Fund DNA Translation
A one-time gift that translates the DNA curriculum into a language it does not yet exist in — opening the program to an entire region at once, permanently.
The problem
The DNA curriculum exists today in a small number of languages. Every language it does not exist in is a region where the program simply cannot be offered — not because pastors there are uninterested, and not because no one has funded a scholarship, but because there is nothing to give them to read.
This is the least visible barrier we work on and the most absolute. A scholarship cannot fix it. Neither can a platform. Until the material exists in the language a leadership team actually thinks in, the entire program is unavailable to them.
How it works
A translation grant funds a full production pass on one course, into one language. That is more than running text through a translator:
- Curriculum translation — the seminar or mentorship material itself.
- Supporting materials — workbooks, small-group lessons and the books that accompany the program.
- Video subtitling for the recorded sessions.
- Theological and cultural review by a native speaker inside the tradition, so that the translated material lands the way the original does. This is the step that separates a usable curriculum from an awkward one, and it is the step cheap translation skips.
Why this is the most efficient gift we offer
A scholarship serves one leader for one year. A translation is infrastructure: it is paid for once and then serves every leader in that language group, indefinitely, at no additional cost. The second pastor to use it costs nothing. So does the thousandth.
It is also the slowest to show a result, which is why it is chronically underfunded. Nobody gets a photograph on the day a curriculum is translated. We think it is the highest-leverage thing a donor can pay for here, and we would rather say so plainly than dress it up.
What your donation funds
$5,000
DNA Seminar 1 into a new language
The foundational seminar — the entry point every other part of the program depends on. Without it, nothing downstream can be offered in that language.
$5,000
DNA Seminar 2 into a new language
The advanced seminar for churches already running cells, covering leadership pipelines and multiplication.
$10,000
The full DNA Mentorship into a new language
The twelve-month program: session material, the supporting books, and the DNA Library. The largest single piece, and the one that carries a church through the transition.
These figures describe how a gift is allocated — what it buys and for whom. They are not a report of results already achieved.
This is a one-time capital gift, not a subscription — unlike our other three projects. Gifts toward a language are pooled until the target for that course is reached, and the translation is commissioned then.
Fund a translation
Supporting more than one project? Every project's calculator is together on the donation page, so you can combine them into a single gift.
Questions about this project
Which languages are next?
Priority is set with Central Church, based on where there is existing pastoral demand and no curriculum. If you want to fund a specific language, please contact us — targeted translation gifts are welcome and are the clearest way to direct this work.
Who owns the translated material?
Central Church owns the DNA curriculum, in every language. Snowball Fund funds the translation; we do not acquire rights to the material and do not sell it. Read more about the program and its authorship.
What if a translation is only partly funded?
Funds designated for a language stay designated for it. If a target is not reached within a reasonable period, we contact donors before redirecting anything. Our policy on undesignated and excess funds is on the transparency page.
Is a translation gift tax-deductible?
Yes — like all gifts to Snowball Fund, to the fullest extent allowed by law. You will receive a giving statement.