A Community of Quakers in Durham, North Carolina
404 Alexander Avenue
Durham, NC 27705
Emergency Aid Fund
Request
Eligibility
Before starting the process of requesting a grant from the Emergency Aid Fund, please consider whether your request meets the following criteria, as approved by the Durham Friends Meeting in August, 2020.
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Are you under the care of the Meeting? (e.g., do you participate in the community’s worship and other activities? Are you known by people within the meeting? )
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Is your financial need an emergency? Examples of emergencies include need to pay for unexpected medical care; danger of eviction because of lack of funds; unexpected travel necessary to care for family members; lack of money for food; unexpected expenses related to keeping your job (such as urgent need for car repairs or other transportation).
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Is your request for $2000 or less? The guidelines for the Fund have a suggested cap of $2,000 per request so that the Fund can handle multiple requests at the same time if needed.
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Have you requested money from the Emergency Aid Fund before? The guidelines for the Fund assume that a person will only apply for funds once per calendar year.
Process for Grant Requests
STEP 1 - Initial Contact
Contact DFM's Care & Support Committee. Both methods will collect the same information:
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Fill out this Google Form (most efficient way for Care & Support!)
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Email Care & Support at dfm.carecommittee@gmail.com with answers to the following:
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Name
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Contact Info: (Address, Phone, and Email)
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Your connection to the Durham Friends Meeting
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What is the assistance for?
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How much money do you need?
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How urgent is your need? After what date will your situation get worse if the money is not provided?
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What form of payment would be preferred (e.g., a check to a third party, electronic transfer to a bank account, cash, debit card, etc.)
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Are there other ways the Durham Friends Meeting can assist to help with this crisis? (e.g., transportation, meals, support group, etc.)
STEP 2 - Review
Care & Support reviews your request. One or more members of Care & Support will then reach out to you (usually by phone or in person). They will review the information you have provided, ensure that your request meets the criteria outlined above, and discuss the details of how much the Emergency Aid Fund can provide. You can expect this call within 1-2 days.
Please indicate in the initial contact if you believe the crisis requires a faster response.
STEP 3 - Disbursement
If you and the members of Care & Support are clear to move forward, Care & Support will contact DFM's treasurer and arrange for the grant.
STEP 4 - Follow Up
In the days or weeks following your financial crisis, Care & Support would like to hear back from you. Your feedback will help Care & Support know how you are doing. It will also offer an opportunity for you to help us learn how to improve the process.
Confidentiality
Care & Support will not share with others your name or circumstances unless you give us permission. However, we will report at least once a year to the Durham Friends Meeting on the total number of people who received grants from this Fund, the total amount given out, and the types of crisis the Fund addressed.