The Ministry & Counsel (M&C) discretionary fund is intended to be a source of temporary financial support in the event of personal crises. The M&C committee will administer the budget for this fund at their discretion, considering the following guidelines:
- Eligibility: members or regular attenders, or people without other support systems referred by members or regular attenders
- Funding should be for one-time or temporary urgent needs
- An urgent need is defined as one that directly affects the wellbeing of the applicant or of their dependent(s)
- Each household can receive a maximum of $250 per request, and make a maximum of two requests per year
- The Meeting will approve a set amount (currently $1000) each fiscal year for the fund’s budget
- If the M&C discretionary fund budget is fully spent, the M&C committee must request more funding from the monthly meeting before more donations can be made. Otherwise the fund is closed until the next budget year
- Applicants should explain in writing to a member of the M&C committee (see Application Questions below):
- the reason for the request
- the reason that alternative resources can’t be accessed or are not sufficient
Requests are be confidential and only discussed within the M&C committee. At the end of the budget year the M&C committee will make a report to the Monthly Meeting detailing each payment by amount, date, and whether it is the first or second request of the year, but should not include the name of the recipient(s).
Discretionary Fund Application Questions
- Name
- Name of person referring you, if you are not a member or regular attender
- Please tell us about why you are making a request and what you will use it for
- Please tell us about other sources of support you have explored. Where else have you requested support, and/or why is it not sufficient?
- In addition to financial aid, are there other ways the M&C committee or Monthly Meeting can support you?
Forward the answers to these questions to a member of Ministry & Counsel. They will make a decision usually within a couple of days or less, and do not require approval of the entire committee, but just a couple of members. Please feel free to ask them any further questions.