Investing in people and ideas that serve our city.

The Love Letter Fund mission is to invest in business people and entrepreneurs who want to make positive social change in Austin. 

These investments include:

• Providing resources that enable people to follow Jesus where they live, work, and play
• Awarding financial grants
• Using Covenant members’ skills, experience, and networks to help launch new initiatives and scale existing products and services 

Through these efforts, we’re changing the way we participate in God’s mission in and for the world.

The Love Letter Fund invests in opportunities that: 

• Contribute to recipients’ spiritual formation so they can live out their faith at work
• Leverage Covenant members’ strengths and experiences to provide mentorship
• Demonstrate potential for long-term social impact on the city of Austin
• Accelerate or launch lasting, sustainable programs

When selecting recipients, we look for:

• Overall fit with Covenant’s mission of following Jesus wherever you live, work, and play
• Ability to use Covenant congregation members’ strengths, experience, and expertise
• Talent of applicant (and other team members, if applicable) to execute the project
• Potential for social impact by satisfying an unmet need with capacity for growth
• Opportunities to contribute to the applicant’s spiritual formation
• A working prototype (proof of concept) and financial model

The Love Letter Fund is an initiative of Covenant Presbyterian Church. But while being a Christian is not a requirement for funding, the proposals should align with and further Covenant’s values and those of the Christian faith. 

If an applicant is not a Covenant member, they will need a reference from a member of Covenant.

A panel comprised of members of the Love Letter Fund committee, Session Members, and Covenant staff will evaluate each application and project.

If the first application is approved, the applicant will be invited to answer a second round of in-depth questions. A final round includes an interview.

After the final round, applicants will be notified and recipients announced to the congregation.

Grants will be awarded for amounts of up to $100,000. Applicants are asked to propose the amount they need for their idea, and a panel will discuss that amount during the application process.

We’ll announce when the next funding cycle begins, which is when we’ll accept applications. Please send us an email to learn more about our funding cycles.

Your application should include:

• Your contact information: Your name, address, email, and phone number
• Organization contact information: Your organization’s name, address, website, and tax ID number
• Organization background: Your organization’s mission, overview, and a description of the project
• Plan for spiritual formation: A description of how the project allows you to live out your faith
• Summary of social Impact: A description of evidence of impact, such as objectives, metrics, and intended measures of success
• Your connection to Covenant: A list of at least three personal contacts at Covenant members, or the functional areas of needed support that at least three Covenant members can provide 
• Funding request: A description of your funding request 

Reference: The name of a Covenant member serving as your reference (if you are not a member)

Generally, the Love Letter Fund will not fund:

• Businesses without a tax ID or business EIN
• Non-profit organizations except as a single impact grant
• Organizations with missions and visions in opposition to Covenant’s mission and vision

Projects without other funding in place, so as to avoid making Covenant the sole source of funding

We would love to hear your ideas, so please apply for our next cycle and application process.

Covenant has designated financial resources to be used as Love Letter Fund grants through the Institute for Missional Formation.

Additionally, Covenant staff provide significant administrative and spiritual support for the program.