Endowment Members and Trustees:  A Job Description 

The Endowment Committee is looking for additional members.  We meet monthly, the second Monday of the month, and do more work between meetings.  Following is a list of Committee responsibilities and desired qualifications.  We are especially looking to diversify the group.   

Job Description:  Endowment Committee Members 

Responsibilities: 

•  Evaluate grant applications as part of a team and recommend apportioning funds among recipients; 
• Handle bank and investment accounts responsibly; work closely with Endowment accountant. 
• Work with potential/actual donors; 
• Monitor ongoing grant funded projects; 
• Write copy for newsletter, Web site, and other media outlets. 

Qualifications: 

• Ability to analyze grant proposals for detail and adherence to the five criteria outlined in the Endowment bylaws; familiarity with grant-writing process; 
• Familiarity with the church community and its mission; 
• Familiarity with the community at large, key not-for-profit organizations, and community needs; 
• Familiarity and experience with investments, interpreting financial reports; 
• Ability to give and receive feedback in a group discussion; remain open to perspectives other than one’s own in the decision-making process; 
• Good oral/written communication skills; 
• Ability to carry out responsibilities in an organized manner. 

We get to give away money; awesome. This is going to be fun! remarked a new Endowment Fund Trustee. An oversimplified statement, he knew, but essentially true. 

But, UCE members may ask, where does the money come from that is given away? 

First, it should be made clear that the money is not given away. Instead, it is used to fund grant applications which are submitted to the Endowment Committee for review and then recommended to the Board of Trustees for final approval. These proposals may support UCE directly or the larger community. The five purposes for use of the distribution money are stated in the UCE Endowment Fund Bylaws. 

The amount of distribution or disbursement money is 

capped at 5% of the value of the Endowment Fund principal as determined on December 31 of the preceding year. Again, this is specified in the UCE Endowment Agreement Bylaws.  

For fiscal year 2021-22, the amount available for distribution or to give away was $87,729. 

That’s a lot of money! Thanks to generous donors and the stock market, the Endowment Fund has grown substantially. Deadline dates for application submissions were implemented a few years ago as a way of making the application process as fair as possible. 

Thinking ahead? The deadline dates for fiscal 2022-23 will be May 31, 2022 (accepting applications for the next fiscal year), Oct 31,2022 and January 31,2023 (if funds remain available). 

This fiscal year, 2021-22, the disbursement funds will be completely allocated or given away after the October 31 deadline.  

The possibilities of this amazing resource, the UCE Endowment Fund, have been discovered! 

If you have questions about the Endowment Fund, please contact Margaret Schatz, mesharbor@gmail.com, Tom Hempfling, thempfling45@gmail.com, or Bill Hartgering, BHartgering@gmail.com.  

This Sunday, we may return to our UCE building to begin our church programming year. This is will be an especially busy and challenging year for me as Chair of the Endowment Fund Committee and a member of the Endowment Fund Task Force. 

The Endowment Fund Task Force has been meeting for a few months and some of the questions and comments that frequently come up concern communication with the congregation. Members have stated that they do not know much about the Endowment Fund, including basics of how to donate, how the funds are invested, how applications are written, submitted, and approved and What does the Endowment Committee do, anyway? 

Although it may seem like the Endowment Committee is a behind the scenes operation, it’s actually front and center as stipulated by the Endowment Agreement. As designated by the Agreement, there are three Endowment Fund Trustees, one elected every year at the annual meeting in May. Candidates are proposed by the Nominating and Recruiting Committee. Trustees serve for three years and as chair in their third year.  

The three Trustees are the voting members of the committee who recommend whether a grant proposal should be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for its approval.  The Board of Trustees makes the final decision on the funding of every grant application.  

The 2021-22 Trustees are Tom Hempfling, Bill Hartgering and me, Margaret Schatz. Other members of the committee are former trustees, Jane Kenamore, Barb Butz, Jim Clark and Will Van Dyke. Our Board Liaisons are Tom Ticknor and Joe Romeo.  

