Grant and Funding Programs Offered by The Shepherd's Fund (TSF)

The Shepherd’s Fund is a donor-established charitable fund dedicated to supporting retired pastors, their spouses and surviving spouses who have faithfully served Christ and the church but face limited financial resources in retirement. Operating from Sarasota, Florida, the fund focuses on providing grants when a medical or life-stage crisis creates a significant financial hardship. It works in partnership with denominational benefits offices, conferences and seminaries to identify and serve eligible retired clergy across a broad network of partner organizations.

The fund’s assistance is primarily targeted to health-related needs. Typical eligible situations include hearing and vision problems, cardiac issues, stroke, COPD, dementia, orthopedic issues, dental care, diabetes, and similar medical conditions. Grants can help pay for doctors, hospitals, rehabilitation, nursing homes, pharmacies, medical equipment, as well as co-pays and other out‑of‑pocket costs. In some cases, related living expenses such as mortgage or rent payments, utilities and transportation to medical treatment may also be covered when tied to the medical hardship.

The Shepherd’s Fund offers individual grants rather than ongoing pensions. A retired pastor and their spouse may each qualify for a one-time grant of up to USD 10,000, with a combined maximum of USD 20,000 per couple in a given period. According to the FAQ, applicants may receive up to USD 10,000 in any 12‑month period, can apply a second time for up to another USD 10,000, and a third time for up to USD 5,000, for a lifetime maximum of USD 25,000 per person. Grants may also be extended to surviving spouses, and clergy on disability within one year of retirement may be eligible for support.

Eligibility depends less on strict income thresholds and more on demonstrated financial hardship arising from medical needs. Applicants must be retired clergy, spouses or surviving spouses in a conference, denomination or organization with which The Shepherd’s Fund has an established partnership. Verification of good standing is performed through the relevant conference benefits leader, denominational leader or alumni office.

The fund uses a multi-step process to manage requests. First, denominational benefits or alumni offices, or other recognized leaders, identify retired pastors or spouses with significant financial needs linked to a major medical crisis and refer them to the online application portal. The retiree or a family member completes the application, which is then verified for denominational standing and reviewed by The Shepherd’s Fund.

Approved applications are forwarded to the partner organization Helping Hands, which conducts due diligence. This typically includes validating the medical situation and the applicant’s capacity to meet expenses, using information such as an income and expense form, a recent tax return and a letter from the attending physician describing condition, treatment and prognosis. Helping Hands then recommends a project and funding amount to The Shepherd’s Fund, opens the project for funding, and upon approval manages payment of grants, usually directly to service providers such as physicians, hospitals, mortgage companies, utilities or travel vendors.

The Shepherd’s Fund is designed to honor and care for “God’s shepherds” who served mostly in smaller churches with modest salaries and limited retirement savings. By focusing on retired clergy and their families, the fund fills a gap in the social safety net for faith leaders whose lifetime of ministry often left them without sufficient financial security. Testimonials on the site highlight improved quality of life following assistance—for example, funding hearing aids, paying medical bills and maintaining stability for surviving spouses after a pastor’s death.

Through its partnerships with multiple Methodist conferences, independent congregational associations and several theological seminaries, The Shepherd’s Fund seeks to be a catalyst for generosity within the broader church community. While it currently does not solicit public donations, it channels the resources of its founding donor and partners into targeted, needs-based grants that reduce the burden of medical debt and related costs for retired ministers.