There are several funds that support Quaker education, travel, and work.
General Info on E&O Grants
As of January 2022, CYM does not have any funds available for study grants this year. Please check back for updates regarding future years, or email the Education & Outreach Clerk ()
Education and Outreach Committee (E&O) offers grants and loans for Quaker educational opportunities and for travel to attend Quaker events, and supports referrals to other funds. E&O oversees the disbursement of grants and loans for members of Canadian Yearly Meeting (and, in exceptional cases, attenders) from within its own budget and from other independent funds. Applications are normally reviewed at the next scheduled E&O meeting. However, applications may be fast-tracked when time constraints dictated by circumstances outside the applicant’s control require a decision before the next E&O meeting. We have chosen to interpret education in a fairly broad sense. Examples of education include attendance at the Friends General Conference Gathering and a theatre workshop. The maximum amount that any one Friend can be awarded in any consecutive three-year period is $1200, unless there are extenuating circumstances and unspent funds in the budget. A combination grant and loan may be awarded. A Friend may only receive the Pendle Hill Scholarship once. As grants are taxable, grant recipients will be issued a T4 slip at year end. Loans are interest-free. Loan repayment schedule is tailored to the ability of the individual to repay. A repayment period of up to three years is usual. Friends struggling with repayment obligations may apply to the E&O Grants and Loans Officer to restructure their repayment schedules. Applications for a grant or loan must be accompanied by a Minute of Support from the applicant’s Monthly Meeting. Friends receiving grants or loans from E&O are expected to submit a report of their experience to E&O. This report can be in the form of written text, or another medium such as a powerpoint presentation, blog, workshop plan, or video. The report will (with permission) be posted on this website for sharing with Canadian Friends and excerpts may appear in The Canadian Friend. You can access an archive of previous reports from recipients at the bottom of this page. Here is more information on E&O funds and how to apply:
Quaker Studies Fund
As of January 2022, CYM does not have any funds available for study grants this year. Please check back for updates regarding future years, or email the Education & Outreach Clerk ()
The Quaker Studies Fund is intended for Quaker education at a Quaker institution, including Pendle Hill. A Quaker event or conference (such as Friends General Conference gathering) may also be considered. Awards from this fund do not exceed $1,000.
Pendle Hill Scholarship Fund
As of January 2022, CYM does not have any funds available for study grants this year. Please check back for updates regarding future years, or email the Education & Outreach Clerk ()
E&O administers a fund that enables one member of Canadian Yearly Meeting per year to attend Pendle Hill (Pennsylvania) for eight days as a sojourner. The intent of the sojourn is to give the applicant an opportunity to explore a spiritual leading with support from the Pendle Hill community. This could be, for example, writing, seeking clearness on major life decisions, or art exploration. The scholarship aims to cover all fees pertaining to the sojourn at Pendle Hill, plus travel (less $100). E&O suggests applicants ask their local Monthly Meeting to share this $100 cost.
Who may apply?
Individuals may apply, or E&O may nominate a Friend, or a Monthly Meeting may nominate a member.
What are the considerations?
E&O will give consideration to the service the Friend has provided, the ministry being undertaken or being discerned. Preference will be given to a Friend who has not attended Pendle Hill before.
The application should include the reasons the Friend should receive the scholarship and a Minute of Support from his or her Monthly Meeting.
What is the application time schedule?
Applications should reach E&O (via CYM Office) by March 1. Applications are considered by E&O during their spring meeting, and the award is announced by E&O at the spring Representative Meeting and at CYM in session. (Applications that are received by E&O after March 1 may be considered, depending on available funds.)
The scholarship is valid from the upcoming October until the following May.
How are arrangements made?
E&O will inform the successful Friend, their Monthly Meeting, and Pendle Hill of the award. The Friend then arranges his or her own travel at the most economical rate. Pendle Hill will bill E&O directly for the cost of the eight-day sojourn, and the Friend will bill E&O for the travel costs (with receipts), less $100.
Sojourners are welcome during term time at Pendle Hill, except for opening and closing weeks, and weekends of General Board meetings. Weekend conferences during the sojourn can be attended at no extra cost, but week-long or short courses (if taken during the sojourn) must be paid for by the sojourner. If a Friend wishes to extend their stay at Pendle Hill, extra costs are the Friend’s responsibility. A sojourner may stay at Pendle Hill up to three weeks. Scholarship recipients are requested to contact Pendle Hill to arrange the dates of their stay and to answer any questions about the sojourn.
Are there alternative funding sources?
