Grant Program Purpose
The congregation of Coastside Lutheran Church shares Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a Beloved Community where poverty, exclusion and violence are replaced by inclusive love, justice and peaceful conflict resolution.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is the only federal holiday designated as a national day for volunteering. Established by Congress in 1994, it transformed the King holiday from simply "a day off" to "a day on." It encourages Americans to volunteer, improve their neighborhoods, and honor Dr. King’s vision of a "Beloved Community" through acts of kindness. In 2027, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service falls on Monday, January 18.
The CLC Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service Grant Program (MLK Jr. Grant Program) was created to encourage and enable Coastsiders to participate in Day of Service activities. The MLK Jr. Grant Program provides financial resources to individuals and organizations to help fund MLK Jr. Day of Service activities on the Coastside from Pacifica to Pescadero. The goals of these community-based projects are to further Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community and to bring hope and positivity to our towns and neighborhoods. The focus of these activities could include (but is not limited to) education (ex: documentary/movie showing, books for kids, read- a-thon, etc.), the environment (ex: beach clean-up, etc.), health (collect food for a food bank, etc.), or social Justice (voter registration campaign, financial literacy campaign, etc.)
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is the only federal holiday designated as a national day for volunteering. Established by Congress in 1994, it transformed the King holiday from simply "a day off" to "a day on." It encourages Americans to volunteer, improve their neighborhoods, and honor Dr. King’s vision of a "Beloved Community" through acts of kindness. In 2027, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service falls on Monday, January 18.
The CLC Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service Grant Program (MLK Jr. Grant Program) was created to encourage and enable Coastsiders to participate in Day of Service activities. The MLK Jr. Grant Program provides financial resources to individuals and organizations to help fund MLK Jr. Day of Service activities on the Coastside from Pacifica to Pescadero. The goals of these community-based projects are to further Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community and to bring hope and positivity to our towns and neighborhoods. The focus of these activities could include (but is not limited to) education (ex: documentary/movie showing, books for kids, read- a-thon, etc.), the environment (ex: beach clean-up, etc.), health (collect food for a food bank, etc.), or social Justice (voter registration campaign, financial literacy campaign, etc.)
Eligibility to receive funds
Any resident of the Coastside (Pacifica – Pescadero) age 18 or older is eligible to apply on behalf of an organization, endeavor or project that furthers the goals of the Dr. MLK Jr. Memorial Public Service Grant Program. Up to five grants of $500 each will be awarded in 2026 to help fund 2027 MLK Day of Service activities.
Application Process
1. Attend the informational ZOOM meeting on Monday, August 24 to learn more about the program and the application process.
2. Apply by completing the online application. Applications will be accepted between September 14 – October 30, 2026. *Occasionally, the Grant Committee may require additional information regarding the request before making a final decision.
Notification
Applicants will be informed of the Grant Committee’s decisions by letter. All decisions by the Grant Committee are final. Decisions will be announced in November, 2026.
Recipient Responsibilities
- The recipient is responsible for notifying the Grant Committee of any changes, significant delays or problems with the project for which the funds were originally intended.
- All funds must be used toward enabling the project as proposed.
- Unused funds must be returned to the Grant Committee.
- The project must be completed no later than the 2027 MLK Jr. Day of Service, Monday, January 18, 2027.
- Recipients are required to:
- submit a brief written report to the Grant Committee accounting for the expenditure of the funds no later than February 15, 2027 and
- make a brief presentation describing the goals and results of the funded project. Presentations are to be made (Sunday morning in worship? Special event?) and may include power-point slides, photographs, videos, testimonials, etc. Project participants, family members, friends, and guests are encouraged to attend the presentation.
Contributions to the Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service Grant Program
The Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service Grant Program is made possible by donations from generous contributors. If you would like to help CLC continue and expand this program, please consider making a donation:
- via check, made out to Coastside Lutheran Church with “MLK Grant Program” on the memo line,
- via our website at https://www.coastsidelutheran.net/giving-to-clc.html ,
