Shepherd's Gate Grant Program
Shepherd's Gate is a small annual grant program that supports nonprofit organizations that reflect our parish mission to serve people in need, to do justice where inequity exists, to stand for human dignity, and to promote peace. 

Net proceeds from Good Shepherd Catholic Church’s annual International Festival, held each year on Labor Day, fund the Shepherd’s Gate Grant Program. 
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Recipients of Shepherd's Gate Grants:

Net proceeds from the 2016 Festival went to award grants totaling $25,000 to nine amazing community-based organizations. Congratulations to our 2017 winners!
  • Alice's Kids - to assist children in poverty with minor but important needs that can make such an impact on a child’s life, such as a pair of soccer cleats, glasses or summer camp fees.  
  • Britepaths (formerly Our Daily Bread) - to support the Naomi Project, which matches high-risk pregnant women with trained volunteers who are committed to promoting health pregnancies and healthy babies.
  • Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington: Hogar Immigrant Services  - to help fund legal immigration services workshops for members of our immigrant community.  The program would help to screen at least 105 individuals living in the Mount Vernon area for eligible forms of immigration relief under the law.
  • Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington: St. Lucy Project - to provide fresh eggs and milk to the hungry in the Diocese of Arlington.
  • Catholics for Housing - to assist families and individuals transitioning into permanent housing with security deposit payments.
  • Guadalupe Free Clinic of Colonial Beach  - to help provide free health and dental care to the indigent and working poor residents of Westmoreland County (Northern Neck of Virginia). The clinic serves nearly 1,300 residents and is largely volunteer-operated and donor-supported.  The grant will help upgrade the HVAC system in the clinic’s 90 year old building on the grounds of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church.
  • Hopkins House  - to provide college tuition and other financial aid to low-income, first generation college bound teens and young adults enrolled in the Hopkins House Early Childhood Learning Institute.  
  • Mount Vernon at Home (MVAH)  - to provide two low-income residents of the Mount Vernon area a no-cost membership in MVAH.  MVAH exists to help seniors to “age in place.”  Members receive guaranteed, reliable transportation to medical appointments, retailers, grocery, and social events, as well as access to personalized aging-related information and discounted referrals for vetted professional service providers.  ​
  • Sanctity of Life Ministries - to expand their ultrasound program at a faith-based non-profit whose aim is to support women in unplanned pregnancies.    


Shepherd's Gate Grant Application Process: 
Local, national and international community-based organizations are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $5,000. To be eligible to participate, an organization’s program mission must fit one or more of the following categories:
  1. Serve the demonstrated needs of the subject community.
  2. Provide critical benefit to vulnerable individuals or families, particularly those in the low income bracket.
  3. Promote leadership opportunities, particularly among the poor and disenfranchised.
  4. Promote change to advance institutional entities, both public and private, that promote justice and advocacy for those in greatest need.

Application Period for 2018 is now closed. Please read the Instructions and Application for more information. For further questions, contact us at: grant@gs-cc.org.