The Ascension Endowment Fund

The Ascension Endowment Fund enables the congregation to fulfill its mission by supporting ministries beyond what is possible through the annual operating budget. Distributions from the Endowment Fund are used for outreach ministries and grants, seed money for new ministries and special one-time projects, and capital improvements of the church. In 2021, two additional restricted funds were established to support major maintenance projects pertaining to the building and to support hunger ministries in greater Knoxville and East Tennessee.

Grants are made twice a year. The proposal deadline is March 15 or September 15 of each year. A proposal request form is provided below. While recommended, it is not mandatory to use the form. For grant requests not involving the parish building and grounds, complete and submit the proposal form by email to endowment@knoxvilleascension.org on or before the deadline. If a grant request involves the Ascension building and grounds, it must be approved by the Ascension Building and Grounds Committee before submission to the Endowment Committee. The Parish Administrator will coordinate the Building and Grounds Committee review and submission to the Endowment Committee. However, the grant submission deadline to the Endowment Committee remains March 15 or September 15.

If the grant request is from an organization outside Ascension, the Endowment Committee must receive certification of nonprofit status in addition to the completed grant request form. Acceptable evidence of nonprofit status includes:

A reference to the applicant organization’s listing in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.

A copy of a currently valid IRS tax exemption certificate.

A statement from a State taxing body, State Attorney General, or other appropriate State official certifying that the applicant organization has nonprofit status and that none of the net earnings accrue to any private shareholders or individuals.

A certified copy of the organization’s certificate of incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes nonprofit status.

Proof of nonprofit status for a State or national parent organization, along with a statement signed by the parent organization confirming that the applicant organization is a local nonprofit affiliate.

Please complete the grant proposal form below and ensure any additional committee approvals are obtained before submission. For more information, contact the Endowment Committee at endowment@knoxvilleascension.org.