Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility

The Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility

The Fund makes grants to Unitarian Universalist organizations working to increase the direct involvement of Unitarian Universalists in service, advocacy, and/or organizing to create justice in the larger community, and to link Unitarian Universalists with the larger community.

About the role

Panel members read and evaluate a set of grant applications, contacting those that have been assigned to them, and participate in meetings to decide collectively, with other Panel members, how to distribute the grant funds.

Panel members need to be Unitarian Universalists with an understanding of how denominational life works, and have an understanding of UU organizations and UU social justice. About half our Panel members are UU ministers.

Panel members should have an understanding of how committees work, how to evaluate projects, how to read budgets, and how to participate in meetings where decisions are made collectively.

Responsibilities

• Read and evaluate grant applications
• Contact applicants to gather updates and clarify information
• Attend meetings to discuss and decide on grant allocations
• Participate in discussions and presentations related to grant applications

Requirements

• Be a Unitarian Universalist
• Have an understanding of UU organizations and UU social justice
• Understand how committees work, how to evaluate projects, how to read budgets, and how to participate in meetings where decisions are made collectively

Qualifications

Most of our Panel members have been involved with organizations that have applied for funding – this is fine, though Panel members must recuse themselves from decisions involving grants to organizations of which they are a member.

Skills

• Strong communication skills
• Ability to evaluate project proposals
• Understanding of UU organizations and social justice
• Experience with grant-making processes

Benefits

Meetings are held on Zoom and last 2-3 hours each. The purpose of the meetings is to make grants from the pool of applications received a month prior. Panel members read each application and are assigned to contact and speak with some of the applicants to receive updates, clarify information, and make the process more human. At the meeting, Panel members give updates on these conversations, share their evaluations of each application, and decide on how much to grant. There is very little work between meetings, with the exception of decisions about smaller grant initiatives, such as Get Out The Vote (GOTV).

Pay

Details about pay are not specified.

Schedule

The Fund has two grant cycles each year, in the spring and in the fall. Each cycle has 2 meetings. Meetings are held on Zoom and last 2-3 hours each.

Additional Information

There are four Unitarian Universalist Funding Panels, each with its own mission, guidelines, and process. Each Panel is comprised of ministers and lay leaders and aims to reflect the full diversity of the Association, especially in regard to historically marginalized communities.