Gifts

Purpose

NEYM Sessions Minute 2015-27 established the Legacy Gift Fund, administered for ten years by the Legacy Gift Committee. In 2024, NEYM Sessions Minute 2024-62 reconfigured the former Legacy Gift Funds into the Witness and Ministry Fund (W&M Fund), to be administered by the Gifts Committee.  

The primary purpose of the Gifts Committee is to fulfill the purposes expressed in Minute 2024-62 by distributing the available income generated by the W&M Fund and other funds assigned to the committee. 

Minute 2024-62:  

"The purpose of the Legacy Gift Funds is to support the ministries of New England Yearly Meeting Friends, both within and beyond our region.
“Guided by our living testimonies, we seek to strengthen our Witness through the funding of public and released ministry. ...
“We seek to nurture our beloved community through the support of education, outreach, released ministry and meetinghouse projects..."

Available income from the Fund is determined by current NEYM Board of Managers investment policies, and NEYM accounting practices.  For requests over $10,000, the Gifts Committee will encourage applicants to first seek other funding sources, before the Committee and the Permanent Board consider withdrawal of funds from the principal of the Witness and Ministry Fund. Should special circumstances (such as a large request over $10,000) make it advisable, the Committee may draw funds from the principal, following consultation with, and approval of, the Permanent Board. Should the Yearly Meeting deem it advisable to withdraw funds from principal, for the good of the Yearly Meeting as a whole, that discernment shall be with the consultation and participation of members of the Gifts Committee, and shall be approved by the Yearly Meeting. 

The Committee may also seek and encourage additional ways to release and support ministry in New England and beyond, for example, collaboration with the NEYM Ministry and Eldership group, engagement with local meetings/support committees of recipients, or engagement with individual recipients. 

Additionally, the Yearly Meeting, in consultation with the Gifts Committee, may request that the Committee administer awards from other grant funds such as the Bodine-Rustin Fund, and the Funds of Salem Quarter. 

Procedures

The Committee sets review and discernment processes and application deadlines in accordance with established, successful, and currently appropriate practices of the former Legacy Gift Committee, and in keeping with the charge of Minute 2024-62.

Detailed guidance on the Application Process appears on the NEYM website at https://neym.org/legacy-gift/legacy-grants-apply-now. 

The Committee meets regularly throughout the year, for the purpose of soliciting and reviewing applications to the fund, and to conduct other business pertinent to its mission. From time to time, the committee may invite guest reviewers to participate in the review process. The Witness and Ministry Fund is not limited to existing balances but can receive additional donations to support the work.

The Committee is required to report back to Sessions directly every year during a Meeting for Business and is encouraged to offer workshops to promote the work of the Committee, the relationship of money to our spiritual condition, and to highlight the ministry and witness of the recipients of these funds.

Witness and Ministry Fund recipients are expected to report annually to the Committee for the duration of their grant, and to consult with the Committee if there are significant changes to their budget or schedule after approval.

Committee Resources

• How to apply for a Legacy Grant

Composition

The committee consists of up to nine individuals, including a clerk, named by the NEYM Nominating Committee, in consultation with the Committee, and approved by the Yearly Meeting. The Yearly Meeting Presiding Clerk, the Permanent Board Clerk, and the NEYM Office Manager, serve as ex-officio members to facilitate coordination of activities and resources. Members serve for renewable, staggered 3-year terms. Friends may be appointed for a second term.

Gifts Committee members may include Friends who: 

• bring gifts in spiritual discernment and supportive guidance to new applicants 
• are gifted in, or called to support witness and ministry among us
• Have experience in supporting released ministry 
  • https://neym.org/read-approved-chapters-faith-and-practice/ministry-and-counsel Section on “Public Ministry and the Released Friend”
• bring experience in grant writing or awarding 
• are previous recipients of the Legacy Gift funds
• are able to commit to the time expectations of the committee's work
• can actively reach out to applicants, and whenever possible meet them in person (or on Zoom when necessary) for reviews
• will respond to applicants in a fair, timely and supportive manner
• are able to help the group make decisions about competing priorities
• bring skills in, and are comfortable with, the technology used by the committee, such as Google Docs, Zoom, and other relevant programs to participate in and share the work of the committee
• share a bold vision of the possibilities of what these funds could support. 

Lifespan

The former Legacy Gifts Committee process and disbursement of Legacy Gift funds was reviewed, after ten years of implementation, by the Yearly Meeting in 2024. It is recommended that practices of the Gifts Committee, and the stated “vital purposes” of the Fund be reviewed by Sessions in 2034, or sooner if directed by Sessions.

Supports Available:

Supports that are available to Friends in service to the Yearly Meeting can be found at: https://neym.org/support-yearly-meeting-office. Additionally, the Committee may request guidance and support from the NEYM Treasurer; the Accounts Manager, who will assist in management and disbursement of the Fund; and the Program Director for coordination of programs and outreach. The Ministry and Eldership Resource Group can assist when meetings need help establishing care and oversight committees for recipients of W&M funds.