Ellen Ann Fentress is a writer, filmmaker and teacher in Jackson, Mississippi. She is the author of “The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning.” She heads the Admissions Project an online platform publishing first-person accounts from public schools and legacy segregation academies in the post-integration South. Her documentary “Eyes on Mississippi” streams at pbs.org. She teaches in the Mississippi University for Women creative writing M.F.A. program.
Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship are designed for worshiping communities. These grants allow a wide range of Christian worshiping communities to focus on projects that connect public worship with Christian discipleship and faith formation. Funding awards range from $8,000 to $25,000.
The grants support year-long projects that show promise in fostering renewed or strengthened worship practices within worshiping communities in the United States or Canada. Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grants for teacher-scholars are also available. Applications for the October 15 deadline will open on July 15, 2026.
A learning resource for Christian leaders and their