It is expected that the scholarship will support a sojourn at Pendle Hill. If there is a special reason for considering a different location or format, this will be considered. Applicants should note, however, that E&O has other funds for Quaker Education (including non-sojourn attendance at Pendle Hill) for both members and attenders. Consider this other category, especially if your application to the Pendle Hill Scholarship Fund is unsuccessful.
Bursaries
As of January 2022, CYM does not have any funds available for study grants this year. Please check back for updates regarding future years, or email the Education & Outreach Clerk ()
Education and Outreach Committee offers a bursary, funded by the Samuel Rogers Memorial Trust, to recognize Dorothy Muma’s long contribution to Friends and Canadian Yearly Meeting. The award must go to an Ontario resident or support a spiritual leading in Ontario.
Dorothy was a member of Toronto Monthly Meeting for almost sixty-two years. Her spiritual life was rooted in the words of George Fox: “Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them.” Dorothy expressed her faith through faithful service to her own meeting and Canadian Yearly Meeting, using her considerable organisational and administrative skills, financial acumen and knowledge of Friends’ ways to assist with the business and procedural life of the Meeting.
Dorothy served with Canadian Friends Service Committee, and was secretary to both the Samuel Rogers Memorial Trust and the Robert Owen Foundation. She was also Secretary-Treasurer of Canadian Yearly Meeting and a member of its Discipline Committee, Nominating Committee, Finance Committee and Personnel Advisory Committee. Dorothy served as a trustee of Canadian Yearly Meeting for 23 years, and was a founding member of the Canadian Friends Historical Association.
Who may apply?
Ontario Friends or others who are either members or attenders of Monthly Meetings that constitute Canadian Yearly Meeting who wish to pursue a project or leading in Ontario.
What are the considerations?
E&O wishes to support the next step in an applicant’s spiritual journey, to nurture his or her deepest inward spiritual leading. This may include writing, teaching, music and art-making, farming, mediation, education, and healing. The idea is to enable the Friend to be a pattern and a living example of Friends’ beliefs.
The maximum amount from E&O that any one Friend can be awarded in any consecutive three-year period is $1200, unless there are extenuating circumstances and unspent funds in the budget.
Amount of the bursary
$500 is provided to E&O by the Samuel Rogers Memorial Trust each year, but at times more funds may be available.
How to apply
Before applying, go through a process of discernment which includes a Clearness Committee appointed by your Monthly Meeting. (See Organization & Procedure, Chapter 8.)
Fill in the application form and submit it to the E&O Grants and Loans Officer. Include with your application a short essay about your spiritual journey and a Minute of Support from your Meeting.
Include the following in your essay: a statement of your spiritual journey showing how this project or educational pursuit is an integral next step in that journey; the proposal for the program you wish to undertake; the reasons why the award is helpful at this particular time; and other sources of financial support that you may have for this project. Consider whether this project would place a burden on family responsibilities or outstanding debts.
When to apply
Applications should reach E&O’s Grants and Loans Officer by March 1 for consideration by E&O at its spring meeting. Applications received by E&O after March 1 may be considered, depending on available funds. The award will be announced at CYM in session. The bursary is valid until the following May.
Please contact E&O Grants & Loans Officer for more information
Application Process for Education Grants and Loans
As of January 2022, CYM does not have any funds available for study grants this year. Please check back for updates regarding future years, or email the Education & Outreach Clerk ()
Obtain a copy of CYM’s “Grant or Loan Application” form from the Education and Outreach Committee Grants and Loans Officer (; c/o Canadian Yearly Meeting, 91A Fourth Avenue, Ottawa ON K1S 2L1)
Documentation must be complete before the review can take place. Applications will be reviewed at the next E&O meeting. E&O meets in spring and fall, and in between by conference call and on-line meetings. Applications should be submitted well in advance of when the funds are desired.
Applications are considered on the following criteria:
1. individual merit
2. how the experience will enrich the life of the applicant, his or her Monthly Meeting and the Society of Friends
3. past loan repayment performance
4. relevance in relation to the applicant’s current or potential economic circumstances
The maximum amount that any one Friend can be awarded in any consecutive three-year period is $1200, unless there are extenuating circumstances and unspent funds in the budget. An individual may receive the Pendle Hill Scholarship only once.
Loan repayment schedules are based on the information provided in the application, and are tailored to the recipient’s situation. We request that loans be repaid within three years.
As grants are taxable, grant recipients will be issued a T4 slip at year end. Grant recipients are responsible for their own travel insurance.
Friends receiving grants or loans from E&O are expected to submit a report of their experience to E&O. This report can be in the form of written text, or another medium such as power point presentation, blog, workshop plan or video. The report will (with permission) be posted on this web site for sharing with Canadian Friends and excerpts may appear in The Canadian Friend.
