Grants
To qualify to apply for a grant from Scanlan Foundation, your organization must be a Roman Catholic, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the State of Texas. Scanlan Foundation does not make grants to individuals.
The next session is Session 2026A. The next grant application deadline is November 15, 2025. The 2026A application forms will be available for download below from October 1 to November 15, 2025.
| Session | Open Date | Due Date | Decision Given |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | October 1 | November 15 | no later than May 1 |
| B | April 1 | May 15 | no later than November 1 |
LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Who We Support
We believe that the most impactful way to carry out our mission of furthering the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Texas is to build a culture of vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and holy families.
This culture of vocations is foundational in all that we do as we move forward with making decisions, strategic giving, and forming relationships. This cornerstone supports four main mission-furthering pillars of funding: Marriage & Holy Families, Catholic Education, Evangelization & Discipleship, and Life & Human Dignity.
Grant Applications
Please read through the form instructions carefully to determine whether or not your organization qualifies to apply for a grant from Scanlan Foundation. Approval or denial of previous grant applications by the Board of Directors does not guarantee approval or denial of any future application.
To fill out the grant application form, please download the corresponding PDF below and use an application, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, to complete and sign your form. Alternatively, you may print out the application form and scan in your documents for submission by email.
Only applications received by grants@scanlanfoundation.org before the stated deadline will be accepted.
Diocese
Ministry
Higher Education
Campus Ministry
High School
Application Guidelines
Before preparing your grant application, please review the information below to enhance the quality of your application.
Submission
Applications must be received by email. If your attachments exceed the limits of your service provider, you may send your attachments in separate batches.
Formatting
Applications should include individual PDF files for each form or required attachment. Please do not omit or reorder the pages of the application form.
File Types
Do not convert the application forms to another file type. For security reasons, Scanlan Foundation does not accept ZIP files or files submitted via a link to an external download.
Readability
Even if submitted electronically, we are unable to view responses that exceed the given space on the PDF forms. Word documents do not retain their layouts and designs in our system.
Reporting Requirements
Grant recipients must complete a Scanlan Foundation IRS Receipt Form, due upon receipt of the grant, and a Scanlan Foundation Grant Report Form, due according to the deadline on the respective report. Organizations with outstanding paperwork may not receive grant funding until their applicant file is made current.
Frequently Asked Questions
From time to time, Scanlan Foundation updates its policies and procedures, so please carefully read all of the provided information.
If you have read through our website, strategic plan, and applications forms but still have questions, please reach out to the Grants Department at grants@scanlanfoundation.org.
Can I apply for a grant?
Is your organization Roman Catholic? Is your organization a 501(c)(3) nonprofit? Is your organization in the State of Texas? If you answered ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, you may apply for a grant from Scanlan Foundation.
Please note that each organization may only submit one unsolicited application per calendar year. (Arch)dioceses may submit two unsolicited applications per calendar year.
How much should I ask for?
Applicants may request any amount. The amount requested is not a deciding factor for approving or declining a request. The board may grant your request in part or full, so it is recommended to break down your request and illustrate how you would like to use the grant funds.
Can I request a matching grant?
Scanlan Foundation does not make matching grants.
For what should I ask funding?
Scanlan Foundation and its board members are unable to respond to applicants on what requests to make.
Please carefully read through the information provided on the website, the application forms, and the strategic plan booklet for information regarding the foundation’s current funding priorities.
The board may grant your request in part or full, so it is recommended to break down your request and illustrate how you would like to use the grant funds.
Which form should I use?
Dioceses and archdioceses should use the Diocese Grant Application Form unless the request is on behalf of an individual campus ministry or an independent ministry that has its own tax exempt letter.
High schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston should use the High School Grant Application Form. Scanlan Foundation no longer accepts applications from high schools in other (arch)dioceses and instead makes Scanlan Scholars Tuition Assistance grants directly to these (arch)dioceses.
Requests from individual undergraduate Campus Ministries should use the Campus Ministry Application Form.
Colleges, Universities, and Seminaries should use the Higher Education Grant Application Form.
All other ministries, including campus ministry initiatives at multiple high schools and colleges, should use the Ministry Grant Application Form.
If there is any doubt, please reach out to the Grants Department at grants@scanlanfoundation.org.
Why was my grant request declined?
All available information regarding the board’s decision can be found in the decision letter. Scanlan Foundation receives a high number of requests each session, so the board’s decision does not reflect the value of your ministry but rather the prioritization of requests most closely aligned with Scanlan Foundation’s funding aims.
If my request was declined, can I apply again?
If you request was declined, you may apply again in the next calendar year or later. (Arch)dioceses may apply again in the next grantmaking session.
Scanlan Foundation recommends that you keep records of your grant requests and outcomes. If your organization has received two or more consecutive declination letters, it is recommended that you wait at least a few years before working on another application.
Even if your organization has received Scanlan Foundation grant funds in the past, your request may not be in line with Scanlan Foundation’s current funding priorities.
Do we have any overdue receipts or reports?
When in doubt, please submit any potentially overdue receipts or reports.
It is imperative for each organization to keep detailed records of grants received as well as requests made. Due to the high volume of requests received, we are unable to provide records research assistance.
If you organization has overdue grant documentation, your decision letter will indicate which forms are due, and your grant check will be held until the outstanding documents have been received.
On August 11, 2021, the Scanlan Foundation board approved a new strategic plan that was launched October 1, 2021 to address the future needs of the Church in Texas and to be more impactful in Scanlan Foundation’s granting of monies. Scanlan Foundation believes that it can best further the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Texas by building a culture of vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and holy families.
In his speech to mark the Diocese of Galveston’s 75th anniversary in 1922, Bishop Christopher Byrne, the first bishop to serve on the board of Scanlan Foundation, stressed the importance of vocations in Texas and concluded “If Catholicism does not bring forth this fruit of vocations, then Catholicism is dead.” A director of Scanlan Foundation for just three months until his untimely passing, Bishop Byrne had made it his life mission to promote vocations in the State of Texas. “Here we are a century later with nine million Catholics in Texas,” states Scanlan Foundation President Larry W. Massey, Jr. “Vocations are more important than ever.”
