ECRF Scholarship

Financial Support for ECRF Participants

Thanks to the support of generous Lake Institute donors, we are able to offer partial scholarships for our Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising course through the Thomas H. Lake Scholarship fund.

Jenna Olson Popp

I still see the books I read for the [ECRF] training on my bookshelf and am reminded that it’s not about the numbers, but instead about what God is doing through this ministry and through the generous gifts of our donors.

Read the full post here.

Jenna Olson Popp

The Thomas H. Lake Scholarship

Financial support for ECRF participants
Award Amount: $675
Number of Recipients: 12

Please submit your application by October 14. Applicants will receive notification of awards by early November. We recommend you register for your preferred 2025 ECRF cohort at the time of your application. If you have any questions, please contact Anne Brock at anmbrock@iu.edu.

Criteria: The Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF) is designed for religious leaders in faith-based organizations and institutions who wish to learn more about the spirituality of fundraising and gain a core foundation in fundraising principles. Typical titles of attendees include: clergy, judicatory executives, development leaders, professionals at faith-based organizations, and lay leaders who have some responsibilities with funding or finances. Scholarship criteria include both demonstrated financial need as well as the potential for applying course learnings in your current professional context.

ECRF Scholarship Application

Example: Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., Rev., Rabbi, etc.
Name(Required)
Address(Required)
Please select which 2025 online offering(s) you are interested in attending. Your selection does not lock you into a cohort.(Required)
Please submit a one page letter that answers the following questions. (1) Why is participating in the ECRF course important to you and your vocation? (2) Why are you asking for financial support in order to attend? Please make us aware of other potential sources of funding for continuing education. *Letter is to be between 250-500 words
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 64 MB.

Consent to Disclose / Terms & Conditions

By checking “I agree” and submitting this application, I agree to allow Lake Institute on Faith & Giving's Scholarship Committee to process and review my application. If awarded a scholarship I agree to allow my name, organization, and image to be published as a recipient for marketing, advertising, publicity, or other promotional purposes by Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

If awarded a scholarship...

  1. I understand that I must register for an offering by March 1, 2025. After this date the scholarship will expire.
  2. It is the recipient’s responsibility to select a cohort date, inform Lake Institute, and register for the course via instructions that will be provided.
  3. I understand that receiving the scholarship does not guarantee me a spot in the offering of my choice. We recommend applicants register for their preferred dates in order to hold a spot if your attendance depends on you receiving the scholarship.
  4. With permission of Lake Institute, I may transfer my scholarship to another participant within my organization should I no longer be able to attend or leave my organization. However, the scholarship will be considered expired should the recipient’s organization not have another participant available to register for an offering that occurs before the end of 2025.
  5. I understand that my scholarship may not be transferred to a different organization.
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