The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica

Funding of Congregational Social Action Projects

As amended by the FIA Commission on November 6, 2005
Approvedby the UUCCSM Board of Directors on December 13, 2005

Local Funding Sources

Social action projects often require financial resources. Potential funding sources include donations to the church that are specifically earmarked for FIA, special fundraising projects with proceeds earmarked for FIA, collaboration with community coalitions, UUA grants, and funds budgeted for FIA from the overall church budget.

Unitarian Universalist Association Grants

The Unitarian Universalist Fund for Social Responsibility awards grants up to $20,000 to projects that increase UU involvement in issues of social responsibility. Grants are made in support of social justice educational work, direct service projects, projects that enable UUs to witness about social issues, and projects organized to change systems of oppression and injustice.

The Fund for a Just Society makes grants to organizations addressing issues of social and economic injustice. Grants are given in support of specific projects focusing on systemic social change – projects that challenge social, racial, political, and economic injustices, and that seek to transform the structures that create these injustices. The average grant ranges from $6,000 to $9,000.

The Fund for Unitarian Universalism supports projects that strengthen UU institutions, extend UU visibility and presence, enrich its community and worship, or preserve and celebrate its religious heritage. The average grant is $10,000.

The UUA reviews proposals two times per year. Applications are due March 15 for the Spring cycle, and September 15 for the Fall cycle. Contact the UUA Funding Program Office at: http://www.org/uufp or (617) 247-6600 for more information.

FIA Funding from the Church Budget

The FIA Commission will estimate its financial needs and projections for the following fiscal year (July through June) each January. If the expenditures are expected to exceed available funds, the FIA Commission may submit a request for supporting funds from the general church budget. This request will be submitted first to the church's Finance Committee for inclusion in the overall church budget, which it presents to the Board of Directors in March and then to the congregation for final approval at the Annual Meeting in May. If the Finance Committee fails to accept fully the FIA request, the FIA Commission may appeal that decision to the Board, or subsequently to the congregation, as part of the regular budget approval process.

Management of FIA Funds¹

FIA funds will be received and deposited by the church office, to be disbursed as directed by designated representatives of FIA. Funds may be maintained in an overall FIA account or placed in sub-accounts to cover specific FIA task groups, at the discretion of the Chair of the FIA Commission. Disbursements from available (including budgeted) funds will be managed, and additional budget may be requested, by the following rules:

- Disbursement of available (including budgeted) funds. For general FIA funds, disbursement requires the approval of the Chair of the FIA Commission. For FIA funds placed in a sub-account to support a specific task group, the task group chair or program leader may approve the disbursement.

- Mid-year supplemental budget requests. Requests for additional funds from the general church budget may be made only by the Chair of the FIA Commission. Supplemental budget requests up to $1,000 may be approved by the church's Finance Committee. Such requests over $1,000 and less than $10,000 may be approved by the Board of Directors. Requests over $10,000 require approval by the congregation at a formal business meeting called to consider the request.

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¹FIA anticipates that all, or nearly all, of its funds will come from gifts, donations and grants specifically for FIA activities. Such funds will be maintained in an account that may be carried over from one budget year to the next. If FIA is approved to receive money from the church that has been identified for FIA as part of the annual budget of the church, those funds will not carry over from one budget year to the next. They must be spent for the budgeted purpose or returned to the church at the end of the year in the same way that other budgeted funds are managed.

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