We have found the Memorial Day Weekend Conference to be an invaluable opportunity to meet each other and become familiar with the Krista Foundation community and vision. This is the first opportunity for new Colleagues to gain mentoring support from the community and, therefore, we have a strong desire for newly selected Colleagues to attend the conference. Nominees who are unable to attend this conference are not necessarily ineligible for nomination, but this may put them at a disadvantage when weighed against an equally qualified candidate who is able to attend.

Upon completion of your volunteer assignment, ideally 5 months to a year later, we will bring you to one of our Winter Debriefing Retreats. These small retreats are geared to give you the chance to slow down and reflect on what the heck actually happened during the year or two of service and begin or continue the process of integrating lessons learned and discerning next steps.

You will not qualify. Periodically exceptions are made for environmental work that is restricted by seasonal conditions and generally the young adult pairs the shorter assignment with additional 5-8 months of service. Feel free to send an email query if you are unsure. Almost without exception, nine months has been the minimum period to qualify.

No. Sometimes people have a specific idea when they apply, however we will work with you over the course of the year or more to find a use that draws upon your unique gifts and interests as well as challenges and grows your capacity to serve or lead.

Once a Krista Colleague-always a Krista Colleague. However, the grant is subject to IRS guidelines and the ‘good faith' understanding our donors have for how and under what circumstances grants are given. As a result, if you voluntarily cut your assignment short (less than six months) and you have not used the grant funds we will request that your return them. We continue our financial and community commitment to bring you to a debriefing retreat and conferences in the years following. If you pick up an additional assignment the grant funds are reissued. If your assignment is terminated involuntarily (health/dangerous escalation in political climate etc) there is absolutely no adjustment to the grant or Foundation community support regardless of assignment length.

Yes - with hopes of more on the way. Much of the methodology of our work and values for healthy service transcend specific political or religious ideology. As our staff, volunteer and resource capacity grows we are increasingly able to respond to inquiries from individuals, and religious and non-religious institutions with specially tailored debriefing retreats and resources to augment their work with young adults. The Service Resources section of our website is designed to provide potential young adult volunteers with support in thoughtfully choosing volunteer opportunities, including frequently asked questions, service organization links and more. The Global Citizen journal is full of essays and articles by former young adult volunteers and veteran global citizens. These articles are a great resource for reflecting on the joys and challenges of a life of service be it in the ‘formal volunteer' realm or integrating an ethic of service and global citizenship into graduate studies, family life and the professional world beyond.

Great question! A special part of the Krista Foundation's "Krista Colleague Cohort Program" is to nurture leadership and conversation amongst young Christian adults from a variety of Christian traditions. Krista Colleagues are motivated, as Krista Hunt Ausland shared in her volunteer service application, by the shared desire to ‘show God's love in actions.' The Foundation seeks to create a community of ‘comfort and challenge,' believing that the bedrock for the healthy understanding and navigation of difference begins with understanding one's own cultural and personal identity. Focusing on the riches and complexity with in the Christian tradition allows the Foundation to intentionally bridge divides between Protestant, Catholic and Anabaptist traditions as well as conservative and liberal theological perspectives. Central to the Foundations' vision is the value of both inward reflection (aka: the fiery crucible of self reflection) and outward engagement.

Generally no. Exceptions have been made for volunteer service assignments on Native American Reservations or primarily serving Native Americans, as well as enviornmental service opportunities.

No. Not for the Krista Colleague program. But please check our website for occasional events and resources open to the public.

No. The Service and Leadership Grant may be used during the service term or the year following but has specific guidelines for use and can not be used on general costs associated with the service assignment. It is meant to be used more directly for your vocational and leadership development.

The Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship was established to support young adults engaged in service as an expression of their Christian faith. The way that the Foundation supports these young adults is by providing financial support for the vocational development of colleagues via the Service and Leadership Development Grants and long-term mentoring support to help colleagues sustain their ethic of service and navigate challenges during service and in transitions for years after their formal volunteer term. The unique and authentic mentoring support provided is built upon colleagues' willingness and availability to be present at conferences and support the next class of colleagues in their time of service. Here are three areas of mutual commitment: Sharing your journey: Colleagues are asked to add us to any email newsletters they send out, join our Krista Foundation list-serve and keep us abreast of their service journey as able. This will also include staff contacting the Colleague to gather more information on service work to share with our donors through KF publications or to further develop Colleague peer-mentoring networking opportunities. Sharing your gifts & skills: We ask each Colleague to make a "good-faith" effort to participate in: one debriefing conference after their time of ‘formal' service is complete, and two Memorial Day Weekend Krista Conferences after that. Colleague leadership and insights from their service journeys are very important for helping us develop and sustain our peer-mentoring community. (The KF covers transport/room/board for 1 debriefing and a total of 3 conferences) Colleagues design and coordinate the conference developing an ecumenical worship service, designing workshops on a variety of topics. Additionally, there are numerous ways to formally and informally connect with the community throughout the year - informal mentoring other colleagues, local dinner gatherings, writing/editing for the Colleague designed and published Global Citizen journal, public speaking and more. Growing your capacity to serve & lead: Colleagues each receive a $1000 Service & Leadership Development Grant with specific guidelines for use. They work with staff to select a project/program and design a proposal. They need to keep track of financial records/receipts related to Grant funds for the purposes of meeting our Foundation's reporting requirements to the IRS.

Nope. The Krista Foundation will cover your room, board and travel for a total of three Conferences: The initial commissioning conference where they receive the grant and two additional conferences. They can attend these additional conferences either during their service year (if placed in the US) or after the formal assignment has concluded. We pay room and board and travel within the continental United States. After three conferences, many Colleagues keep returning to grow and mentor, and pay a very discounted rate.

Please e-mail: info@kristafoundation.org.