Aging Grants at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting support the needs of Friends 60 years and older and in financial need to age in place or in communities.
PYM members 60 years of age or older in financial need may apply for grants to assist with their basic needs or to make it possible to live in communities, or to remain in their own homes. They are encouraged to apply as soon as a need is known, by contacting PYM’s Aging Support Coordinator, Sheila Sorkin at ssorkin@pym.org Applications may also be made on behalf of family members, or a Meeting’s Care Committee. These grants to individuals are kept confidential. Your data is exclusively used for your aging grant application. It will not be shared.
Deadline: May 1 and November 1; but apply when assistance is needed – urgent grants can be considered outside of the regular schedule. Here is the link for the new, online application: Aging Grants Application.
Members of the Aging Assistance and Greenleaf Granting Groups are appointed by the PYM Granting Committee. PYM’s Aging Support Coordinator, Sheila Sorkin SSorkin@pym.org assists the groups. Collaboration is done with Joey Leroux, Director of Grantmaking & Data grants@pym.org in determining which granting group will discern on the application. Friends will need to reapply annually. Within a year of the grant approval, friends are required to establish and provide a copy of their Financial Power of Attorney approved by your state.
A new application form has been introduced. All applications are now submitted electronically including uploading supportive, required documents. A friend from Germantown Monthly Meeting recently communicated with PYM’s Aging Support Coordinator. The friend shared “I am so grateful that this happenstance alerted me to this Fund. Of course I hope, God Willling, that I do not encounter some sudden major expense in future… but this has acquainted me with the resource, and made me understand the importance of keeping up-to-date online records & documents of my financial status and living expenses, just in case.” The friend commented “I was fortunate to phone on the very week your organization is switching to online application, so was alerted not to submit a written form. The online form seems straightforward, and easy to fill out… even for a 90+ year-old (luckily still in possession of all my marbles, though not totally up to date on computer usage — I may need my daughter’s help on a scan or two). As per the form request, have just notified Germantown Monthly Meeting Clerk, Karen Lightner, to send to grants@pym.org, an acknowledgement of my application.”
References:
Quaker Advices & Queries to Guide Financial Decisions | Quaker Aging Resources
Advance Directives | Quaker Aging Resources
This article was prepared by Sheila Sorkin, PYM Aging Support Coordinator in collaboration with Joey Leroux, Director of Grantmaking & Data to provide support, resources and engage the aging community of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as part of the “To Brighten Your Day” series.
