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Grants

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting makes over 400 grants every year to individuals, Quaker Meetings, and non-profit organizations. Grants are made from income from restricted bequests and Trusts given to our Yearly Meeting by generous donors since 1795.

Granting Groups

Granting Groups are the basic building block of PYM’s grant making. Each Granting Group is made up of volunteer members of PYM’s constituent Monthly Meetings, appointed by PYM’s Granting Committee; Membership changes over time. These Friends distribute grants on behalf of all of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s members.

Some PYM grants are handled outside of Granting Groups, for reasons of timeliness or because of the nature of the funds granted.

  • Anna T. Jeanes Cremation Fund
    • Reimburses up to $600 of cremation costs for PYM members.
  • Emergency Grants
    • One-time assistance to PYM members facing a serious short-term financial crisis; grants of up to $1,500 may help meet basic needs including but not limited to housing, food, and medical care.

If you cannot find a particular Granting Group on the above list, consult our page of former Granting Groups; as PYM’s governance structure has changed through the years, PYM has laid down some Granting Groups, created new Granting Groups, and merged existing Granting Groups.

All of the Granting Group guidelines and forms are available to download from the PYM Grants Forms & Guidelines page.

How We Work

Granting Groups invite proposals and carefully consider applications. They publish guidelines which help grant seekers to understand the scope and purposes of their grants and the criteria and priorities they use for discernment and decision making. All of the Granting Group guidelines and forms are available to download from the PYM Grants Forms & Guidelines page.

Friends practice philanthropy not as the wider world often does, by contending and voting, but as a worshipful witness for truth. Granting Group members share their areas of expertise and experience through service on a group. Granting Group members prepare carefully, inform themselves of the realities of need and potential, and guided by the Spirit, come to unity on the best stewardship of grant funds.

Every Granting Group is responsible for the distribution of grants from one or more funds in the Yearly Meeting’s care; these are mostly invested funds that were left by Friends for this express purpose. PYM staff assists these Granting Groups in their work.

Contact

For general inquiries, questions, and correspondence, write to Grants@PYM.org; for information on specific PYM Granting Groups, and contact information for those groups, consult the contact information on each Group’s page, above.

Mission

PYM’s grants fulfill our donors’ requirements, honor their vision, and seek, on behalf of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, to address contemporary needs and to make a significant difference today. We strive to make our process transparent, fair, ethical and effective.

What We Do

For over 200 years, PYM’s ministry of giving money away well has transformed lives, furthered Friends Testimonies, and helped Quaker organizations to establish themselves, and to thrive, in our area and throughout the world. It continues to advance our Yearly Meeting’s Priorities.

PYM donors’ purposes, based on the portion of principal restricted for each purpose; Specific Friends Concerns include: Indian Committee,  Family Planning, and Willits Book Trust.

Granting Committee

Granting Groups are supported in their work by the PYM Granting Committee, which serves as a partner and resource to the Granting Groups.

The Granting Committee is charged to oversee the granting function of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, to appoint membership of PYM granting groups, and to develop and implement procedures to ensure effective process, structure, and the general affairs of the granting function of PYM.  Its memberships consists of eight to ten members, appointed by the Administrative Council; the PYM Director of Grant Making and PYM Treasurer are also members of the committee, serving ex officio.

The Granting Committee also maintains a handbook of granting policies and procedures [PDF], which are not specific to any group — applicants and prospective applicants should consult each individual Granting Group’s guidelines, above, rather than consulting the handbook.

If you are interested in serving on a Granting Group, you can contact the PYM Granting Committee by writing to Grants@pym.org.

Grants & Resources Beyond PYM

As a finding aide to PYM members and others, we maintain a brief guide to grantmaking activity and other resources in the greater PYM area.

PYM staff also supports the Grandom Institution, an outside fund not under PYM’s care, in connecting grant seekers with that funding program.