The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People is prepared to establish partnerships with groups in the United States or other countries who:

• are oppressed by poverty or social systems,
• want to take charge of their own lives,
• have organized or are organizing to do something about their own conditions,
• have decided that what they are going to do will produce long term changes for their lives or communities,
• will control the programs they own and will benefit from them directly.

Partnerships are initiated by applications to the Self-Development of People Committee and are evaluated against Self-Development's funding criteria.

• Applications are accepted at any time
• Funding Decisions are made in May and November.
• To initiate partnerships with Presbytery and Synod Committees contact them directly.
• Contact the Synod and Presbytery SDOP Committe for their deadlines and methods of submission

You may send grant applications:

By email

For domestic applications, you will be asked to submit additional copies.

Or by post office to:

Self-Development of People
100 Witherspoon Street
Louisville, KY 40202

• Domestic in English (10 copies)
• Domestic in Spanish (1 copy)
• International in English (1 copy)
• International in Spanish (1 copy)

• A project will be presented, owned and controlled by the group of people who will benefit directly from it.
• A project will address long-term correction of conditions that keep people bound by poverty and oppression.
• A project presented for funding will describe, in detail, its goal (the point of the project), its objectives (the specific steps the group will take to accomplish the goal), the way the direct beneficiaries will be involved in all stages of the project and the methods to be used to achieve the goal and objectives.
• A project will be sensitive to the environment while accomplishing its goal and objectives.
• A project will not advocate violence as a means of accomplishing its goal and objectives.
• A project presented for funding will describe fully the resources known to be available for its support, including a description of a) those within the community, b) those available to the community and c) the in-kind and other financial resources sought or to be sought.
• A project presented for funding will contain a balanced income and expenditure budget. A financial plan showing expected income and expenditures over the funding term of the project will be included.
• A project presented for funding will specify how progress toward the stated goal and objectives will be evaluated by the group, and when the evaluation will be made.

All items requested must reflect the same group name (no individuals) and same address.

Applying for a Self-Development of People Grant is now as easy as 1-2-3. Everything you need to know about the application process is in our Web site. You can download the applications in Microsoft Word format from our Web site.

Download applications in Microsoft Word or PDF format

• Domestic Application
• Solicitud Nacional en Espanol

• Domestic Application
• Solicitud Nacional en Espanol

NOTE: Due to changes in our funding focus for the next three years we will not be accepting international applications from individual groups. Read more

NOTE: Debido a cambios en nuestro programa internacional, por los próximos tres años no estaremos aceptando solicitudes de grupos individuales. Más información