All Wheaton students, staff, and faculty may submit proposals for the LWGT Mini-Grant. Grant projects may be projects that are new initiatives on campus, but may also be already existing initiatives that could be enhanced or expanded with additional resources.
Life with God Together Mini-Grants
What Are The Mini-Grants?
The Life with God Together (LWGT) Mini-Grant provides financial resources for students, staff, and faculty to support Wheaton College’s spiritual life framework of the same name. These resources are designed to bring our community closer together as we learn to love God, love the Church, and love the world around us.
Please take a look at the information below. It will help give you the background, procedures and answers to frequently asked questions.
Life With God Together Framework
Pillar #1: We love God because He first loved us.
- 1.1 – We listen to God's Word because He is speaking.
- 1.2 – We pray to God with praise and lament, repentance and petition because He hears and responds.
- 1.3 – We give generously and gratefully because God provides for all our needs.
Pillar #2: We love the Church because we are the body of Christ.
- 2.1 – We worship the Triune God because He is worthy.
- 2.2 – We work to God's glory and serve our neighbor's good because Christ is building His Kingdom.
- 2.3 – We participate in rhythms of rest and renewal because God has rested and will renew all things.
Pillar #3: We love the world because Christ died for all.
- 3.1 – We proclaim the Gospel because Jesus saves.
- 3.2 – We practice hospitality because God has welcomed us into His family.
- 3.3 – We do justice and love mercy because God created all people everywhere in His image.
The Mini-Grants
The LWGT Mini Grants provide a way to carry out the Life with God Together framework across campus in unique and creative ways. The purpose of these grants is to advance the framework’s pillars by creating opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to engage together in spiritual formation and missional engagement.
For the 2026–2027 academic year, grant recipients may receive up to $2,000 per project.
Instructions and Guidelines
Each proposal will be assessed based on its creativity and innovation with regards to potential impact on Wheaton College’s residential Christian community. Students, staff, and faculty will submit proposals for funding of up to $2,000. The requirements of projects are as followed:
- The proposal must be designed to include students, staff, and faculty in its participation and goals. Projects that do not include some combination of these populations will be weighted less.
- Two grant leaders must be included on the grant submission. Grant leaders from different populations will be weighted more.
- The proposal will focus on integrating at least two of the nine spiritual disciplines across the three pillars presented in the LWGT framework. Though articulated as a specific discipline in the framework (We listen to God’s Word because He is speaking), proposals must also demonstrate how scripture engagement is woven throughout their initiative.
- The grant application will include a project description, project objectives, a timeline, and budget proposal.
- Unless otherwise indicated in the proposal, funding will go to support programming primarily during B-quad of first semester and A-quad of second semester.
Each application will be reviewed by a committee of students, staff, and faculty who will assess and grade the quality of the submission and the alignment to the above criteria.
Wheaton College reports to the anonymous LWGT donor annually and includes an overall summary of grants awarded for that year, ministry outcomes, participant testimonies and thank you letters. Accordingly, each grant recipient must submit an annual report of their LWGT grant award to the Office of MInistry and Evangelism. A reporting template is provided to recipients at the beginning of each LWGT cycle and is due to the OME office near the end of the spring term ). Specific details, instructions, and timelines are communicated in the distribution of the reporting template. Reports must be submitted via email to ministry.evangelism@wheaton.edu
Information Sessions
- Tuesday, 9/1 | 10:30–11:00 a.m. — Phelps Room
- Thursday, 9/3 | 10:30–11:00 a.m. — The Chicago Room in Lower Beamer
Application Timeline
- Friday, 9/25 — Application Closes
- Thursday, 10/8 — Grantees Announced
Group Leader Training & Grant Initiative Implementation
- Wednesday, 10/14 | 5:00–7:00 p.m. — Group Leaders Training
- November–February — 1-on-1 Meetings with Ministry Associate for LWGT Mini Grants
- Friday, 3/19 — Programming Concludes
Wrap-Up & Reporting
- Thursday, 3/25 — End-of-Initiative Report Due
- Early April — Celebration
Q. How should ministry grant funds be used?
A. LWGT Mini-grant funds should be used for ministry related expenses, including hospitality, curriculum, printing and marketing, local travel, special events and other resources required for participation. Reimbursement for expenses will be completed up to the approved grant amount with submission of receipts and college reimbursement process.
Q. How are the funds accessed and made available for use?
A. Grant recipients who have Wheaton College credit cards (p-card) will be encouraged to make expenses on their college credit card and submit monthly expenses reports via Oracle to reconcile expenses against their grant award. Grant recipients who do not have a college credit card will work with the LWGT grant administrators to make purchases for their ministry projects. Specific details and further instructions will be communicated during a one time stewardship training.
Q. What is the reimbursement process for out of pocket expenses?
A. It is the goal of the Chaplain’s Office to provide and make available funds to recipients as early as possible in order to give cohort leaders adequate time to prepare for a smooth ministry project start, therefore, grant recipients should refrain from making any out of pocket purchases and instead reach out to the LWGT administrators with any urgent needs or questions.
Q. Can I renew my LWGT Mini-Grant for another academic year?
A. LWGT Mini-Grants are given out on a year-by-year basis. Grant initiatives and expenses are intended to take place during the timeframe outlined above during one academic year. Grantees may apply a second time during a subsequent year, but will need to articulate additional rational for why their initiative should be funded again. Funding is not guaranteed for more than one academic year at a time and all renewals are subject to availability of funds and committee discretion.