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SDOP provides community development grants aimed at empowering economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people. The grants, which are given to grassroots groups, are generally up to $20,000. SDOP’s goal is to “enable Presbyterians to be partners in development so that others may grow with dignity.
SDOP projects funded through the years have ranged from small agricultural cooperatives in rural communities, to empowering young people from low-income neighborhoods, to supporting a cooperative of African-American women who support themselves by selling pecans through the mail. In 2001, SDOP entered into partnership with Genesis Park Neighborhood Association located in Charlotte by awarding the group a $40,000 grant. The low-income community of Genesis Park organized a computer training center for its residents to acquire computer literacy, improve communication capacity and educate their children. Other groups SDOP has entered into partnerships with in NC include:
· Burnsville Land Community (BLC) located in Burnsville was awarded a $20,000 grant
· Concerned Citizens of Tillery located in Tillery was awarded a $30,000 grant
· Night Town Community Development Association located in Kannapolis was awarded a $29,480 grant
· Opportunity Threads located in Morganton was awarded a $20,000 grant
· CASA, dba Community Property Alternatives located in Raleigh was awarded a $17,000 grant
· Service Center for Latinos Inc. located in Spruce Pine was awarded a $15,000 grant
· Smoky Mountain Native Plants Association located in Robbinsville was awarded a $20,000 grant
· The Between Ages Community Organization located in Hollister was awarded a $33, 468 grant
· The Lighthouse Home Inc. located in Rocky Mount, NC was awarded a $25,000 grant
· The Parents of Children's World located in Laurinburg was awarded a $9000 grant
In 2009, SDOP approved grants totaling more than $800,000 by entering into partnership with 35 self-help groups. SDOP projects funded through the years have ranged from small agricultural cooperatives in rural communities, to empowering young people from low-income neighborhoods, to supporting a cooperative of African-American women who support themselves by selling pecans through the mail.
Since its founding in 1970, SDOP has awarded more than $32 million in grants to groups across the United States and over $18 million in grants to groups in 68 foreign countries. SDOP’s primary funding source is the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which is collected by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) during the Lenten and Easter seasons. SDOP is a ministry of the Louisville-based church’s General Assembly Council.
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