Church Vitality Grants

These grants support the formation of new congregations and the renewal of existing ones, fund new programs for youth and young adults and sponsor leadership development for the whole church.

Support to New Congregations. New congregations are developed in several different ways, but all of them involve a deliberate process that addresses issues like location, leadership, support, resources, demographics, emerging immigrant communities, partnerships, training and funding. It will involve working with the local Association, the Conference, and other UCC congregations in the area. Keystone Conference grants in this area are meant to augment other sources of funding. Grants for New and ReNewing Churches are available from the UCC. Find details here

Since the application form covers different grants, be sure to check the box for the grant being requested.

Mission Grants 2026 PDF Form 

Mission Grants 2026 MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Mission Grants, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Renewal of Existing Congregations. Many churches come to a time in their congregational life where the question of sustainability or viability is raised. At this crucial juncture it is important to look at a wide range of options and to prayerfully discern what direction God is calling the congregation. Grants can support a congregation’s analysis of the various options. See the link in the previous listing.

Since the application form covers different grants, be sure to check the box for the grant being requested.

Mission Grants 2026 PDF Form

Mission Grants 2026 MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Mission Grants, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Youth and Adult Empowerment (YEA) Grants. The historic Penn Northeast Conference had a YEA Fund that provided grants and financial assistance to help youth and youth advisors participate in mission trips, educational events, and leadership training programs. The Keystone Conference has adopted that name for this broader category of grants Youth and Young Adult Programs and Leadership Development. Churches and individuals associated with the conference are welcome to submit applications for reimbursement for events they plan to attend or have attended within the previous six months.

Although these grants are in the category of Church Vitality, they have their own application form.

Youth and Adult Empowerment PDF Form

Youth and Adult Empowerment MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Mission Grants, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Continuing Education for Pastors. Our associations have established criteria for continuing education for their authorized ministers. There is a wide variety of opportunities available, including the Keystone Academy for Ministry. (https://keystoneucc.org/lifelong-learning/keystone-academy/ )

Continuing Education Pastors/MID PDF Form  

Continuing Education Pastors/MID MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Mission Grants, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Continuing Education for Groups. At times, there will be opportunities for continuing education in a group setting. Use this form for those activities.

Continuing Education Group PDF Form  

Continuing Education Group MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Mission Grants, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Gwilym T. Williams Scholarship. Part-time or full-time undergraduate or postgraduate degree in certain fields. For 2026, this scholarship is limited to members of UCC churches in the historic Penn Northeast Conference, now the Mountain Valley Association. Moving forward, this grant will be open to all of Keystone. However, applicants from Mountain Valley Association will be given preference in funding.

G.T. Williams Information Form

G.T. Williams PDF Form

G.T. Williams MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Williams Scholarship, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Henry Berg Scholarship. The Henry Berg Scholarship fund was established to help “children of aptitude” with the furtherance of their education. In 2023, a court ordered the original trust to “distribute the remaining balance of the trust assets to the Penn West Conference of the United Church of Christ (the ‘Conference’), to hold, manage, invest, reinvest and keep invested such assets…  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:

1. First to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, either Smithfield Evangelical Protestant Church (now the Smithfield United Church of Christ), located at 620 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or Evangelical Congregational Church of McKeesport, located at 312 Olive Street, McKeesport, PA 15132;
2. Next to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, churches that are part of the Penn West Conference Pittsburgh Association of Churches and are located in Allegheny County, PA;
3. Next to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, churches that are part of the Penn West Conference Pittsburgh Association of Churches;
4. And then to students who are members of, or whose parents are members of, any other church within the Penn West Conference of the United Church of Christ.”

Because the Keystone Conference is the legal successor of the Penn West Conference, it will now administer the scholarships. The committee will consider aptitude, character, and need in its awarding process. Pastors will be contacted about the applicant. Applications are due by June 15. We will send notifications of awards before the end of July. Monetary awards will be sent directly to the accounts of the students at the institutions they are attending.

The Mission Grants Committee will be exploring the possibility of augmenting the scholarship fund so that awards can be made throughout the Keystone Conference.

Henry Berg Scholarship Information PDF

Henry Berg Scholarship PDF Form

Henry Berg Scholarship MS Word Form

PDF forms can be signed electronically. Facsimile signatures can be applied to MS Word forms. When the form is complete, mail to Berg Scholarship, Keystone Conference UCC, PO Box 6625, Harrisburg PA 17112, or email it to [email protected].

Revised 9/4/2026