The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura has developed a process by which to award all of its Sunday offerings as grants in order to:

• Fund its own community environmental and/or social justice initiatives;
• Inspire and support action in the larger community by UUCV members and youth;
• Strengthen its partnership with non-profits that share its values;
• Increase its capacity to respond to emergency needs both in the congregation and in the larger community; and
• Support other Unitarian Universalist organizations and initiatives.

 
Eligibility Requirements
Plate collections will be awarded to the following:

• UUCV projects in which five or more church members are participating , such as the Environmental Action Team, Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness, or the Action Team for Immigrant Rights
• 501(c)(3) organizations (or an organization in which a 501(c)(3) acts as its financial representative)
• Unitarian Universalist organizations; and
• UUCV’s own Inreach/Outreach fund, which is typically used for emergency help for those in our congregation or the community.

Due Dates
Applications must be emailed to the UUCV Inreach/Outreach Committee Chair, Sue Brinkmeyer, suebrinkmeyer@earthlink.com, no later than 3 p.m. on the applicable due date.

• 3 p.m. on January 10 for all applications for funding in March, April, May, or June.
• 3 p.m. on the last day of April for all applications for funding in July, August, September, or October.
• 3 p.m. on the last day of August for all applications for funding in November, January, or February.

Applications may be submitted by any of the following:

• a member or pledging friend of UUCV applying on behalf of a UUCV group or a UU organization;
• a member or pledging friend of UUCV applying on behalf of a 501(c)(3) organization;
• a staffer applying on behalf of a 501(c)(3).

Grant recipients will be awarded the offering from the congregation for 1-4 Sundays.  One Sunday’s offering might be as little as $300 or as much as $2,500, depending on how moved the congregation is by the use for which the funding is intended.

Decision Process:
All applications that are submitted before a deadline, adhere to the guidelines, and are complete will be presented to the congregation for a vote on the following schedule:

Applicants may apply for funding in more than one granting period.  However, they must disclose on the application dollar amounts received by them during the previous 12 months.  All applicants will be advised as to the outcome of the voting within 30 days of the vote.  In the event the need arises to respond to a disaster or emergency, the church reserves the right to change the date(s) on which the offering is awarded.  The committee further reserves the right to revise the granting process and schedule as circumstances dictate.

Questions about the granting program may be referred to Sue Brinkmeyer, UUCV Inreach/Outreach Committee Chair at suebrinkmeyer@earthlink.com.