Portland, Maine
History of the Fund, Eligibility for Grants
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In 1872 Byron Greenough, a member of Immanuel Baptist Church of Portland, Maine bequeathed $10,000 to be placed in a trust fund. The will stipulated that when the proceeds from the fund reached $100,000 the surplus could then be used to assist American Baptist Churches of Maine to buy, build or improve meeting houses. The first meeting of the Trustees was held September 14, 1872 and The Greenough Church Edifice Association was incorporated on February 19, 1873. An appropriate plaque honoring Byron
Greenough has been placed in the Greenough Chapel of Immanuel
Baptist Church in Portland. Douglas Cruger of Immanuel Baptist Church, Portland, has recently written a biography of the life of Mr. Greenough. |
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Byron
Greenough |
Administration
The Greenough Church Edifice Association is administered by nine Trustees who must be residents of the City of Portland or its vicinity. The trustees meet each February for their Annual Meeting to elect officers, transact other regular business and to consider requests for grants. Over the past forty years more than $1,050,000 has been distributed to almost 100 different American Baptist Churches throughout the State of Maine.
In 2011 the Trustees of the fund awarded $50,000 to Maine American Baptist churches, in grants ranging from $500 to $7000.
The Trustees also manage the Fund's assets and investments so that they may continue to provide assistance to American Baptist Churches in Maine.
Grants
The grants from the Greenough Church Edifice Association are to be used solely for capital outlay. This means that grants may be used for purchase of land and/or buildings, building construction costs, major renovation costs and major equipment costs. If a project is to be completed in phases then it is necessary to submit a new request annually. The funds can not be used for regular maintenance costs or for the regular operating budget. Qualifying renovation grants include, but are not limited to, such items as furnace replacement, re-roofing a building, re-siding a building, new parking lot, major foundation work, steeple renovation or replacement, etc.
There is no set amount for any grant. The dollar amount awarded is subject to several factors, including the funds available, number of requests received, and purpose of the grant. For example, emergency furnace replacement or renovations to stop further water damage have a higher priority than furniture replacement.
To see examples of how churches have utilized Greenough grants, click here.
Grant Proposals
Grant Application Forms are available on this site for downloading, completion, and return by U.S. Mail; the completed form must be posted to the Secretary of the Association.
You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader or higher loaded on your computer to view and complete these forms. If your computer is not equipped with Acrobat Reader, please click on the icon below. Your browser will open a new window and connect you to Adobe's web site. Please follow Adobe's instructions to install the latest version of Acrobat Reader on your computer. It may take a few minutes to install the software. This is a free service.
All forms must be submitted by January 15th, for consideration at the Annual Meeting in February. Applications received after the deadline must wait until the following year for consideration.
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(must have Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher)
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For additional information please contact:Mark Johnson, Secretary: mjohnson@greenough.org
For additional information on American Baptist Churches in Maine, go to www.abcom.org
updated 14 February 2012
url: www.greenough.org