United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Ministries

Donations, Grants and Scholarships

DHM provides opportunities for empowering Deaf, late-deafened, hard of hearing, and DeafBlind people through grants for projects and scholarships. Grant amounts range up to $4000. Projects include seed money for new ministries, international mission outreach, curriculum development, internships, Deaf camps, DeafBlind camps, hiring a Deaf or hard of hearing ministry coordinator, providing communication access and scholarships.

Grant requests are typically approved for new ministries or for existing ministries that are adding a new program (such as an interpreting ministry expanding to include a hard of hearing ministry). While ministry and program grants often have an internal church focus, we expect requests to have an external or wider community focus as well. Thus, grants ought to have a community impact fitting for the church's context, such as teaching sign language at a community facility or offering Deaf awareness training.

Please note that grants and scholarships are only available to United Methodist entities or members.

The 2024 cycle's first due date is January 31. The second closing date, July 1, is primarily for scholarships. All grants and scholarships are available as long as funds are available.
Download grant application
For further information, e-mail us.

• Funding Sources for Ministry Projects
• Grant Guidelines and Application
• Scholarship Guidelines and Application
• Grant Evaluation Tool (use as checklist when submitting request)

Other Sources of Grants and Scholarships

• United Methodist Higher Education Fund, Holly Elliott and Laurel Glass Scholarship for Persons Who Are Deaf, Deafened, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing
• When does a grant help?, Faith & Leadership, October 2019
• Ten Mistakes Churches Make When Applying For Grants, Alban Institute, January 2010.
• Grants as a source of funding, Alban Institute, January 2009
• Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants

DHM Grant Reports

• 2023 Mini-grant reports
• Tonderayi Makaya, scholarship recipient, February 2023
• Belspring UMC, VA 2022
• Bothell UMC, WA 2022
• Yatosha Deaf Ministry, Tanzania, 2021
• Kona UMC, Hawai'i, 2021
• Emmanuel UMC, Laurel MD, 2019
• Myers Park UMC, Charlotte NC, 2019
• Grace UMC, Philadelphia PA, 2019 and 2023 update
• West Forest UMC, Millington MI, 2019
• Orems UMC, Middle River MD, 2019
• Magothy UMC of the Deaf, Pasadena MD, 2019
• LaPlaza UMC, Los Angeles CA, 2019
• Deaf Autism Camp, 2018
• Magothy UMC of the Deaf, Deaf Seniors Program, 2017-2018
• First UMC, Clewiston FL, Hearing Loop, July 2017
• Timothy Barth, Scholarship recipient, June 2017
• Freedom from Silence, Cuba, April 2017
• Hearing loop at The Dalles UMC, July 2015
• Preparations and journey at Youth 2015 in Florida.
• Belize Mission with Karen Harrell and Sheila Finn, May 2014
• Chas Wirick at Servants in Faith and Technology, June 2012

Donations

With rising costs and increasing needs, the practice of “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” makes funding a vital issue. The United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries (DHM) has two basic functions. The primary function is to make people aware of the needs of the Deaf and hard of hearing, so that all persons may be able to fully participate in the spiritual life of the United Methodist Church. A secondary function is to provide funding for programs and projects that further the primary function.

Both of these functions are supported by general funding from the United Methodist Church and by gifts received from members and friends of the United Methodist Church through the Advance Special Giving program.