{Garrison, NY} – With grateful acknowledgement to Leadership 100, The Clergy Family Initiative is pleased to announce that it is able to award the disbursement of Ministerial Excellence Grants. These Grants allow financial assistance to Clergy who have completed the Dave Ramsey Personal Financial Literacy Programs.

The Clergy Family Initiative was established in 2016 through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, as a ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Spurred by research by the Danielsen Institute of Boston University, we came to understand the unique and significant personal and economic challenges that impact Clergy and their families. We have disbursed over $1,279,000 in Ministerial Excellence and Cov-aid Grants to Clergy.

“The Lilly Endowment has committed a total of $2,300,000, and we are grateful for all of the generous donors that contributed Matching funds, and for the spiritual work of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in support of our beloved Clergy.” (Fr. Constantine L. Sitaras, Executive Director, Clergy Family Initiative.)

Many Clergy have subsequently waived grants after proactively using the educational training materials to resolve debt. For information on the CFI’s Parish Council Training Series on the life and work of the Clergy, please contact Dr. George Koulianos at [email protected] or view an introductory message at https://youtu.be/1vYDvjVW4a8 . For information on the Ministerial Excellence Program, please contact Fr. Athanasios Demos at [email protected].

The Clergy Family Initiative has recently produced a webinar series on Well-Being for Presvyteres, which can be found on the NSP website for any Presvytera to view. The CFI will be presenting at the 2024 Clergy Laity Congress on the topic: A Proactive Lifespan Development Model for Clergy Health and Well-Being.