We want to make faith matter more for teenagers
Thanks to the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc., we are excited to announce year two of the TENx10 Faith and Service Project (TFS). The primary objective of the TFS Project is to make faith matter more for teenagers by strengthening the capacity of TENx10 partner organizations to engage teenagers in meaningful acts of service and justice.
In year two, current TFS grantees are invited to submit a proposal for one of the following grants. Note: The year two TFS grants are only available to organizations that received a TFS grant in 2025.
Single-organization Implementation Grants between $50,000-$75,000
Implementation grants in year two are designed to help grantees move from experimentation to expansion by providing between $50,000-$75,000 in funding for organizations ready to scale promising ideas into more substantive and sustainable projects. These grants aim to deepen impact with young people by strengthening programs, expanding reach, and embedding service and justice more fully into the life of each organization. Our hope is that these resources will allow partners to take bold next steps, build organizational capacity, and generate models of ministry that make a lasting impact with teenagers and inspire the broader Christian ecosystem.
Collaborative Implementation Grants between $150,000-$165,000
Collaborative Implementation grants between $150,000-$165,000 are intended to spark innovation through partnership. By bringing together two or more TENx10 partners, these grants encourage organizations to combine their unique strengths, share expertise, and learn from one another as they design and launch projects that no single organization could accomplish alone. We believe this collaboration will foster cross-pollination across traditions and contexts, leading to fresh expressions of discipleship, stronger networks of support, and a collective witness that amplifies youth-led service and justice initiatives in communities across the nation.
Projects should catalyze youth faith formation through service, justice, and theological reflection in ways that align with your organization’s mission and strengths and build on the projects or learnings from the first TFS grant. The intent is to invest in projects that deepen, expand, or scale holistic youth formation that incorporates service or justice. We anticipate awarding approximately 35-40 grants.
Potential year two project activities include:
- Engaging teenagers (ages 13-18) directly in service and justice efforts with theological reflection components.
- Expanding the use and impact of resources that integrate faith, service, and justice for teenagers (ages 13-18).
- Conducting related research regarding faith, service, and justice for teenagers (ages 13-18).
Other innovative approaches aligned with the core objective and implementation grant criteria (explained below) are welcome.
As shown in TENx10’s Faith Formation Framework, young people are more likely to have a faith that matters when they experience relational discipleship radically focused on Jesus. One of the drivers of the framework is youth applying their faith through service and justice. Yet too many teenagers today do not experience Christians and faith communities as deeply invested in these practices. The second year of TFS aims to strengthen and scale projects that embody diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and theological traditions of service and justice—helping more young people encounter a positive and compelling view of the Church.
TFS Implementation Grant Criteria
As a 2025 TENx10 Faith & Service grantee, you are eligible to propose a year two implementation project! TENx10 Partners who did not receive a year one TFS grant are not eligible to apply for year two. A limited number of grants will be awarded based on the alignment with the implementation criteria. Year one TFS Grantees may apply for one of two types of year two TFS grants: “Implementation Grants” which will be awarded to single TFS organizations and “Collaborative Implementation Grants” which will be awarded to a year one TFS Grantee that collaborates with at least one TENx10 Partner. “Collaborative Implementation Grants” are in line with TENx10’s broader goal of strengthening collaboration, and are designed to encourage grantees to partner with two or more organizations to meet the goals of TFS year two.
Implementation Grants – Between $50,000 - $75,000
Projects must meet the following criteria:
- Focus on forming the faith of 13–18 year-olds through service or justice, coupled with theological and biblical reflection
- Build on the momentum and outcomes of a year one Faith and Service Project
- By deepening the work: this can include activities such as, but not limited to:
- Moving from theory to implementation
- Equipping youth to disciple others in a manner that integrates service and justice
- Using the learnings to create richer theological reflection, and service or justice discipleship components
- Launching discipleship models to multiply leaders who will engage in youth formation integrated with service or justice within the grant period.
- By scaling the work: this can include activities such as, but not limited to:
- Extending programming through partnerships
- Replicating the project in new locations or contexts
- Serving more youth by expanding project size or frequency
- Partnering with another TENx10 Partner that isn’t a year one TFS Grantee
- By deepening the work: this can include activities such as, but not limited to:
- Address an identified injustice, problem, or opportunity.
- Further your organization’s proven commitment to faith, service, and justice
- Demonstrate how participating in year two of TFS will strengthen your organizational capacity, enhancing their ability to scale and sustain impact.
