The Leadership 100 Executive Committee responded to the appeal of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and approved an emergency grant in the amount of $100,000 for the Greek Fire Relief Fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. These funds will aid communities in Greece affected by the devastating fires that took place this past August.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese set the distribution priorities of the Greek Fire Relief Fund to the needs of the Holy Monastery of Axion Esti in Varnavas, Attica and the adjacent “Athanasios Martinos 1 & 2” Protected Living Homes for People with Intellectual Disabilities and People with Down Syndrome that were impacted by the fires, including the replacement of generators, reestablishment of the water supply, electrical wiring and equipment, and water tanks for future fire prevention, estimated at $116,000; firefighting  equipment for the volunteer fire department  in the area of Penteli that saved the Monastery and the Protected Living Homes, which may include a new fire truck, a fire pickup truck, firefighting gear and Jaws of Life equipment that in the aggregate would cost an estimated 500,000 Euros; and  repair of the interior and replacement of the electrical wiring of the Church of Kimisis of the Theotokos, Apidoulas in the Metropolis of Ilia, where the Ionian Village summer camp is located, restoring  the Church to its former glory at an estimated cost of 50,000 Euros. 

Demetrios G. Logothetis, Chairman of Leadership 100, speaking on behalf of the Executive Committee, said: “Leadership 100 is pleased to provide aid to Greece in this hour of need, as we have done in past years. We continue to provide $1 million annually for scholarship support to seminarians preparing for the Priesthood at Hellenic College Holy Cross School of Theology as well as other grants. We are pleased to receive fully compliant progress reports from all grant recipients which are carefully reviewed by the Grant Committee.”

A total of $2.5 million in grants was paid in 2024 for prior year commitments and new grants. The new grants totaled $470,000, consisting of $270,000 for the Metropolises Camping Ministries and $200,000 to support the Clergy-Laity Congress hosted in San Diego. Leadership 100 distributed the maximum funding allowed for grants under its Regulations in 2022 and 2023 which were $4.6 million and $4.9 million, respectively. Total grants since the founding of Leadership 100 are now over $77 million.

The Grant Committee Chairman and the Executive Director meet with the Archbishop to ascertain his priorities for the grant proposals submitted. New Grant proposals for 2025 must be submitted no later than October 15, 2024. The Grant Committee, under its capable Chairman, Justin Bozonelis, is entrusted with reviewing all grant proposals received by the Leadership 100 office and providing thoroughly researched recommendations to the Executive Committee for approval.

Once the grants are approved by the Executive Committee at the Annual Leadership 100 Conference meeting, the funds are distributed by the Leadership 100 Office. The majority of grant funds are earmarked for the support of Hellenic College Holy Cross School of Theology, the National Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and the Metropolises Camping Ministries.

The Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Fund was established in 1984, for the purpose of supporting, seeding and nurturing programs under the National Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, establishing programs which advance Orthodoxy and Hellenism.