Trinity Episcopal Cathedral awards $207,000 in annual Faith in Action grants

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has awarded grant funding to 13 local and global non-profit partners who are doing sustainable work to create a better future for our community and world. The annual grant program is coordinated by Trinity’s Faith in Action committee, formed in 2022 to curate and streamline opportunities for Trinity parishioners to put their faith into action through volunteer and financial support.

“The 2026 grant recipients represent a wide range of organizations that address critical needs within our community and around the world,” said Anne Miller, chair of the Faith in Action committee. “But Trinity is committed to doing more than just writing a check. We are committed to sustaining relationships with these partners so that our parishioners can also support them with their time and talents.”

The 2026 grants total $207,628 and will support projects that provide education, food, mentorship and other physical and spiritual support. In addition, the Faith in Action committee allocated $15,000 to its Beebe James Local Ministries fund to be able to respond to critical needs in our community as they arise throughout the year

The 2026 grant recipients are:

• Education Equals Hope – $14,040 to support the educational programs of our mission partners in Quito, Equador.
• JumpStart – $24,000 for this local prison discipleship program that provides job and life skills training to help participants prepare for life after prison.
• Keepin’ It Real – $25,000 to support this ministry program for those experiencing housing insecurity in the Midlands.
• Literacy SC – $31,150 to provide curriculum and professional instructors for free Reading Labs at Richland Library Main and Transitions Homeless Center, and job skills classes at Transitions. These funding will also support ‘Reading Begins Here,’ a free statewide virtual program that provides family literacy classes and one-on-one reading check-ins to families across South Carolina.
• MORE Justice – $12,866 to support this local inter-faith non-profit that works to address community-wide issues and hold elected officials accountable for creating a more just and equitable place to live.
• Partners in Agriculture – $5,250 to boost education, agribusiness and economic mobility for women, families, and entrepreneurs in central Haiti, and to make the island green again.
• Senior Resources – $2,412 to provide meals and care to a local senior for one year.
• Soup Cellar – $2,800 to support Washington Street United Methodist Church in operating a downtown soup cellar to provide a daily meal to those in need.
• Summit Education $7,000 to provide access to quality education in rural Haiti.
• Sunday Morning Breakfast – $40,000 to continue a long-standing breakfast program at Trinity that provides a weekly meal for our neighbors experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
• Vivanco Family – $5,110 to support the mission work of this mission family from the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina as they serve in Ecuador.
• W. A. Perry Middle School – $23,000 to continue funding a partnership between Trinity and the middle school that provides after-school activity clubs, mentorship and a food pantry.
• Weekend of Hope – $15,000 to support weekend retreats for men who are experiencing housing insecurity.

“Trinity has a long history of making bold moves to continue to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our community in ways that are relevant, hopeful, and transformative,” said the Rev. Jimmy Hartley, sub-dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. “We recognize the value of supporting and enhancing those organizations already doing great things to serve God and our neighbors, so we are honored to facilitate connections between their needs and our resources. We strive to be solution-minded and fully engaged in the life of our city and our world.”

For more information about the work of the Faith in Action committee at Trinity Cathedral, please visit trinitysc.org/FIA

About Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is a historic site in the heart of downtown Columbia, S.C., adjacent to the South Carolina Statehouse. Founded in 1812 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Cathedral features important architecture, artifacts and stained-glass artwork that help preserve the history of the state of South Carolina and the City of Columbia. Trinity’s churchyard is the final resting place of many Episcopal bishops, South Carolina governors, officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary War and Civil War, presidents of the University of South Carolina, and other notable South Carolina citizens. Today, Trinity Cathedral offers a full schedule of worship services, a robust music ministry, mission and outreach projects, and educational programming to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that are relevant, hopeful, and transformative for our parishioners, our community, and the world. Learn more at trinitysc.org.