The Committee meets monthly and spends the bulk of its time analyzing grant applications and the application process. It reviews the financial status of the Fund with the essential aid of monthly reports, detailing income and expenses, compiled by a professional accounting firm.  All members serve as liaisons to specific grant recipients. They also actively seek donations and follow up on those that involve estate planning.  

There’s much more to learn and the FAQs  on the Endowment web page is particularly helpful.   

The Fall deadline for grant applications is October 31. Questions or comments? Contact Margaret Schatz, mesharbor@gmail.com, Tom Hempfling, thempfling45@gmail.com, or Bill Hartgering, BHartgering@gmail.com.  

Submitted by Jane Kenamore

The Endowment Committee recommended, and the Board approved the following grants for FY21-22, in their respective June meetings: 

Banner for the lobby showing the 8 Principles $950
Hybrid worship/conferencing equipment $18,600
Interfaith Action support for blankets, laundry, hospitality center $15,000
Family Focus scholarships $6,650
Leadership development scholarships $900
Storyteller for intergenerational worship $1,800
Choir section leads $9,000 

Total $52,900  

The next application deadline will be October 31, 2021.  $39,876 remains to be distributed in FY21-22.  The Endowment grant application is on the Endowment Page of the UCE Website under “Ways to Give” or click here to download.  

If you have questions or would like to see an example of a successful application, please contact Margaret Schatz, email mesharbor@gmail.com. 

The final deadline for submitting Endowment Fund grant applications during the current church year will be May 31. There is about $10,000-$15,000 available for disbursement from the 2020-21 distribution amount. 

Endowment Funds are a significant resource for our community because they can used to support special initiatives that further the mission and work of UCE.  For additional information, read What Can Endowment Funds be Used for? at UCE Endowment Fund: Frequently Asked Questions. 

The Endowment Fund has supported several special projects this year: Endowment Fund Grants for 2020-2021. 

If you have an idea for a grant application or want to find out more, including help filling out the application, contact: Jane Kenamore, jkenamore@ameritech.net, Margaret Schatz, mesharbor@gmail.com or Trudi Davis, Trudi Davis trudiannedavis@gmail.com, Endowment Trustees. 

There are Endowment Funds remaining to be distributed during this fiscal year. According to the Endowment Trust, the money can be used in the following ways:  

• supporting special church projects not anticipated in or provided for by the operating budget;  
• supporting the communities in which UCE resides and operates including spiritual, educational and economic needs; 
•  enhancing, repairing, supplementing or improving UCE’s building and property, including both real and personal property;  
• scholarships and grants to UCE members and staff for education and training; and  
• supporting the wider mission of Unitarian Universalism. 

The next two deadlines for submitting grant applications during the current church year are October 31, 2020 and January 31, 2021. Applications may be filled out online and submitted digitally. Contact Jane Kenamore, jkenamore@ameritech.net, Margaret Schatz, mesharbor@gmail.com or Trudi Davis, trudiannedavis@gmail.com, if you have an idea for a grant proposal. 

The Endowment Committee and the Board of Trustees appreciates the work of UCE members who have submitted Endowment Fund grant applications so far. The initiative of these members to identify grant opportunities, within UCE and in the larger community, and efforts to present them in applications for Endowment funding, have greatly extended the impact of UCE.  

• Shirley Adams – Leadership Development 
• Doug Erickson – Nonviolent Communication   
• Dale Griffin – Connections for the Homeless, UU Prison Ministry-Solidarity Circles 
• Tom Hempfling – Worship Arts 
• Renee Hoff – Recycling/Composting – Kitchen Renovation  
• Carol Nielsen-Connections for the Homeless, Life Planning Series, Kitchen Renovation 
• Joan Retzloff – Family Focus 
• Sandra Robinson – Building and Grounds 
• Joe Romeo – Chalice House, Team Brownsville 
• Alice Swan – Ministerial Search