"St. Francis is a pretty small parish, but we give One Percent every year because I know how important it is for seminarians to graduate as debt-free as possible."
The Rev. Dr. Marti Dalby, T'06; Vicar, St. Francis Episcopal Church, Heber Springs, AR
Parishes require skilled clergy in order to thrive - and seminaries depend on parish support to educate future clergy. Through our 1% for Theological Education Fund, parishes of every size support seminarians' critical expenses, ensuring that the School of Theology can meet parishes' need for strong leadership.
First established by a 1982 resolution of the General Convention, the 1% Fund for Theological Education exists at each accredited Episcopal Seminary to receive gifts from parishes and dioceses of the Episcopal Church in recognition that, "it is the responsibility of the whole Church to maintain an effective program of theological education." The Convention thus resolved that: parishes, missions, and dioceses "shall give annually at least 1% of its net budgeted disposable income to one or more of the accredited Seminaries."
We know that parish budgets are complex and faith-driven endeavors. Each line item tells a story about what your community values and believes in. We would be honored to share 1% of your story.
We believe in theological education and our mission is to train future Church leaders who are devout, learned, and useful - who will leave Sewanee to serve parishes just like yours.
By committing as little as 1% of your annual parish budget to support seminarians at The School of Theology, you put your faith in action and help us develop clergy and lay leaders who know the power of strong community, are adept at navigating our rich liturgical tradition, have a strong foundation in preaching and pastoral care, and are creative thinkers and administrators.
A parish with an annual budget of $150,000 could designate as little as $1,500 (1%) and help offset the costs of rent, health insurance, or a summer CPE program for a seminarian.
The 1% Fund is where your financial gifts given in faith support our mission of formation that will lead the Church into the future.
Your parish gift directly aids seminarians by:
It's easy to give online - click the button below to get started.
Your parish can also mail a check payable to The School of Theology to the attention of The Rev. Casey Perkins, Director of Annual Giving: 335 Tennessee Avenue, Sewanee, TN 37383. Please include "One Percent Gift" in the memo line.
The Rev. Ann Benton Fraser, T'07, Aids Seminarians Through Parish Giving
Click the button below to view our 1% Fund Donor Roll for the previous fiscal year*. We are so grateful for the support of these communities of faith!
*Sewanee's fiscal year runs July 1 - June 30.
We hope your parish will join us this year!
Contact The Rev. Casey Perkins, T'22, Director of Alumni, Annual Giving, and Church Relations, by email or by phone: 931-598-1316.
Parish & Diocesan Support
The number of donor parishes in fiscal year 2023
Percentage of parishes in constituent dioceses that provided financial support in 2023
The amount received from parishes in fiscal year 2023
