Makepeace Bequest

The church is blessed to be a beneficiary of the Isabelle Makepeace 1985 Revocable Trust. Every year half of our income from this bequest is allocated to the Board of Trustees for capital projects, and the other half is allocated to non-profit organizations who have applied for grants. After receiving the applications the Makepeace Committee meets to decide which grants met the guidelines established by the church and then passed those applications along to a committee of Makepeace, Christian Education, and Outreach representatives.

The deadline to submit proposals for consideration in the 2010 Grant Cycle has passed. Proposals for the 2011 Grant Cycle will be due in October, 2010. The 2010 guidelines and application appear below for your information.

MAKEPEACE BEQUEST GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
(Grants to be formally approved at Annual Meeting in January 2010)

General Guidelines:

A. In order to qualify for Makepeace funds, projects must aim to relieve human suffering and work for justice and peace.

B. Proposals that seek stipends for an individual shall not be funded, unless the stipend is for professional services rendered to an agency. Such a project will be limited to reimbursement of expenses. Makepeace money shall not be awarded that will result in permanent capital goods or improvements for the benefit of any church member or friend.

C. Priority will be given to providing seed money for new initiatives.

D. The church is not precluded from funding requests by an appropriate group for multi-year projects that have a definite goal and a definite completion date. However, priority will be given to short-term, well-defined projects. Normally an agency will not be guaranteed continued funding, either for operating budgets or for subsequent years of a multi-year project.

E. Granted funds unused by the end of the church’s fiscal year will revert to the church, unless there are extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness of project participant). The project organizer cannot carry funds forward to do the project in the future or to do a related project.

F. If an individual is a member of a church group (committee/task force/cluster/Council) which determines Makepeace allocations and is also a party to a Makepeace application, that person will be expected to abstain from voting on that application.

Instructions for Applicants

1.) Complete the attached application form.

2.) Attach additional material to the application form summary page (suggested length: 1-4 pages). The additional material should include specific information on the need the project addresses and the goals of the project. Is this expected to be a one-year or a multi-year project?
The committee reviewing proposals needs budget information that is as detailed as possible. Show what funds are intended for salaries (salaries cannot be paid to any Church members), what for travel, and what for supplies or other project costs. Where the Makepeace funds are providing only a portion of project costs, information should be provided for the entire project.
The relevant Church committee may, at their discretion, request more project information before deciding whether to recommend funds to the project.

3. Two copies of the full proposal are due at the Church office by Friday, October 16, 2009. Proposals will be evaluated by Church boards and grants will be formally approved at the Annual Meeting in January, 2010. Money for projects that are approved will be made available in January, 2010.

4.) Successful applicants are expected to submit at least two reports during the year in which the money is spent. An interim report is due in June 2010, and a final report is due by December 18, 2010. Money that has not been expended by December 31, 2010, will revert to the Makepeace Fund unless the Committee decides that there are extenuating circumstances, such as the illness of the project coordinator.

APPLICATION FORM FOR FUNDS FROM THE MAKEPEACE BEQUEST

Applications must be received at the Church office no later than Fri., Oct. 16, 2009, and should be addressed to: Makepeace Grants Committee, First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street, Williamstown, MA 01267.

PROJECT TITLE:______________________________________________ __
CONTACT PERSON: _____________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________________________
Title: ___________________________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________________________
Telephone:___________________
(Note: This individual may be requested to discuss this proposal — by telephone or in person – with members of the review committee in November or December 2009, if the committee deems it necessary.

BRIEF SUMMARY STATEMENT FOR THIS PROJECT:
(Additional narrative detail may be attached)

AMOUNT OF FUNDS REQUESTED:__________________________________