Mission Grants Committee
Each of the four UCC Conferences which joined forces to become the Keystone Conference had a very active program of providing funds for specific projects or programs to their congregations and faith communities within their boundaries. The money came from endowments, bequests, and donations from individuals and churches. The Keystone Mission Grants Committee is reviewing the different application forms and approval cycles from over 90 funding sources to try to consolidate and make the application and review process as simple as possible, especially considering that some of the funds had restrictions placed by the donors.
The Committee is looking at the following broad categories: Church Development, Education, Support to Divinity Students and Pastors, Outdoor Ministries and Camp Support, Disaster Relief, International Missions, and Community Support. In the months ahead, this page will have links to information about each of the programs, and the Committee will be notifying Associations and congregations of the various grant opportunities.
Scholarships
Keystone Conference administers the following scholarships:
Gwilym T. Williams (GTW) Scholarship Fund
Who Can Apply…
- Post-secondary students who are currently enrolled in accredited institutions of higher learning
- Students who hold current membership in a congregation that belongs to the Mountain Valley Association of the Keystone Conference of the United Church of Christ
- Students who are preparing to embark on a career either as an ordained minister, a certified teacher or educator, a doctor of medicine (MD, DO, DMD or DDS), an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, or a nurse (B.S. degree), or a speech therapist, and other clinical degrees (such as a Masters in Clinical Counseling).
Henry Berg Scholarship Fund
Keystone Conference administers a scholarship fund, with the income of such fund to be used to provide scholarships to worthy and needy students with eligible recipients to be determined in the following order of priority:
a. First to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, either Smithfield Evangelical Protestant Church, located at 620 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or Evangelical Congregational Church of McKeesport, located at 312 Olive Street, McKeesport, PA 15132;
b. Next to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, churches that are part of the Keystone Conference Pittsburgh Association of Churches and are located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania;
c. Next to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, churches that are part of the Keystone Conference Pittsburgh Association of Churches;
d. And then to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, any other church within the Keystone Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Camperships
Attention Youth Campers and Families,
Please read the following information carefully, as the Conference policy for supplementing youth summer camping has changed.
For the 2026 summer season, the Keystone Conference will campership or reimburse 30% of the cost for one youth to attend one summer camping experience. If a youth attends more than one camp during the summer, only one camp will be eligible for the 30% reimbursement. Please use the application below for additional camps if this creates a hardship.
Camps Using a Coupon Code
For the following camps, please enter the coupon code at the time of registration and your 30% will be credited immediately:
• Camp Kirchenwald: KEYSTONEUCC26
• Camp Nawakwa: KEYSTONEUCC26
• Hartman Center – Spirit Camp: KEYSTONEUCC26
All Other Camps
If a youth from a United Church of Christ congregation within the Keystone Conference is attending any other church camp during the summer of 2026, please follow this process:
1. Register for the camp and pay the full registration fee. Be sure to obtain a receipt.
2. Complete the Conference reimbursement application below, and mail it, along with a copy of your camp receipt, to:
Keystone Conference
Attn: Sue Creswell
P.O. Box 6625
Harrisburg, PA 17112
3. Upon receipt of the completed application and camp registration receipt, the Conference will issue a check reimbursing 30% of the camp tuition.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Sue Creswell at [email protected] .
