SEJC Collection Guidelines and Application

Twelve times a year, one Sunday a month, the BUF congregation is invited to contribute to a Social and Environmental Justice Collection. We choose non-profit organizations serving in the following areas: women and children; environment; poverty/homelessness; peace and human rights; social and economic justice; and physical and mental health.

We will accept only the first fifteen applications submitted after the opening date of March 16th, 2026. Applicants will be invited to briefly speak in favor of their application by Zoom at an assigned time during the afternoon of May 19th, 2026.

The BUF community focuses on organizations where our financial contribution demonstrably “makes a difference.” We prefer to support organizations with small staffs such as grassroots organizations or support specific initiatives by larger organizations that are relevant to our priorities. We prefer to support organizations that serve the local Whatcom, Skagit and Island County populations.

If your organization is chosen to receive a congregational collection, we ask that a representative speak for no more than five minutes during the Sunday service when the collection occurs. Your talk should include highlights in the information you provide below and tell a compelling story in order to be most successful.

In addition to speaking at the service, tell us below how your organization would inform the congregation about your organization's challenges and achievements. Some examples include: on the Sunday of the presentation, provide materials for a topic or action table; staff such a table during the after-service coffee hour to encourage conversation; present about the issues you address at a longer-format forum; provide a hands-on experience or tour for the BUF children, youth or adults; or ....

This is our Covenant of Beloved Community:

We, a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying towards spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

To apply, please respond to the questions below. Please limit your response to a total of 250 words for the first two questions on mission and use of funds combined. In addition, please be as concise as possible when answering the additional questions.

Please explain how the money will be used, showing how the collection will relate to the achievement of the program’s goals and objectives, and the target population to be served. This could be accomplished by translating dollar amounts into number of clients served, supplies purchased, etc.