Share the Plate

Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation (OUUC) Share the Plate Application and Guidelines

Who we are:

Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a 70+-year-old liberal spiritual community that envisions a loving, just, and healthy world. OUUC Mission: Our spiritual principles affirm the worth and dignity of every person, and that we are part of the infinite, interdependent WEB of life. We: Welcome and Wonder, Embrace and Empower, Bridge and Become. We envision a loving, just, and healthy world. For more information on our congregation, visit our webpage Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and for more information on Unitarian Universalism, see the webpage for our national association, Unitarian Universalist Association.

Seven Unitarian Universalist Principles:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Our agreed-upon focus is on improving racial, economic, and climate justice through our actions and financial resources.

Share the Plate (STP) Program and what we’re looking for:

Each year, OUUC invites community nonprofit organizations to apply for funding through the Share the Plate Program. OUUC shares 50% of weekly offerings to organizations that align with Unitarian Universalist principles (see above), with an emphasis on racial, economic, and climate justice. Six recipients are selected each year. Seven of the first eight weeks’ funds of a two-month period are gifted to the featured Share the Plate recipient. The other 1/8 and any ninth Sunday’s funds are directed to the Minister’s Benevolence Fund or other OUUC-related funds. The amount of the grants is typically $2,500 – $3,000.

Share the Plate funds go to support organizations and activities that serve the South Sound Area (Lewis, Mason & Thurston counties). Additional consideration will be given to those organizations with budgets at or below $750,000. Specific projects or programs of organizations with larger annual budgets are considered. To spread grants, organizations that have received significant funding (over $2,500) from any OUUC programs within the past 3 years are not eligible for Share the Plate funding. A mix of direct service and systemic change efforts will be selected. Organizations are eligible for awards every four years.

Eligibility section:

It is OUUC’s intent to fund many organizations over the years so that our members become aware of the many needs of our community and the non-profits that serve South Sound residents. The most recent OUUC Share the Plate Past Recipients (who are not eligible for an award in 2024) and other OUUC benevolence-related recipients are:

Timeline:

July-August 2023 – Application updated if needed, eligible previous applicants notified by email of the Share the Plate application deadline and any changes.
September 21 – October 31, 2023 – Share the Plate Applications accepted online. Application coaching is available if requested (see info below) .
December 1, 2023 – All applicants will be notified of the grant award decision. Successful recipients will be assigned a two-month period in 2024 (starting Jan-Feb and ending Nov-Dec) that they will receive the Share the Plate offerings.
2024 – Organizations will be contacted two to four weeks before their scheduled two-month period begins to jointly produce a short (2-3 minutes) Zoom recording about the organization and its mission to share with the congregation during services. Funds are distributed to the organizations approximately two to four weeks after the period ends.

Coaching:

We realize some organizations have fewer resources or experience completing grants. We want every organization to present its best work. Would you like some coaching on key things to consider in preparing your application?

If so, contact Bob Brennand by October 15.

Share the Plate Application

A downloadable application for your review. Unfortunately, the online application can not be saved and recalled, so we suggest you review the downloadable application, prepare your responses, and then go online and paste in your responses.

Please complete the online application below by October 31, 2023, including brief and concise responses to the narrative questions. If your organization was a Share the Plate recipient in the past three years (2020-2023) you are not eligible for a 2024 award.

1Organization and Contact Information

2Budget and Nonprofit Status

3Project Information

Organization

Organization's Address

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Organization's Mailing Address (if different)

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

Organization's Phone Number

Website and/or Facebook page (if any)

Contact Person's Name

Contact Person's Title

Contact Person's Email

Contact Person's Phone

Our organization is seeking funds for:

General Organizational Support
Specific Project

Counties Served:

What are your Focus issues? (you may check more than one box):

Racial Justice
Poverty and Economic Justice
Climate Justice
Other

Racial Justice: The fair and just treatment of members of all racial groups, such that equitable opportunities and outcomes are possible for all members of society. Minorities have historically been oppressed and restricted from resources that mainstream American’s enjoy. Efforts in this area will alleviate oppression for specific minority groups.

Poverty and Economic Justice: The creation of opportunities for every person to have a dignified, productive, and creative life by access to goods, education, jobs, and resource. Marginalized peoples have historically been restricted from access and remain impoverished. Efforts in this area will increase access to resources that have historically been restricted to marginalized groups, often people of color.

Climate Justice: A set of rights and obligations, which corporations, individuals, and governments have towards vulnerable people who are / will be disproportionately affected by climate change. Marginalized communities have often been built in environmentally fragile or harsh areas and are the first to be impacted by climate change. Efforts in this area will reduce the impact of climate change on marginalized peoples.

Other: If “Other” is selected, please include any information on how your efforts in your focus area impact racial, economic and/or climate justice. Examples of services in this category could include health and wellbeing, reproductive rights, services to youth and families, the homeless, mentally ill individuals, etc.

If other, describe here:

What is your organization's mission statement? (0 points)

Please give a brief history (ideally one to three paragraphs) of your organization including success and/or obstacles in carrying out work similar to those proposed in the application. (10 points)

How is the proposed activity consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles, and economic, climate and/or racial justice? (25 points)

Toward helping OUUC understand what you value, please describe some ways you envision spending the funds, if selected. (20 points)

What will change and how many people will be impacted as a result of this activity? How will you determine if a change has occurred? (20 points)

How are those impacted by the project involved in the design and/or evaluation of the proposed activity at a level consistent with their experience and knowledge? (10 points)

How are you working with similar organizations or coalitions to address systematic change related to this topic? (15 points)

Thank you for your application! A member of the Share the Plate Committee will contact you regarding the status of your application and to gather any clarifying information if needed.

Share the Plate Application

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