Blog Posts, Articles & Announcements

Written by Jennifer Pingolt

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 06 September 2024

David vs Goliath?   Remember who won!!

While in my car recently, I listened to a radio program that featured a speaker from the World Food Program, discussing the famine in South Sudan.  He also described with concern growing famine in several other African countries: Namibia, Somalia, Ethiopia and the Sahel to name just a few.

His greatest lament, however, had to do with those of us not suffering from famine, who are not responding with the urgency that we did some 20 years ago when famine and human rights violations decimated Sudan.

He referred to “donor fatigue” and individuals feeling a kind of inability to really make any difference or meaningful impact.

WHAT CAN WE, THE POOR, DO, SURPRISINGLY, TO HELP THESE DONORS?

I suggest at least two themes must be included in each of our proposals and requests:

1. A measurable, lasting and, at times, saving difference will be made by your grant.
2. An unmeasurable but significant impact is made in the lives of your congregation by the faith and collaboration their support represents.

1. Measurable. Your grant WILL make a difference for the people you identify in your proposal. Reinforce that what is done by their grant cannot be undone: children taught to read, for example, will NEVER be illiterate.  A family surviving a famine will at least survive, on average, for several years before the next one.    The average well in Africa, you can indicate for example, provides water to its community for over 20 years!  In short, the financial support of the foundation will have LASTING BENEFIT.

2. Unmeasurable, but real. Even faith-filled, committed missionaries need, from time to time, to know that they are not “in it” alone, and they are truly impacted by their donors. If, as the saying goes, “many hands make light work” then many hearts, in spirit together, can stimulate courage and hope for the difficult and at times heartbreaking work that never seems to end. Many hearts together make for stronger hearts!

As ever, Mission Project Service believes in you because we’ve come to know so many of you, we’ve heard your experiences and, just as importantly, have felt the love and hope that you feel for those you serve.

Continued thanks from us for all you do, and may the Holy Spirit move the hearts of those who can share their resources to walk with you in your important ministries!

Written by Jennifer Pingolt

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 06 September 2024

David vs Goliath?   Remember who won!!

While in my car recently, I listened to a radio program that featured a speaker from the World Food Program, discussing the famine in South Sudan.  He also described with concern growing famine in several other African countries: Namibia, Somalia, Ethiopia and the Sahel to name just a few.

His greatest lament, however, had to do with those of us not suffering from famine, who are not responding with the urgency that we did some 20 years ago when famine and human rights violations decimated Sudan.

He referred to “donor fatigue” and individuals feeling a kind of inability to really make any difference or meaningful impact.

WHAT CAN WE, THE POOR, DO, SURPRISINGLY, TO HELP THESE DONORS?

I suggest at least two themes must be included in each of our proposals and requests:

1. A measurable, lasting and, at times, saving difference will be made by your grant.
2. An unmeasurable but significant impact is made in the lives of your congregation by the faith and collaboration their support represents.

1. Measurable.  Your grant WILL make a difference for the people you identify in your proposal. Reinforce that what is done by their grant cannot be undone: children taught to read, for example, will NEVER be illiterate.  A family surviving a famine will at least survive, on average, for several years before the next one.    The average well in Africa, you can indicate for example, provides water to its community for over 20 years!  In short, the financial support of the foundation will have LASTING BENEFIT.

2. Unmeasurable, but real. Even faith-filled, committed missionaries need, from time to time, to know that they are not “in it” alone, and they are truly impacted by their donors. If, as the saying goes, “many hands make light work” then many hearts, in spirit together, can stimulate courage and hope for the difficult and at times heartbreaking work that never seems to end. Many hearts together make for stronger hearts!

As ever, Mission Project Service believes in you because we’ve come to know so many of you, we’ve heard your experiences and, just as importantly, have felt the love and hope that you feel for those you serve.

Continued thanks from us for all you do, and may the Holy Spirit move the hearts of those who can share their resources to walk with you in your important ministries!

Written by Jennifer Pingolt

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 28 March 2023

NSMO for LENT

Dear fellow missionaries,

I recently was asked to review a “letter of intent/project description” written by a missionary for a project that serves women and children.  The form allowed for 1 page of writing.

You can imagine my surprise (and concern) to find, upon review, that nearly one-half of the letter was taken up describing the missionary’s congregation, its history of serving women and children, and its commitment to this part of the world.

While the commitment of one’s congregation is important, that importance should only be highlighted after the foundation knows what the project is.  Then the missionary can suggest that they are just the right people to make the project work.

To focus the grant applicant on the important issues first, our recently-launched Grant Writing 101 course included a process called NSMO (pronounced  “nizmo”).  Use NSMO as your guide for the core of your project description and then add on other attractive elements-such as your congregation’s commitment-after establishing this core description first.

N is for Need.  Give the foundation an understanding of the compelling nature of the need that the project will address.  Indicate, where possible, that this compelling need is currently unmet by any other project or missionary presence.

