The Western South Dakota Catholic Foundation (WSDCF) is accepting applications for its 2026-2027 Grant & Awards cycle for Catholic ministries, Catholic schools, Catholic parishes, and Catholic organizations serving the Diocese of Rapid City. The current application opened August 14, 2026 and closes October 1, 2026. The public application does not state an exact closing time or time zone.
Grant requests generally range from $1,000 to $38,000, with an average award of about $15,000. WSDCF states that it distributes more than $1 million annually across restricted and unrestricted funds, although only a smaller portion is available through the unrestricted application cycle.
Eligible applicants must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) and either be listed in the Official Catholic Directory of the Diocese of Rapid City or actively collaborate with a listed Catholic parish, school, or organization. A collaborating applicant must include an endorsement from the pastor, principal, or executive director of the sponsoring Catholic organization and a letter of recommendation describing the collaboration.
Ineligible uses include grants to individuals, programs primarily for tuition support, certain large capital expenditures involving land, buildings, or permanent fixtures, and general support or operating expenses. Salary expense may be considered when it is directly related to the funded program and does not extend beyond the 12-month grant period.
The online application requires the requested amount, project description, need, objectives and activities, funding rationale, history and discernment process, alignment with the Foundation’s mission, other funds available or sought, and the person responsible for administering the project budget. Applicants must also provide a project budget and the organization’s most recent budget summary and financial statement, including a balance sheet. Applications without the required supporting financial documents are not considered. Awardees are expected to be notified by December 31, 2026, with funding distributed in July 2027.
Atlas assessment: Atlas Opportunity Score 44/100. N9+ Fit 22/100. QC Healthcare Fit 10/100. Direct Dr. Miltie applicant fit 0/100. This is an applicant-led Catholic ministry and school grant, not a technology procurement. N9+ should be considered only when a qualifying school or ministry has a genuine grant-aligned health program and the Foundation confirms that the proposed equipment or technology is allowable; no fit should be forced.
Source note: the general grants page contains stale 2025 dates in older descriptive sections, but the dedicated current-cycle application form explicitly states that the 2026-2027 application is open August 14 through October 1, 2026. Atlas treats the current application form as controlling for the present cycle.