Education Grant/Loan Application Checklist:
- Completed application form
- Minute of Support from your Monthly Meeting (including consideration of financial support)
- Financial statement of anticipated revenues and expenditures associated with your request (except for the Pendle Hill Scholarship)
- Extra documentation to complete the picture of your intended activity, including a letter explaining how the educational experience will enrich your life, your Monthly Meeting and the Society of Friends.
FORWARD APPLICATIONS TO:
Education and Outreach Committee Grants and Loans Officer
c/o Canadian Yearly Meeting
91A Fourth Avenue,
Ottawa ON K1S 2L1
Grants from the Canadian Friends Foreign Mission Board
Funding for work overseas is available through the Canadian Friends Foreign Mission Board (CFFMB). These are grants of $1000-3000 for people working or supporting work overseas.
The primary intention of the grants is to help the spiritual growth of people or communities. This could include people travelling to help community development, buying hymn books, renting space for worship leading, or helping with programs of healing. The original purpose of the fund was to aid in missionary work. We don’t do “missionary” work in the same way Friends in Canada once did, but we would like to keep a spiritual component to the work funded by the CFFMB.
Grant Application for Canadian Friends Foreign Mission Board (Word file)
Funds Overseen by Trustees
CYM Trustees can be contacted by emailing . Trustees are ultimately responsible for the disbursement of all of Canadian Yearly Meeting’s funds. That said, they delegate immediate decisions and administration to many committees – like the funds described above, which are administered by Education & Outreach and the Canadian Friends Foreign Mission Board.
There are also several funds that the Trustees administer directly:
- Sarah E. Richardson Fund: This fund, overseen by the CYM Trustees, is intended to support Friends travelling in the ministry in Canada.
- Joseph P. Rogers Fund: This fund, originally intended to “aid aged ministers” is now interpreted as providing assistance to members of the Society of Friends who have rendered long and useful service to the Society.
- Albert S. Rogers Fund: The purpose of this fund is undesignated and Trustees may make disbursements as appropriate. Trustees are prepared to consider awarding grants for new concerns from this fund.
For a complete list of funds established for a variety of CYM activities, see the Trustee Resources page and the pamphlet Quaker Trust Funds in Canada (PDF).
Quaker Youth Pilgrimage
The Quaker Youth Pilgrimage was active for over 50 years, enabling Young Friends ages 16–18 to learn about Quaker history and process, develop a stronger relationship with God, and experience the diversity of Friends’ traditions and worship while traveling, living, and working on a service project together for a month during the summer.
The pilgrimage took place every two years and was jointly sponsored by the Section of the Americas and the Europe and Middle East Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). (Canadian Yearly Meeting is part of FWCC.)
In 2016, the program was suspended due to budget and staffing issues. In its place a Young Adult Friends Development Fund has been created. Its aim is to sponsor projects that enable Young Adult Friends (ages 18-35) to strengthen Quaker identity and meet peers at the international level, across different branches of the Quaker family, or across different variations of the same branch.
The current information about the Young Adult Friends Development Fund is on the FWCC World Office website, here:
You can also read one beautiful reflection from a Young Friend on the 2002 pilgrimmage.
Reports from Recipients
Here are some reports from past recipients of funding, to demonstrate how funds are being used, inspire potential applicants, and meet documenting guidelines from the Canada Revenue Agency.
| Date | Author | Purpose of Funding | Source of of Funding | Download |
|---|
| 2019 | Carl Stieren | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2019 | Dana Bush | Quaker Wisdom School | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2019 | Isabelle Yingling | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2019 | Kirsten Ebsen | Woodbrooke College | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2018 | Ben Bootsma | Friend General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2018 | Barbara Heather | Truth and Healing Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2018 | Jordan Kerr | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2018 | June Etta Chenard | Palliative Care Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2018 | Margaret Slavin | Poetry Collection | Dorothy Muma Bursary | DOC | |
| 2018 | Zaley Warkentin | Gathering of Conservative Friends | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2018 | Sheila Havard | Fox's Footsteps Pilgrammage | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2017 | Sylvia Grady | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2017 | Andrew Gage | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2017 | Carol Bradley | Britain Yearly Meeting | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2017 | Rebecca Wolf Gage | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2017 | Ellen Helmuth | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2017 | Linda Taffs | Pendle Hill Sojourn | Pendle Hill Scholarship | DOC | |
| 2016 | Kirsten Ebsen | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2015 | Ruth Jeffrey MacLean | Meditation & Plainsong Workshop | Quaker Studies Fund | ||
| 2015 | Linda Foy | Friends General Conference | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC | |
| 2014 | Glenna Janzen | Pendle Hill Clerking Workshop | Quaker Studies Fund | DOC |