Application Guidelines
With God’s help and guidance, The Damascus Road Foundation has been called to support registered Canadian charities that are bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the least-reached people groups of the world. We encourage and support the advancement of the Gospel with the ultimate goal of fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:17-20) and seeing thriving, locally-led, multiplying churches in each community.
WHO ARE THE LEAST REACHED?
Wondering which people still haven’t heard and embraced the Good News about Jesus? Watch this video to get a 30,000-foot perspective on the presence of Christians around the world and what remains to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission.
Our Highest Priority
Our highest priority is to support evangelism and church-planting efforts that bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached and unengaged people groups (UUPGs). UUPGs are distinct ethnolinguistic groups with <5% Christians, <2% Evangelical Christians, and no known active church planting underway.
We appreciate that there are many people – even in our own neighbourhoods – who have not heard or embraced the Good News of Jesus. But there are many people in our world who have no opportunity to hear this message of hope and salvation without cross-cultural evangelistic efforts and the development of Scripture and other resources in their ‘heart language.’ Because there are those who have not had the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ even once, this is our highest priority.
For the latest information about UUPGs (as tracked by the IMB), please refer to https://peoplegroups.org/. Their current list of people groups, including engagement status, is available on the Research Data page.
Our Secondary Priority
Our secondary priority is to support evangelism and church-planting work among those who are unreached. Unreached People Groups (UPGs) are typically identified as having a population with <5% Christians and <2% Evangelical Christians, and some known church planting activity happening among them. Preference will be given to supporting those who work among Frontier People Groups (FPGs), which are estimated to have a population of <0.1% Christians. Use the following links to see lists of people-groups who are currently considered FPGs and UPGs.
Eligibility criteria & Guidelines
- The Foundation is only permitted to grant funds to charitable organizations that are registered and approved by the Canada Revenue Agency as qualified donees (e.g., “Canadian registered charities”).
- We are not able to fund non-Canadian organizations unless they are working in partnership with a Canadian registered charity who receives our Foundation’s support and provides direction and control for the project.
- Applying charities must have a minimum annual revenue of $500,000 from all sources and submit a copy of their audited financial statements from the most recently completed fiscal year.
- In all the above priorities, we desire to bring support to geographic regions where local funding for evangelistic efforts is unavailable or insufficient.
- Our preference is to support work that will ultimately be led by people local to the area of focus.
- We prefer projects where evangelism is the primary focus. However, for evangelism to lead to a healthy, growing, church community, the integration of discipleship should be considered. In your application, we want to hear about and learn how your proposed work will lead to healthy, growing church communities.
- The Foundation is open to considering applications for projects that take place “further back” from person-to-person evangelism if the work is clearly focused on UUPGs, FPGs, or UPGs. Bible translation, internet and radio evangelism, or training missionaries and church planters are a few examples of such work. In these cases, your application must clearly explain why the proposed work is needed and how it will lead directly to evangelism.
- If evangelism is part of a larger endeavour (e.g., a holistic or integral missions program), we welcome your request to fund components directly related to the evangelistic activities of the project.
- From time to time, the Foundation will consider providing short-term funds to mobilize long-term workers from the Majority World to UUPGs, FPGs, or UPGs if there is a current, insurmountable funding gap and a clear plan to raise sustainable funding from additional sources.
- The Foundation recognizes that many indirect operating expenses (e.g., rent and utilities, office furniture, computers and information systems, and the costs of functions like development, finance and accounting, IT, HR, and legal) are critical to an organization’s health. Therefore, applicants are invited to include proportionate and relevant indirect costs within their proposed project budget.
- Construction and building projects
- Travel costs for Westerners
- WASH (Water Sanitation & Health) programs
- Indefinite, general support for individual missionaries
- Unrestricted funding requests
- As a general rule, DRF does not award individual grants greater than 10% of an organization’s previous year’s or year-to-date revenue (whichever is greater).
- A typical Damascus Road Foundation grant starts at $50,000 and increases based on the merit and anticipated impact of the project.
- When your funding request represents a fraction of the project budget, we would like to know where or how you anticipate acquiring remaining funds.
- A full project budget is required in the application to identify the specific uses of funds requested from The Damascus Road Foundation.
- Funding may be approved for up to 3 years at a time if warranted by the project and organizational track record.
- Applicants must define clear implementation milestones and describe how the project’s outcomes will be assessed and measured on an annual basis, if possible.
- If approved, annual disbursements will be contingent upon acceptable reporting and progress against the milestones and outcomes stated in the application.
How to Apply
1. Review The Foundation’s Eligibility Criteria, Priorities, and Guidelines Above
2. Introduce Your Project
If you have a project that aligns with the Foundation’s priorities and guidelines, please introduce your organization and submit a letter of inquiry by email. See: What Makes a Strong LOI?
3. Invitation to Apply Extended
Following review of all prospective projects, we will invite applications for the projects that best align with the Foundation’s priorities at the set dates below. The Foundation’s current application template will be provided at this time.
4. If Selected, Submit Your Application by Email
Applications are reviewed by the Program Team and the Foundation’s Board at set times throughout the year—typically in April, September, and December.
UPCOMING GRANTING CYCLES
For consideration in September 2024
- Submit LOIs: January – May
- Invitations to Apply Extended: Early June
- Application Deadline: June 28, 2024
For consideration in December 2024
- Submit LOIs: June – August
- Invitations to Apply Extended: Early September
- Application Deadline: October 4, 2024
For consideration in February 2025
- Submit LOIs: September – December 2024
- Invitations to Apply Extended: Early January 2025
- Application Deadline: February 7, 2025
UPCOMING GRANTING CYCLES
For consideration in April 2025
Submit LOIs: Sept. – Dec. 2024
Invitations to Apply: Early Jan 2025
Application Deadline: Feb. 7, 2025
For consideration in September 2025
Submit LOIs: Jan – May 2025
Invitations to Apply: Early June 2025
Application Deadline: June 27, 2025
For consideration in December 2025
Submit LOIs: June – Aug 2025
Invitations to Apply: Early Sept. 2025
Application Deadline: Oct. 3, 2025