When KT Barnes, a junior, first heard about the 37five Project last summer, she initially had a negative attitude toward the program, which offers students money to donate to non-profit organizations.

In order to be eligible for the $375 grant, students must be a part a small group that meets together at least once every two weeks and attend an SPU worship event, such as Chapel, Group or Friday morning Prayer and Communion, 10 times in a quarter.

"The idea, to me, was like giving people money to worship," Barnes, an office assistant in the Office of University Ministries and the Center for Worship, said.

As she continued to learn about the idea behind 37five, Barnes said she realized the affects that this program could have on people beyond the university.

"This is great because it shows that University Ministries isn't going to force students to worship, but when people choose to [participate] we will work with them and support them," she said. "I initially reacted the way I did because I didn't fully understand it."

By Nov. 19, the deadline for 37five applications, University Ministries had received 34 applications from student small groups and cadres hoping to receive one of 33 for this quarter, Matthew Koenig, associate director of University Ministries, said.

The 37five program was designed to create a connection between students and ministries that are going on outside of the university, Koenig said. Additional value is placed on applications which demonstrate a relationship between the small group and the organization that will continue afterwards, the application states.

Barnes herself is part of a small group that applied for one of the grants this quarter.

As a small group formed out of Club Med, Barnes said she and the other members of her small group decided to write a grant proposal for the Alzheimer's Association of America due to the connection members of her group had with the disease.

"If we receive a grant we will be able to show them that they have allies in a university setting and that the work they do impacts not only those who have the disease," she said. "It is an opportunity to see that their efforts are reaching other generations."

On Dec. 7, a board made up of students, faculty and staff will meet for approximately five and a half hours to go over applications and together decide which groups will receive the grants, he said.

Though she is part of the decision board, Barnes said she is sure she will have no say in whether or not her small group receives a grant.

University Ministries will reveal the grant recipients to the public during the second Chapel of winter quarter on Jan. 15, Koenig said. Applicants will be personally notified of whether they received a grant or not by a board member prior to that, he said.

"I've encouraged the board to meet with groups one-on-one," Koenig said. "I think it's important to have a personal connection with the groups and to let them know we are proud of them for putting together the proposals."

Barnes has been the student contact person for the small groups applying for the grants. The most common difficulty for students in the application process was figuring out which organizations could qualify for the grant.

"To receive 37five funding, organizations must be registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization," according to the application. Students were required to provide the organization's Employer Identification Number to prove they were a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is exempt from federal income tax and is operated for religious, charitable, scientific or public purposes.

"For the university, this is essential in a financial respect," Barnes said. International organizations are exceptions to this requirement, but Barnes said she is unsure of how donating to these organizations would work for the university's financial records.

Junior Liz Martinez, a member of the decision board, said she sees 37five as an outlet of support for students to partake in ministry efforts outside of SPU.

"It is necessary for SPU to give students tools to engage the culture," she said.

Martinez said as she considers each application she wants to look at areas of ministry that she thinks often do not get a lot of attention.

"There are a lot of applications for overseas organizations, but I think it's important for us to look locally as well," she said. "It is important for us to place importance on both."

Organizations will be evaluated on a number of things, including their ways of developing leadership within the communities they work in and the way they use the resources available to them, according to the application.

In total, there are 100 grants available this year, Koenig said.

However, Martinez said that University Ministries is not obligated to give out all of the grants.

Overall, Barnes said she has not heard any negative feedback from students regarding the 37five Project. She said most students were enthusiastic and excited about the opportunity with which 37five presents them.

"Seeing the results shows that it's working, and it shows the potential for continuity," Barnes said.