Making faith matter more for teenagers
Thanks to the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc., TENx10 is excited to announce Year 3 of the TENx10 Faith and Service Project (TFS). The primary objective of TFS 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 integrated with biblical and theological reflection.
TFS has been a multi-year journey. Year 1 invited organizations to catalyze youth formation that integrates service and justice with spiritual practices and learning. Year 2 provided collaborative opportunities to deepen and scale promising approaches. In Year 3, we want to help selected organizations embed this work as a core and sustainable priority within their organizations while extending its impact through their programs, leaders, networks, or partnerships.
Moving From Project to Priority
Year 3 is about more than continuing successful projects; it is about making demonstrated approaches an enduring part of how organizations form young people. As shown in TENx10's Faith Formation Framework, teenagers are more likely to have a faith that matters when they experience relational discipleship radically focused on Jesus. Two of the drivers of this framework are faith internalized through spiritual practices and learning and faith applied through service and justice.
Over the first two years of TFS, grantees have explored, implemented, deepened, and scaled approaches to integrating youth faith formation with meaningful service, justice, biblical and theological reflection.
Year 3 asks a different question: What would it take for this work to become part of how your organization forms teenagers for years to come?
For some organizations, this may mean incorporating practices developed through TFS into core programming. For others, it may mean changing strategy, equipping a broader network of leaders who will carry this integrated approach in an ongoing manner, strengthening staffing and systems, developing sustainable funding, or making proven resources available to a much wider audience.
The goal is not for every organization to institutionalize the work in the same way. Rather, we want organizations to demonstrate how the integration of youth faith formation, service, and justice can become an enduring expression of their particular mission and strengths beyond project-based grant funding.
Year 3 Core Priority Grants
Year 2 TFS grantees and Year 1 TFS grantees that demonstrate a continuation of their work at the intersection of youth faith formation, service and justice may apply for a Year 3 Core Priority Grant of up to $200,000.
These grants are intended to help organizations move from successful implementation toward institutionalization and sustainability. Year 3 investments should help organizations build upon demonstrated results while developing the leadership, systems, practices, resources, collaborations, and financial commitments necessary for the work to continue beyond the TFS grant period.
We anticipate awarding approximately eight Year 3 grants.
Single-Organization Core Priority Grant ($100,000)
Single-Organization Core Priority Grants help organizations build on their TFS learning and impact by making youth faith formation integrated with service and justice a sustained organizational priority. These grants support organizations ready to embed this work into their ongoing strategy, programs, leadership, systems, and resources so that it can continue beyond TFS funding.
Collaborative Core Priority Grant ($215,000)
Collaborative Core Priority Grants help organizations combine complementary strengths to create greater and more sustainable impact than they could achieve independently. These grants support partners working together to multiply, extend, or embed promising approaches while building lasting capacity, practices, resources, and relationships that sustain the work beyond TFS funding.
Strong Year 3 proposals will demonstrate that the organization's TFS work has produced sufficient learning, momentum, and impact to warrant a significant additional investment—and that organizational leaders are prepared to make concrete commitments to embed the work within the applicant’s organization.
TFS Year 3 Core Priority Grant Criteria
Year 3 applicants must demonstrate how an additional investment will help make the integration of youth faith formation, service, and justice a sustained organizational priority—an enduring expression of their organization’s mission and strengths beyond project-based grant funding.
Projects must:
- Demonstrate meaningful progress and learning from Years 1 and 2
Describe the most significant outcomes, insights, and evidence emerging from your TFS work and how those learnings are shaping your Year 3 plans. Year 1 TFS grantees who did not receive a Year 2 grant must demonstrate a continuation of the work.
- Continue to form the faith of teenagers by engaging in acts of service or justice with reflection
Maintain a clear focus on the faith formation of 13–18-year-olds through service or justice integrated with intentional biblical and theological reflection.
- Make the work a deeper organizational priority
Demonstrate how integrating youth faith formation, service, and justice will become part of the organization's ongoing commitments and future strategic priorities.
Applicants are not expected to demonstrate institutionalization in every area. Rather, proposals must identify the organizational changes most important for sustaining the work within their particular context.
- Demonstrate organizational leadership and ownership
Show evidence that organizational leadership supports the continued integration of this work and that responsibility for its future extends beyond the individual staff member managing the TFS grant. This should include demonstrated executive-level support and, where appropriate, board-level awareness or commitment.
- Build capacity to sustain and expand youth impact
Identify the capacities necessary to continue and expand the work’s impact with young people beyond TFS funding. Describe how investments in people, practices, systems, collaborations, or financial resources will enable the organization to reach, form, or equip more young people over time and make this work an ongoing part of the organization’s ministry.
- Multiply youth impact
Demonstrate how Year 3 will multiply the reach and the impact of a proven approach by engaging more young people, expanding to additional locations or contexts, equipping additional leaders or partners, or replicating effective models.
