The Becoming Beloved Community Scholarship

The Becoming Beloved Community Scholarship

Funder: Society for the Increase of the Ministry (SIM)

Overview: This scholarship supports theological students with a strong call to the ministries of justice and reconciliation, including building an anti-racist church and/or those who, by their histories and backgrounds and prior engagements in ministry, contribute to the racial, ethnic and cultural diversification of leadership in the Episcopal Church. The scholarship bears the descriptive name of what Dr. Martin Luther King referred to when he spoke of the flourishing human Beloved Community as it stands for and enacts justice, or "the public face of love."

Eligibility

• Pursuing theological education for ordination to the diaconate, presbyterate, or calls to ministry as a member of the order of the laity
• Theological education may be pursued in Episcopal seminaries, university divinity schools, or diocesan schools for ministry
• A history of engagement or strong call to the ministries of justice and reconciliation
• Contributors to the cultural diversification of the leadership of the church

Award Amount

Up to $18,000

Deadlines

• New Applicants: May 18, 2026
• Returning Scholars: May 29, 2026
• Decision Date: By June 30, 2026

Geographic Scope

Episcopal Church institutions in the United States

Non-Discrimination

SIM does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender expression, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Contact Information

• Address: 634 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 (or 815 2nd Ave #315, New York, NY, 10017)
• Phone: (877) SIM-1857 | (877-746-1857)
• Email: info@simministry.org
• Donations Mail: The Society for the Increase of the Ministry, P.O. Box 21557, New York, NY 10087-1557
• Website: simministry.org

Organization Background

Since 1857, The Society for the Increase of the Ministry has been both a scholarship organization and a scholarly organization. Over 5,000 seminarians have been funded by SIM scholarships. Today SIM is a learning community of thought-leaders cultivating wisdom for the massive adaptive challenge required to secure the future of the faith, and leading that adaptive change through recruitment, scholarships, convening, consulting and publications.