- Include a reasonable budget that supports the proposed project activities, aligns with the organization’s needs and goals, and reflects what can be effectively and appropriately spent within the grant period (February 2026-December 2026). Please note, grant applications may request less than the maximum allowable amount.
Collaborative Implementation Grants – Between $150,000 - $165,000
Projects must meet all Implementation Grant criteria and also:
- Involve at least two TENx10 Partner organizations (As long as the applicant for the year two funds received a grant in year one, a Collaborative Implementation grant can include a TENx10 partner who did not receive a year one grant.) Collaborating partners must be a TENx10 Partner as of October 31, 2025.
- Expand the organizational capacity of all collaborating organizations.
- Include at least one partner organization that is founded or led by a person of color and/or primarily serves communities of color.
Eligibility and Grantee Requirements
In addition to the grant criteria, organizations must also meet the following requirements:
- TENx10 TFS Grant year two applicants must have received a TENx10 TFS Grant in 2025.
- Be based in the United States and be able to present an IRS tax-exempt status determination letter as confirmation of their financial readiness to receive a grant. (For-profit entities should contact us to discuss details, but they are also invited to apply.)
- Have spent at least 75% of year one funds.
- Submit a TFS Project Application proposal by December 10, 2025. Each TENx10 partner organization can only submit one application.
- Commit to participate in TENx10 and TFS activities, including:
- Four TFS Zoom webinars
- TFS Day and TENx10 Summit October 14-16, 2026 (anticipated)
- Additional TFS activities
- Work with TENx10 to develop your organization’s impact story for national distribution.
- Submit a mid-year report that includes progress on outcomes, requests for adjustments, and any resources produced by the due date.
- Submit a final report that includes the outcomes of the project, developed resources, a budget summary, and reflections, stories, and insights by the due date.
Application Support
To assist you in applying, we will host sessions where we share more context about the project and answer questions about the application process.
- Informational Sessions:
- October 21, 2025, from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST. Click here to register.
- November 6, 2025, from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST. Click here to register.
- Grant Writing Workshop:
- November 18, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM PST. Click here to register.
- Frequently asked questions can be found on our FAQ page.
Note: All informational sessions will be recorded and emailed to year two TFS grantees.
Webinar Recordings
We will include recordings from the aforementioned webinars and info sessions here.
Timeline for the project
- December 10, 2025 (11:59 PM PST) – TFS Project Proposals Due Date
- Early February 2026 – TENx10 will notify organizations of accepted proposals, first TFS webinar, first 50% disbursement of grant funds
- July 2026 – Mid-project reports are due from grantees, second TFS webinar, and second 50% disbursement of grant funds
- October 14-16, 2026 (anticipated) – Attend TENx10 TFS Day and Summit
- December 2026 – Submit TFS Project Report due and celebration webinar
Submit your proposal
Applications must be submitted through an online form. To make preparation easier, we encourage grantees to use this Application Worksheet to gather materials and draft responses in advance. It includes all questions and prompts from the online application. Save your own copy and use it to prepare responses before submitting.
As you prepare your application, we invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- Theological Anchor - What biblical and theological texts help inform your approach to justice and service to others as a core practice of Christian life?
- Program - How does your project incorporate service or justice? How will you help young people reflect on their experiences and see service or justice as a theological practice? How well does the proposed project align with our grant’s focus areas and mission?
- Scalability - How will this project form the faith of more teenagers? Who will benefit? How many people? What change will result?
- Ecosystem Sharing - How might your insights and learning be shared (with TENx10 partners, and/or through your own channels) with others to catalyze broader efforts toward faith and service?
- Clarity & Feasibility - Is the plan clear and achievable? Are the goals, tasks, timeline, deliverables, and responsibilities well laid out? Does your staffing mix support the project implementation? If not, does your budget support having the staff needed to implement the project?
- Budget & Cost-Effectiveness - Is the budget realistic and justified? Are resources used efficiently?
- Equity & Inclusivity - How does this project consider the changing demographics of American youth and account for racial, cultural and ecumenical diversity?
- Tracking & Evaluation - How will you measure progress or impact? What is your plan for monitoring and reporting?
TFS Project applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM (PST) on December 10, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please visit our FAQ page or email TFS@tenx10.org.
(Form Opening October 17, 2025)