Your eligibility guidelines prevent applicants from requiring adherence to religious/faith beliefs. Our church operates a food pantry and obviously our pastor must have religious beliefs as a requirement of the job. Are churches ineligible for MMT grants?

Thank you for this important question, which gives us an opportunity to more fully explain our policy. First, MMT recognizes the critical role churches and faith communities play in providing non-religious social services in communities across our region. We have a long tradition of supporting many of those efforts through our grants.

MMT has no intention of categorically excluding churches and other faith-based organizations that give preference to members of their own religion in top leadership positions like pastors, board members, etc. We invite proposals from religious organizations whose missions include providing service to broad communities, as long as those services are delivered without requiring attendance at or participation in religious activities and/or professing adherence to religious beliefs. In doing so, we are honoring our founder, as one of Fred Meyer's instructions to trustees of this foundation explicitly rules out proselytizing.

To keep a clear separation between inherently religious and social service operations, some churches have set up separate 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, which become the applicant for foundation and government grants and administer and operate the human service programs. MMT does not require this, of course, but faith based organizations should be able to account for use of grant funds for non-religious activities.

If you have questions about whether your organization meets our eligibility requirements, we invite you to call our Grants Administration department.