The Grants Program

The Grants Committee serves a crucial role in carrying out the Order of Malta's mission to serve the poor and the sick. Knights and Dames on the Committee meet twice a year to evaluate grant applications from members of the Order for charitable programs in which they are actively involved. The Committee then makes its recommendation to the Board of Directors to fund deserving and well-vetted programs. Domestic grants support projects in the Hospitaller Regions of the Federal Association, and international grants go primarily to programs in Central America, South America and the Caribbean Basin, where we enjoy excellent relations with our sister Associations of the Order.

All of the gifts to the Federal Association's Annual Appeal are used for direct assistance to those in need. Gifts are used carefully to leverage financial, material, and organizational resources as judiciously as possible.

Members of the Order should seek grants only for those programs for whose effectiveness they can personally attest and in which they actively participate.

• Matching grants are highly desirable and should be encouraged.
  
• Normally, grants will not be made to provide salaries and routine operating funds for established programs.
  
• Grants for schools cannot be considered.
  
• Where appropriate, in-kind contributions of food, medicines, medical supplies and other relief supplies will be made.
  
• Repeat requests from organizations are appropriate, but no organization should be led to believe that successive grants become entitlements. Where the Board wishes to give an amount of money over a period of time, it will be so specified.
  
• The programs selected for assistance should ordinarily be church-related and must be consistent with the spirit of the Catholic Church and the purposes of the Order.