LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (January 27, 2026)—The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas (MFA) awarded 209 grants during calendar year 2025, bringing its annual total of granted funds to $2,103,474. This amount exceeds 2024’s tally of just over $1.8 million in grant disbursements, as well as all other annual totals in the history of the MFA’s grant ministry.
“The Foundation’s grantmaking is only possible because of local churches and individuals who want to make a difference with their money,” said MFA President and CEO the Rev. J. Wayne Clark. “Whether it’s through a bequest from someone’s estate, endowment earnings, an annual gift made through our Bishops’ Club, or the investment fees from well-performing church accounts, it all matters. Every individual, every faith community, and every nonprofit organization that places funds with MFA has a part in feeding hungry Arkansans, educating clergy and laypersons, supporting community health, and all the other work that our grants help accomplish.”
“I would like to highlight the growing support of the Bishops’ Club in helping us combat food insecurity in our communities,” said MFA’s Director of Leadership Ministries the Rev. Mackey Yokem, who oversees the grant program. “Since 2024, 100% of the funds that the Foundation’s Bishops’ Club members provide have gone directly toward alleviating hunger here in Arkansas. Their commitments are making a real difference for their neighbors.”
Grantees and their award amounts from MFA’s Grant Administration Committee during the fourth calendar quarter of 2025 included:
- Star City FUMC Backpack Program: $1,500 – a backpack feeding program that provides weekend protein and snack foods for children K-5 who depend on the school for meals.
- Blessings to Go: $20,000 – A weekly drive-up feeding ministry serving Rogers and surrounding areas from the parking lot of Grace Chapel UMC.
- Scott County Backpack Program: $5,000 – A provides nutritious, easy-to-prepare food for children to take home on weekends and holidays.
- Prairie Grove UMC We Feed People Orchard: $2,000 – The church will use 10 acres on church property (with adequate space, water supply, soil and caretakers) to grow an orchard and garden that feed clients through the food pantry.
- ARUMC United Women in Faith: $5,000 – Scholarships to attend Assembly 2026, where women can nurture and/or enhance their leadership skills and network with women from across the nation on how to inspire more women to become active in the organization.
- Theressa Hoover UMC “Project Hope”: $10,000 – Grant funding will be used to provide a variety of six nutritious meals over each weekend for students at Stephens Elementary School. The program ensures that children most in need receive consistent access to healthy meals when school-based food resources are not available.
- FUMC Osceola: $10,000 – This request will allow the church and its partners to increase their current food pantry capacity, diversify food offerings, and extend community garden programming to include seasonal workshops, youth engagement, and nutrition education.
- White Memorial UMC: $15,000 – Support for offering free food and free library access to children to take home a grade-level book. Presently, they serve 240 students, from Pre-K through high school, nourishing both body and spirit through food, faith, and learning.
- Sequoyah UMC: $1,500 – A new pastor and new staff people seek to improve individually and meld into a productive, collaborative, and goal-oriented team. These funds will provide for a consultant to lead the church staff through this process.
- Vilonia UMC: $3,000 – Weekly food bags for children and youth, consisting of 2 breakfast items, 2 fruit items, 2 main dish items, and 2 snack items.
- Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund: $12,000 – Helping single parents to move toward financial security by providing educational assistance.
- Trust Tree: $7,500 – Support for activities for teaching art, music and songwriting in a camp setting.
- LifeQuest: $10,000 – Promoting and offering lifelong learning for older adults in cooperation with First UMC Conway and Hendrix College.
- The Interfaith Center: $12,000 – Funding programs that foster interfaith education, understanding, and collaboration.
- Manna House: $12,000 – Providing assistance to purchase food and health supplies to share with those in need.
- Arkansas Family Alliance: $12,000 – Providing assistance to families and children in crisis; addressing root causes of poverty and family separation.
- The Centers: $12,000 – Strengthening medical support for children with complex emotional, behavioral, and physical needs.
- Apex Development: $10,000 – Providing support and education for families of youth with disabilities.
Other Grants Beyond Committee Action
In addition to the grants above totaling $160,500 and grants announced at the close of the first, second, and third quarters, the Foundation has made other disbursements beyond the committee’s purview: to support programs that began receiving approved funding before the current fiscal year, and smaller disbursements that do not require committee action according to the MFA Board of Directors bylaws.
Like the Grant Administration Committee disbursements, these gifts span MFA’s grant priorities, recently streamlined from 11 categories to six: 1) Food Security, Homelessness, and Poverty; 2) Clergy and Laity Education; 3) Community Health; 4) Evangelism and Discipleship; 5) Diversity; and 6) Environmental Awareness and Energy Education. Examples of such disbursements range from providing EV chargers in multiple locations across the state and supporting the Creation Care program at Mount Eagle Retreat Center to establishing and supporting a series of food distribution hubs that serve multiple counties in high-need areas of the state.
MFA welcomes grant proposals from United Methodist and Pan-Methodist churches and organizations, as well as non-church-related community nonprofits that pursue goals aligning with one or more of the priorities listed at methodistfoundationAR.org/grants. Churches and organizations planning to request funds from MFA should also visit the link above to establish a login for the Foundation’s Grant Portal. Addressing food insecurity in Arkansas remains a top priority of the Foundation’s grant program.
About the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas
With a mission to establish and manage charitable funds to strengthen and expand Methodist ministries across Arkansas, the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas manages over $260 million in endowment funds and other charitable assets that benefit local churches and other United Methodist ministries. Founded in 1963, the Foundation has grown into one of the largest United Methodist foundations in the country, managing more than 800 funds that support Methodist ministries. To learn more, visit methodistfoundationAR.org.
