This October, the diocese announced a new grant program, the Missional Innovation Grants. This program is replacing the previous Walking on Water (WOW) grants, which began in 2014, to provide support and encouragement for new ministry initiatives that renew or deepen the scope of current ministry.
The Missional Innovation Grants seek to encourage parishes, missions, and chaplaincies to develop innovative missional initiatives emerging from attentive listening and a desire to connect meaningfully with those outside the church.
“A profound cultural shift is taking place in our diocese,” says Emily Hill, parish development missioner for the diocese. “We are learning to pay closer attention to where God is already at work in our communities and neighbourhoods — and to join in with faith and courage.”
This new grant was inspired by the ministry of Jesus, to whom missional innovation was a central part of his work. Jesus constantly reached beyond religious norms to reveal God’s love by healing on the Sabbath, speaking and eating with outsiders. He sent his disciples into local communities to proclaim the Kingdom in simple, relational and context-sensitive ways.
Luke 10:1-9 tells us that Jesus appointed seventy others to go in pairs to the towns he himself would go, bringing news of the Kingdom, conversing with the people, caring for the labourers, and the sick.
Jesus shows us that mission is not about preserving the familiar but discerning and joining where the Spirit is making all things new (Revelation 21:5)
The Mission Innovation Grant offers two levels for applicants to choose from. A Pilot Grant offers up to $5,000 for those who want to test a new idea based on some form of listening or engagement that has been done to shape the idea. The Development Grant offers up to $12,000 for those who have already tried out a small-scale or experimental form of missional activity and who now want to build on what they’ve learned to grow it into something more lasting, structured and sustainable.
“This new granting program embodies that shift and aligns beautifully with our diocesan Mission Action Plan.” Hill explains, “Parishes and missions are discerning, creative, Spirit-led initiatives that arise from listening deeply to their neighbours’ needs and gifts. Now, with funding to support them, those visions can take shape and become reality.”
The deadline for submissions for this first round of grants is Monday, December 1st, at 5:00 pm, and presentations will happen January 17th, 2026. An online information session will be hosted on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 7:00 pm to provide those working on applications an opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification and learn more about the grant and the process. The full details on the grant requirements and how to apply can be found on our diocesan website by visiting https://niagaraanglican.ca/resources/grants/missional-innovation-grant.
Any questions about the grants or the process can be directed to Emily Hill, the parish development missioner, by emailing Emily.hill@niagaraanglican.ca or the Reverend Canon Ian Mosby, community missioner at ian.mobsby@niagaraanglican.ca.
A Calling in the Quiet of the Night