EMES Spiritual Growth Fund- 2022 Grants
One of the primary aims of FWCC EMES is to “encourage and strengthen the spiritual life within the Religious Society of Friends, and its outreach in the world, through such measures as worship, intervisitation, study, conferences and a wide sharing of religious experience”. The Spiritual Growth Fund (SGF), set up and administered by FWCC EMES, offers grants to Quaker groups within the section to fund projects that work towards this aim, based on the following goals:
- Strengthening Quakers’ shared identity: promoting understanding of our shared history, theology and spirituality, to strengthen Quaker faith and practice
- Strengthening Quaker connections: meeting and networking in order to learn with and from one another
- Strengthening Quaker outreach: becoming more visible and welcoming newcomers
- Strengthening Quaker values in the wider community: taking forward innovative and practical work that demonstrates Quaker values and beliefs in the world
Visit our EMES Spiritual Growth Fund page for full details
2022 Awards
200th Anniversary- Centre Quaker de Congénies [photo at top right]
Bicentennial Celebrations for the Centre Quaker de Congénies in France, including hosting a colloquium, “Trouver l’esprit parmi nous : les origines des quakers français,” honouring the bicentennial of the Congénies Meetinghouse following the Assemblée Annuelle (France Yearly Meeting) held in Sète, France on October 28-30, 2022. This colloquium profiled the history of Quakerism in France, the theological roots of French Quakerism, and built connections to strengthen the presence and visibility of French Quakerism. Publicity and outreach focused on Quakers in Europe, local and regional historical associations, local and regional Protestant groups, groups working for peace and social justice, and Quaker organisations.
Lettre des Amis- Centre Quaker International Paris
Multi-year support for printing paper copies of Lettre des Amis, the French-language newsletter of Quakers in France published three times a year and distributed to several hundred Friends. Together with the revamped website where la Lettre des Amis is also posted, la Lettre has become a channel of communication with Friends in the French-speaking world – including Belgium, Switzerland, francophone Africa and Québec.
Translating book about Quaker relief work into Russian- Friends House Moscow
Three stories on three individuals (two Quakers and a non-Quaker) working in Quaker relief Units in Russia in the 1920s were translated into Russian. Similar to a previous successful project, several dozen copies of the book were sent to the Buzuluk region libraries, museums and archives free of charge in addition to individual supporters of a fundraising campaign. The stories were about US Quaker Nancy Babb, who worked in Russia both in the first Quaker mission (1917-1919) and in the second (1921-1927); about an English doctor Melville Mackenzie, who established a public health system in the Buzuluk district (1922-1923); and about an Irish Quaker Lucie Dorice White, who worked in Russia in 1921-1931 and who was the last Director of the Quaker office in the USSR. The book will contribute to the dissemination of the culture of peace, as well as communicating about the success of fruitful international cooperation and citizen diplomacy.
Translating and distribution of Quaker material in Georgia- Georgia Worship Group [photo at centre right]
Building on a successful past project in 2007-2009, “Advices and Queries” “Religious Society of Friends, Quakers” and other pamphlets were translated into Georgian and distributed in the cities of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Mtskheta. In addition, the translated materials were made available to those attending the Georgia Worship Group.
Website development and content curation- Quakers in Italy
Building on the development of the Quakers in Italy website in 2020, this multi-year project supports creating content, translating material, and sharing information about Quakers in Italy, especially in Italian. Kirsten Hills, a professional video maker, produced a series of videos introducing Quakers and Quakerism in Italian and English, and then various materials previously produced by Friends were archived to the new site from other places, plus then new translations of Advices and Queries and other exploration of needs and opportunities for Friends across Italy.
Peace and Violence: A Struggle in the Human Heart?- Nantes Local Meeting (part of France Yearly Meeting)
At the occasion of the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Nantes local meeting co-organised a day-long ecumenical event on non-violence: “Peace and Violence: A Struggle in the Human Heart?” Partners for the event were the ACAT, a French Christian NGO promoting the abolition of torture, and the United Protestant Church of Loire-Atlantique (EPULA), which hosted the event for free. The event took place on November 26th, 2022 in Nantes and included an exhibition, workshops on Alternatives to Violence Project, videos, and a press table. It ended with a talk by Jean-François Breyne followed by a panel discussion.
Stop Fueling War- Cessez d’alimenter la guerre
This project supported Stop Fueling War, a small French NGO which proposes rethinking security by highlighting the problems of the current security system led by the Military Industrial Complex, particularly the arms trade via informing and involving Quakers and other faith groups as well as the general public in its actions. Stop Fueling War received funding from various Quaker sources and believes that they bringQuaker values to the wider world, in a direct, clear and accessible way, unravelling a very complex subject into components.
Translating and publishing the book “Koosolek ehk ühtsusest” (“Togetherness and harmony”) into English- Tallinn Worship Group/Quakers in Estonia [photo at bottom right]
This book of free verse poetry talks about ways relations among us can be improved, with a goal to reach Friends across the Baltic states who use English as their common language. While acknowledging the differences among us, we need to strive toward harmony in our society by getting to know each other better and recognizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. 200 copies of the book were printed and distributed.
Application process
Please download and fill in the Application Form or fill in this online form.
Applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year. Once an application has been received, EMES staff members will appraise it. and will contact you for further clarification, if needed. Applications for funding over €1,000 need the approval of the Executive Committee, which usually meets every 2-3 months. If your application is of an urgent nature, it may be possible to consider it between Executive Committee meetings.
Our staff will offer encouragement and support in preparing your application. Having less than perfect English should not be a barrier to applicants. We will support you in whatever ways needed.
Once a grant has been made, EMES staff will keep in contact with your organisation on an informal basis.
When your project has been completed, you will be asked to provide a Closing Report.
Date of revision: July 2023
