Community Care Fund

Community Care Fund

This fund was formerly called the Ministerial Discretionary Fund

1. Purpose

The Community Care Fund exists to offer short-term, confidential financial support to members of our Foothills community who are facing urgent need.

This guidance supports our commitment to compassion, equity, and pastoral care. It ensures this support is offered with discretion, clarity, and consistency, aligned with our mission to care for one another with courage and humility.

2. Organizational Guidance

The Community Care Fund is available once per calendar year per household. The fund is not for long-term or recurring assistance but is intended to meet acute, essential needs.

Eligibility

• Individuals must have a current connection to the Foothills community, such as:
  • Member or regular attender
  • Active participant in a ministry area
• Priority is given to needs related to, but not limited to
  • Housing stability
  • Food insecurity
  • Medical access
  • Transportation
  • Safety and crisis response
• Exceptions may be made at the minister's discretion.

Request and Disbursement Process

1. Initiate Request
   • A request may come through a minister, staff member, Caring Listener, or trusted lay leader.
   • The individual may also directly reach out to a minister or relevant staff.
2. Review and Decision
   • The request is reviewed by a designated member of the Ministry Team, often the Minister for Community Care.
   • Decisions consider
     • Urgency
     • Alignment with fund purpose
     • Whether community resources have been utilized or are available
     • Available Community Care Fund budget
3. Disbursement and Documentation
   Once a request is approved, complete all three steps below. They keep the pastoral record, the running balance, and the accounting in sync, and skipping any one of them is how the records drift apart. The amount is open, determined by the situation and available resources.
   
   • Document in PCO. Add a note under the Community Care Fund Notes category on the recipient's individual profile. Use one note per household, not one per person. Include the date, the amount, and a short line on what it covers (for example, "$500 toward rent during a job gap"). 
   • Log the tracking table. Add the amount to the household's row in the Community Care Fund tracking table. 
   • Submit the payment request. Complete the Foothills Payment Request Form so bookkeeping can issue the check. Note whether the check is to be mailed or picked up at Foothills. 

Confidentiality and Records

• All requests and disbursements are treated with strict confidentiality.
• Only those directly involved in review and disbursement are aware of identifying details.
• Records are kept solely for internal financial oversight, not for public or staff-wide reporting.

3. Related Content

Bylaws and Policies

This guidance interprets or implements the following:

Organizational Guidances & SOPs

This guidance is related to or informs the following:

• Template Email for responding to request from someone who is not engaged at Foothills

4. Revision History

Originally created by