Serve Friends who suffer for their conscience.
Recently Fund for Sufferings found joy and fulfillment! Here’s how:
- Supporting some PYM members financially, for hardships/penalties related to activity protesting environmental disasters.
This is a current or upcoming project or interesting thing the granting group is working on:
- Being available most times for consultation and consideration of new hardship requests from PhYM members
People who participate in this granting group can learn and grow in this way:
- More deep awareness and appreciation of the radical history Quakers experience in conscientious action.
This granting group functions at its best when there are people serving on it who have these skills or experiences:
- Group process and clerking
- Familiarity with Quaker history of activism and conscientious objection.
The realistic time commitment of members of this granting group includes:
- About 3 hours quarterly, zoom meetings, and periodic email flurry after requests, which is really unpredictable.
Membership:
- Members of granting groups are appointed by the Granting Committee and must be a member of a meeting.
- Ideally, the Fund for Sufferings has seven members and currently needs one.
What We Do
The Fund for Sufferings of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting was established in 1756 to provide meaningful material support to PYM members who experience financial hardship because of their witness to our Quaker testimonies.
The Fund for Sufferings provides:
- Financial assistance for hardship occasioned by obedience to the leadings of God’s spirit or to conscience consistent with Quaker testimonies.
- Opportunities for the yearly meeting to continue our long history of supporting Friends taking risks for their beliefs.
Who We Are
Appointed by the PYM Granting Committee; the current members are Shulamith Clearbridge, Tricia Coscia (Clerk), Lisa Garrison (Liaison), Martin Kelly, Paul Sheldon, and Tina Stanton.
Contact
Group Email (to all group members): FundForSufferings@pym.org
How To Apply
Requests for assistance from the Fund can come from the PYM individual concerned, from a monthly meeting on behalf of the individual, or from someone or some group close to the person involved.
Most grants are under $500, but the committee will consider larger requests.
Before determining whether to make a grant, the granting group will need the following:
- Written request to help granting group members get acquainted with the applicant.
- Description of the nature of the Witness resulting in hardship.
- Amount of financial assistance being requested from the Fund for Sufferings.
- How the applicant’s Meeting or other sources of support have responded.
Apply through the PYM Grants Portal.
Grants can go to individuals only, not organizations, but requests for assistance can come from the individual concerned, from a Monthly Meeting on behalf of an individual, or in special cases from someone or a group close to the person involved. Contact grants@pym.org with questions.
Applications are considering on a rolling basis; there are no deadlines for applications.
Funds
Fund For Sufferings funds are provided by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and also through income donated by individuals, Meetings, and others who wish to stand in unity with those taking risks for their beliefs. All payments to the Fund will be considered charitable gifts. Payments to the Fund may be made by checks payable to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, designated “Fund for Sufferings.” The Fund shall be used, to the extent available, for the alleviation of the hardships and sufferings of Friends, Friends groups, and others — such suffering occasioned by obedience to the leadings of God’s spirit, or to conscience, consistent with Quaker testimonies.
