We are excited to announce that the School for Ministry for the Diocese of Southwest Florida is the recipient of Iona Collaborative’s Locally Grown Diocesan Microgrant. With this grant, the School for Ministry will be equipped to create and implement a spiritual director formation program.
Regarding the grant and proposed project, Bishop Scharf shared, “This grant will allow us to develop a sustainable program for forming local spiritual directors—an essential investment in the spiritual health and vitality of our diocese. By increasing access to spiritual direction, particularly for those in discernment, and for our rural and smaller worshiping communities, we are living into our mission to equip and empower both our lay and clergy leaders. This initiative directly supports our diocesan vision of forming disciples and developing leaders for the future of the Church.”
Through Iona Collaborative’s Locally Grown Leaders program, 19 grantees from 21 Episcopal dioceses will receive grants of up to $25,000 per year for the next five years, along with site visits and personalized support from the Locally Grown Leaders staff team. Areas of focus include curriculum design, diocesan school planning and evaluation, and student assessment protocols—all aimed at fostering local formation, student success, and the vitality of small congregations.
Read more about the grant recipient at: https://iona.ssw.edu/announcing-locally-grown-leaders-micro-grant-recipients/