      EXAMPLE:  The incidence of HIV in the rural area of Country X is the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

S is for Solution.  Establish clearly and with conviction that your project offers a solution to this need, based on your review, the endorsement of the people it will serve, and objective data available to you.

      EXAMPLE:  A multi-media campaign will greatly increase of awareness of HIV prevention strategies.

M is for Method.  While ‘method’ may seem like the same as solution, it is more specific.  It lets the foundation know that among the possible project choices, the one you have chosen is deemed to be the best. 

      EXAMPLE: The use of media is shown to capture a larger audience than in-clinic education.

O is for Outcomes.  Where possible, the result of implementing your project should always be measurable and these outcomes will be reported back to the foundation.

      EXAMPLE:  We estimate that 10,000 women and 5,000 men were exposed to the campaign.

NSMO is a framework that can and should be applied to every application request, letter of intent, abstract, or full application document.  It will help you organize your thoughts and may even cause you to rethink or refine the project you hope to get funded.

MPS sends its best wishes to you and your amazing work serving others!

Written by Jennifer Pingolt

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 13 March 2023

Starting your engines for 2023!

Fellow missionaries, the start of a new year can sometimes be difficult, to get things moving, so to speak.  Because of this, MPS would like to share with you some research it has done, to help you get your engines started…or to help you get those engines if you don’t have any!

Below is a list of agencies we found in the MPS 10^th Edition Funding Guide and/or online that support applications for mission vehicles.  This list is no guarantee, but we hope it helps point you toward funders that might take an interest in a vehicle request. 

NOTE: be careful of agencies that offer help to procure vehicles for you at a reduced cost.  MPS found one such agency in the US that claimed to be connected to the Anglican Church. It required payment up front, then would drag out the process of finding a vehicle.  In one case we are aware of, the missionary finally just gave up, rather than try and pursue legal action against an entity thousands of miles away.

Foundations That Fund Vehicles

Written by Jennifer Pingolt

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 03 March 2022

Lent: Developing A Grant Writer’s Superpower

Happy Lent to all missionaries out there!

In late 2021, we shared a message with you at the beginning of Advent.  We wrote about “waiting”, waiting for a birth that changed our lives forever.  We also quoted the French spiritual writer Simone Weil, who wrote that “waiting is the basis for any relationship with God.”

Now here we are again, entering another time of waiting: Lent.  But our waiting is different this time and as grant writers, I believe these 40 days hold a time of paradoxical “superpower” for us.  What do I mean?

During Advent, we know what we are waiting for and the story ends in joy, the birth of the Christ, God’s entering humanity with an unmatchable, irreplaceable gift.

During Lent, we also know what we are waiting for: resurrection, another irreplaceable, unmatchable gift.  BUT the paradox of Lent is that this gift comes through the appearance of failure, rejection, denial:  the complete humility and surrender of Jesus.

I suggest to you that this paradox is our superpower.  To center ourselves in humility and surrender does not mean that we don’t give 100% effort and try and write the best grant application (in fact, many applications!) BUT THAT ONCE WE HAVE DONE THAT we center ourselves in humility and surrender to the outcome.  And there is great freedom in this surrender.  There is also great confidence in this because who better than the Crucified did exactly the same thing?

I think this is why another famous spiritual writer, Thomas Merton, wisely reminds us in New Seeds of Contemplation: “Humility is the surest sign of strength.”

So do your best. Apply. Get denied or rejected.  Apply again.  Use all aids available, then submit with hope and ask for the grace of humility that these 40 days of Lent are here to give us.

Our continued hopes and prayers for your ministries and your own experience of God’s closeness to you!

Written by Super User

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 20 May 2021

UPDATED 5/25/2018

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) describes the policies and practices of Mission Project Service, Inc. (“MPS,” also referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our” in this privacy notice) regarding the use, disclosure and maintenance of personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information we collect through your use of our websites, including our members-only website (collectively, the “Sites”). 

Our Contact Details: 

Address: Mission Project Service, 2109 Beckenham Drive, Mt. Pleasant, SC. 29466
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.        Phone:  612.810.9147

We take the responsibility of protecting your privacy seriously.  Any information collected by MPS from our Sites may be used in accordance with this policy.

By using any of the Sites, you are deemed to agree to the terms of this Policy.  We may update this Policy at any time.  Any changes to the Policy will become effective upon the date of our posting of the revised Policy on the Sites.  If you visit any of the Sites following the effective date of the revised Policy, you will be deemed to have accepted the Policy’s updated terms. Please check this page periodically to ensure you are familiar with its current content.

Please let us know at any time if you have changes to your personal data by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

1. Electronic Communications/PECR Per MPS guidelines, and in adherence to Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, we may send you marketing communications from us such as emails or newsletters if (1) you made a purchase or asked for information from us regarding our goods and services or (2) you agreed to receive marketing communications and, in each case, you have not opted out of receiving such communications since. 
   