Budget Note: Applicants must include a reasonable and strategic budget that aligns with the organization's needs and goals, and reflects what can be effectively and appropriately spent during the grant period. Applicants do not need to request the maximum allowable amount. The proposed amount should be proportionate to the work being undertaken and demonstrate how TFS funding will contribute to lasting organizational impact beyond the funding year..
Possible Year 3 Project Approaches
Year 3 funding is intended to support activities that directly contribute to greater, deeper, or more sustainable impact for young people. Planning, evaluation, staffing, systems, or infrastructure should be clearly tied to that impact rather than treated as stand-alone activities.
Year 3 projects may include activities such as:
- Embedding faith formation, service, and justice into core programs or strategies in ways that reach more young people or deepen their formation.
- Adapting demonstrated programs or models so they can serve more young people and be sustained over time.
- Equipping additional core staff, leaders, churches, congregations, or partners to implement the approach developed and tested during Years 1 and 2 with more young people.
- Building the staffing, systems, training, or infrastructure needed to expand youth impact and make the work an ongoing part of the organization.
- Incorporating service, justice, and biblical and theological reflection into organizational practices and leadership development in ways that consistently shape how young people are formed.
- Expanding a demonstrated model to additional communities, congregations, programs, or contexts where doing so advances the long-term ministry strategy.
- Disseminating resources, tools, practices, or models that enable more churches, ministries or leaders to support young people’s faith formation beyond the applicant's organization.
- Equipping more churches, ministries, or leaders to use demonstrated resources, practices, or models with young people on an ongoing basis.
Other approaches that advance the primary objectives of Year 3 while reflecting your organization's unique mission, context, and strengths are also welcome.
Eligibility and Grantee Requirements
In addition to meeting the Year 3 grant criteria, applicants must:
- Have received and successfully implemented a TENx10 TFS Year 2 grant or demonstrate the continuation of efforts related to a TFS Year 1 grant in 20265 if they were not a year 2 TFS grantee.
- Demonstrate a trajectory toward successful completion of the organization's Year 2 outcomes and grant commitments if they are a Year 2 Grantee. If you were not a Year 2 Grantee, but were a Year 1 Grantee, demonstrate continued work that scaled and deepened your project from year one.
- Be based in the United States and meet TFS financial and organizational eligibility requirements.
- Submit one Year 3 proposal per eligible organization by December 10, 2026.
- Commit to participate in required TENx10 and TFS learning and capacity-building opportunities during Year 3.
- Four TFS Zoom webinars
- TFS Day and TENx10 Summit, October 14-16, 2027 (anticipated)
- Additional TFS activities
- Participate with TENx10 in coordinated storytelling, learning, and ecosystem-sharing efforts, including identifying and sharing relevant resources, practices, models, research, stories, or insights emerging from the work.
- Submit required mid-year progress and final reports, including outcomes, evaluation findings, resources developed, financial reporting, stories, and key learnings.
Preparing a Strong Proposal
As you prepare your proposal, we invite you to consider the following:
- Evidence — What have Years 1 and 2 demonstrated about what works?
- Youth Impact — How will Year 3 reach, form, or equip more young people?
- Organizational Priority — What will become different about how your organization operates because of this work?
- Leadership & Ownership — Who will own and champion the work beyond the grant-funded project leader?
- Sustainability & Capacity — What people, systems, partnerships, or resources must be strengthened for this work to continue?
- Theological Integration — How will service, justice, and biblical/theological reflection remain meaningfully integrated in young people's formation?
- Investment — Why is the requested amount proportionate to the outcomes and lasting impact you expect?
Year 3 represents the culmination of the three-year TFS grant journey. Our hope is that the work catalyzed in Year 1 and deepened and scaled in Year 2 will become an enduring part of how selected organizations form the faith of teenagers—while generating practices, resources, stories, and learning that strengthen the broader Church.
Proposal Support
To support organizations considering a Year 3 proposal, TENx10 will provide opportunities to better understand the goals of the Core Priority Grant and discern whether Year 3 is the appropriate next step for your organization.
- Informational Sessions:
- October 27, 2026, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST. Click here to register.
- November 10, 2026, 9:00 AM - 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 shared with prior TFS grantees.
Timeline for the project
- October 1, 2026 — Year 3 applications open
- October 27, 2026 — Informational session
- November 10, 2026 — Informational session
- December 10, 2026 — Year 3 proposals due
- February 2027 — Organizations notified of grant decisions
- March 2027 — Year 3 grant period begins
- July 2027 — Mid-project reporting and second 50% disbursement of grant funds
- October 2027 — TFS Day and TENx10 Summit
- December 2027 — Final Year 3 reporting and celebration
Submitting your proposal
Proposals must be submitted through an online form (to be released by mid-October 2026). 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.
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.