Grant Application and Description of Funds
There are five funds under the care of the Quarterly Meeting. Three of these funds have been combined because of their small sizes and common purposes.
The principal of each of these funds has been invested in the Pooled Funds of the New England Yearly Meeting, which is under the care of the NEYM Board of Managers. The realized income from these funds is placed in the Quarterly Meeting's bank account for its use.
The application process for general funds is described below. The distribution criteria for earmarked funds are described as part of the fund description.
- To request a grant
- Moses Paige Fund, a restricted general fund
- Salem Quarter Fund, an unrestricted general fund
- Buffum-Breed-Boyce Funds, devoted to specific purposes
To request a Grant
Friends Meetings and individuals attending Friends meetings are welcome to submit requests for grants from the Salem Quarterly Meeting Funds. Previous grants have been given: as seed money to help start new social concerns projects, to help fund outreach projects for Friends Meetings, to aid Friends traveling to other Yearly Meeting's or Friends conferences. When funds are limited, preference is given to members of Salem Quarterly Meeting.
Salem Quarterly Meeting Grant requests are due on the 15th of March and September.
Distribution of approved grants occurs shortly after the April and October Quarterly Meeting Sessions.
Send requests (with a brief description of project, requestor's meeting affiliation, a full budget, and a list of all other funding sources):
by email to the clerk
or by post to:
Salem QM Clerk
24R Columbia Way,
Newbury, MA 01951
Moses Paige Fund (55%)
In the early 1970s Salem Quarter was given a substantial bequest. The following guidelines for the use of the income from this fund were set by the Salem Quarterly Meeting Board (Minute 74-13) and have been reaffirmed on several occasions since then.
(1) To nurture and implement concerns for care and ministry to the suffering, to those who are confined (through ill health or for other reasons) and to those in need for whom a strong sense of special commitment of resources is felt following the leadings of the Spirit. We look especially toward encouraging programs which have not yet become established or which lack other sources of continuing support. This has been described as an offer of "seed money" without implying either that matching funds must be raised or that renewal or continuation of funding is automatic.
(2) To nurture and encourage a vital spiritual condition in the Society of Friends, especially through sharing and deepening our Quaker Faith.
It is our understanding, finally that the funds at our disposal, being limited, will not be used where other sources of regular support for carrying forward Friends actions exist. None should look to this income to "make up" deficits, which may occur in the budgets for expenditures intended for routine use by local Meetings or other Friends groups. In short our aim and hope is to advance the spiritual life and the concerns of the Society of Friends in imaginative and innovative ways rather than to merely supply the wherewithal for its routine maintenance.
Salem Quarter Fund (33%)
A second part of the bequest which led to the Moses Paige Fund was a small plot of land on the Island of Nantucket. In 1995 Salem Quarter sold the land and used the net proceeds to establish a second fund (Minute 95-16).
Friends approved retaining this money and putting it into an account "to be set up ... to be administered by the Moses Paige Fund Distribution Committee" (now referred to as the Quarter Funds Committee).
Establishing a second fund without the restrictions placed on the Moses Paige Fund was a deliberate decision of the Quarter. This was done so that some on-going programs could be supported by the Quarter (e.g. Quaker Studies Program.)
Buffum Breed Boyce Funds(12%)
Care of these funds was transferred from the Yearly Meeting to the Quarterly Meeting in 1996. While the principal has been in the Pooled Funds for many years, the income had been accumulating. The Quarterly Meeting decided on receiving this money not to reinvest the accumulated interest, but to keep it for future use.
At the April 1997 meeting Salem QM approved the following minute:
That Salem Quarter allow disbursement of moneys from the Breed-Boyce-Buffum funds at the discretion of the Clerk and Treasurer, following on a proper request from a Monthly Meeting's Ministry and Counsel or the relevant Monthly Meeting Committee, with said disbursement to be kept confidential.
The following was gleaned by Finley Perry, Brian Drayton, and Fritz Weiss from the few available documents regarding these funds.
Sarah Buffum Fund (2.6%) -- Sarah Buffum Fund died around 1845 leaving money to the Salem Meeting to be held as a fund, the income of which shall be distributed annually among the most needy of said Preparative Meeting.
Nathan Breed Fund (3.3%) -- No official instrument indicating the purpose or uses of this fund was found. But such records as Lynn Meeting had show it was used for aid to poor Friends. Apparently Lynn Meeting considered its purpose to be the same as the Sarah Buffum fund and lumped the income received for the two funds together.
Julia Ann Boyce Fund (1.2%) - There is a will for Julia Boyce on file in Salem, but it does not refer to this fund, which according to Lynn Meeting records is for religious and charitable purposes.
And now a little background -
At the time of the 1845 separation of New England Yearly Meeting, Lynn Meeting (and Salem Quarter) was a part of the "larger body" or branch which eventually became part of Friends United Meeting. Almost until it was laid down the Lynn Meeting had a pastor. Given that, the term "religious purposes" has been interpreted by the Finance Committee to mean, "Christian Education, or to help a meeting directly in its ministry to members, or to aid outreach."