuary at Ames UMC and Marlon Tilghman. This ministry provides participants with a tote containing all of the materials a pastor or lay person may need to introduce, implement, and sustain a health and wellness ministry within their local church.
$1,500 to Our Journey of Hope at Macedonia UMC and Cynthia Gipson. A training program offered through the Cancer Treatment Center of Philadelphia that trains lay People on how to attend to the spiritual, emotional, physical, and social needs of patients, caregivers, family, friends, and others impacted by cancer.
$3,000 to Fully Alive at Petworth UMC and Valeria Stevens. The program allows people to "look at their bodies differently and to know they have a faith community that can support them in becoming strong temples with enough energy to serve in greater capacities in the world."

Advocacy and Action

$5,000 to Project Transformation in Washington, D.C. and Rachel Luna- A literacy program. (Project Transformation was also awarded $5,000 from Young People's Ministry.)
$4,975 to Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries and Pat Marks. CJAMM is an initiative of the BWC where people of faith come together to improve the criminal justice system in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
$500 to Cultural Competency Training at Wesley Freedom UMC in Eldersburg and Elizabeth LeMaster. The church partnered with Johanna Dolan, Director of Innovation, Strategy and Development for Axiom Sober Coaches, to host a Train the Trainer Cultural Competency Training and change discriminatory attitudes and behaviors about LGBT people.

Young People’s Ministries

$5,000 to Care Pack Ministry at Union Chapel UMC and Sophia Didawick
$1,000 to LeadHer Ministry for Young Women and Bonnie McCubbin. A summer camp program seeking to help young women hone their leadership skills and meet women who are leading in their fields, from church, politics, academics, business, and beyond.
$5,875 to Voices in Praise Youth Choir Summer Camp, a four-day summer camp for youth choirs and their directors, with the goal of inspiring attendees and equipping them with the tools necessary for building, operating, and sustaining modern youth choir programs. Despite the overwhelming benefits of youth choirs, few resources exist to create, sustain, and support choirs and choir directors. This camp hopes to inspire the next wave of choir directors and usher in a new era for youth choirs within the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
$5,000 for Project Transformation and Rachel Luna. This D.C. mission engages young adults in purposeful leadership and ministry while providing support to children in holistic development and connecting churches with communities.
$2,250 to Baltimore-Suburban District Youth Ministry and Susan Harry. Allows leaders to organize a district-wide youth event so that youth and youth workers can connect in a time of fellowship as well as providing resources for youth workers.