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2. Collection and Use of Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
   
   MPS may collect personal information from you, some of which may be personally identifiable information (PII) for the purpose of communicating with you, for recording keeping and for MPS business purposes such as to create, operate, provide, deliver and improve our products, services, content and advertising and for loss prevention and anti-fraud initiatives.  Personally identifiable information is information relating to an identifiable person who can, by virtue of such information, be directly or indirectly identified.  Like many websites, our Sites actively collect information from its visitors both by asking you specific questions and by permitting you to communicate directly with us.  You may be asked to provide your personally identifiable information anytime you are in contact with MPS.  For example, when you contact us via our website, email or social media accounts, we collect a variety of personally identifiable information about you including your first and last name, your email address and any comments or questions you may have.  We process this data in order to be able to best serve you. You are not required to provide the personally identifiable information that we have requested, but, if you chose not to do so, in many cases we will not be able to provide you with our products or services or respond to any queries you may have.
   
   When purchasing an MPS Membership, we require additional information in order to fulfill your order such as your shipping address and book language preference. 
   
   When payment information is required, we will direct you to submit credit card information through a third-party such as Stripe.  Payment details are held by our third-party processor, not MPS.
   
   
3. Collection and Use of Non-Personally Identifiable Information (non-PII)
   
   We also collect data that is not personally identifiable to you but related to your use of the Site(s) to help us improve the Sites, such as by analyzing Site visitor trends, including usage of certain pages or functions on the Sites.  We may also use non-PII for other purposes, but if any such use involves combining the non-PII with any data so that it became identifiable to you or another person, we would then treat it as PII in accordance with this Policy.
   
   Non-PII is “passively” collected from you through browser navigational tools, such as cookies, "log files," "server logs," "clickstream data" and pixels based on context (i.e.:  a search query, a channel you are reading or inferred interests).  These technologies help us better understand user behavior, tells us which parts of our websites people have visited and facilitate and measure the effectiveness of advertisements and web searches. 
   
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   1. Service Providers.  We share PII with unaffiliated third parties who partner with us by providing services such as information processing, fulfilling customer orders, delivering products to you, and managing technologies and enhancing customer data so we can best serve you. 
   2. Advertising.  MPS Shares personally identifiable information with social media advertising platforms for the purpose of custom audience generation and the development of targeting criteria for other audiences.
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   4. Acquirers or Assignees.  If MPS or substantially all of its assets were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by the relevant third party.  By using our Sites, you acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of MPS may continue to use your personal information as set forth in this policy.
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   MPS will provide you with access to your personally identifiable information (including a copy) upon your request.  We may decline to process requests that are frivolous, vexatious, jeopardize the privacy of others, are extremely impractical or for which access is not otherwise required by local law.  Access, correction or deletion requests can be made by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
   
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   MPS takes the security of your personally identifiable information very seriously.  When your personally identifiable information is stored by MPS we have implemented security policies and technical measures to safeguard the personal information we collect from accidental loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, use and disclosure, alteration, or destruction. You should be aware that no Internet transmission is ever fully secure or error-free.  Where you use passwords, ID numbers, or other special access features on this site, it is your responsibility to safeguard them from disclosure or misuse.
   
   
7. Retention of Personally Identifiable Information.  We will retain PII about you for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
   
   
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10. International Transfers of Information.  By using the Sites, you are deemed to understand and unambiguously consent to the collection and processing of your PII in the United States, with the awareness that the laws of the United States may not provide as much protection for PII as the laws of certain other countries or territories.
    
    
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Written by Super User

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 01 March 2021

IThe MPS Funding Guide is the premier directory of agencies, foundations, and organizations that fund Catholic missionary projects, both pastoral and/or human development.  We’ve been hard at work on the 10^th edition and are anxious to share it with you!

The 10^th edition of the MPS Funding Guide has been revised, updated, and expanded to include profiles on over 100 NEW grantmakers, as well as detailed information on alternative funding sources.  Additional features include:

• Over 300 profiles of prospective funders including contact data, application process/key dates, previous grant history.
• Easy-to-use, searchable graphic Index to locate qualifying funders by country of origin, geographic areas served, and type of aid given so you can quickly target those funders who mostly closely align with the needs of your project.
• Bonus Guide to Grant Writing section with tips, tools and sample materials to help you achieve funding success!
• Grant Writers Dictionary – essential terms both the beginner and veteran grant writer needs to know

Be the first to know when advance sales of the MPS Funding Guide kick-off (and, as a thank you, we will enter your name in a drawing for a free 10^th edition and provide you with a 20% off discount on the book purchase price).

If you purchased a copy of the 9th edition of the MPS Funding Guide in the last two years and wish to maintain access to a digital version of the 9th edition, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for login instructions.

Written by Super User

Category: Uncategorised

Created: 01 March 2021