By Urantia Foundation staff, Illinois, United States
On November 15, Urantia Foundation announced the launch of the Mustard Seed Grants Program (MSGP). Thanks to the generosity of Gard and Florence Jameson, Urantia Foundation is now endowing a grant-making program that awards financial assistance to eligible projects which support the Foundation’s Declaration of Trust and mission to “seed” The Urantia Book and its teachings globally.
Gard described his intent in starting the fund and his vision for its future results: “Like the mustard seed, this fund will be a blessing to many individuals and groups who are working to share the good news of the fifth epochal revelation globally and to bring an era of light and life to our troubled planet. The grants will be of varying size; the ones that will surprise many will be the small grants that grew in their blessing, much like the mustard seed!”
MSGP encourages students of The Urantia Book around the world to develop projects that articulate both a problem and its solution. Whether large projects or small, the top submissions must be impactful, feasible, and sustainable. Funds will be granted to support projects that further education and outreach in tangible and measurable ways, and across all regions of the globe. We anticipate that the funded projects may one day solve some of our most significant outreach challenges.
MSGP areas of focus include educational programs, centers, and schools; secondary publications; music, art, and film; digital outreach (visual/audio); interfaith projects; and family-based programs.
Applications for the first round of the program were accepted through January 15, 2023. Within two months the Foundation received 28 applications from Brazil, Canada, France, Ghana, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, and the United States.
The following grant awards were announced on March 15:
• Creating Audible Recordings for Four Urantia-Based Novels, Rick Warren
• FER_UB, Maricor Doctor
• Living Bridge Productions, Gary Tonge
• School of Divine Progressive Wisdom, Moustapha N’Diaye
• Spreading the Good News, Pato Banton
• The Urantia Book Teacher Training Program, Elisabeth Callahan
• Urantia Conference in Nigeria, Emeka Anazodo
• Urantiapedia, José Antonio Hernández
Congratulations to the Round 1 Mustard Seed Grant recipients!
Do you have an idea for an educational program that will bring the fifth epochal revelation to untapped audiences? Have you thought of an innovative project that addresses some significant outreach challenges? If so, you may be eligible for a Mustard Seed Grant! The opening for Round 2 will be announced this summer.