Who Is Eligible for Grants?

Communities that meet these requirements:

1. A member community of the Pacific Western Region of the UUA.
2. An honor community that contributed to the UUA and PWR for the previous fiscal year or has a plan to become an honor congregation/community.
3. Since this is a new regional program we are asking for 10% of the applying community members to become active Chalice Lighters, agreeing to support Chalice Lighters for the next 2 years. (Previously an active Chalice Lighter was someone who contributed in the past two years.) We will re-evaluate this in 2 years; as the program continues this requirement will be increased.

How Does My Community Apply to Receive a Grant?

To sign up to receive a grant, please click the link below:

Applications — PWR Chalice Lighters Grant Application

If you are unable to complete the online application and need to send a hard copy and/or any other questions, please contact us at pwrchalicelighters@uua.org.

Your application and any supplementary materials will be sent to the PWR Chalice Lighters Circle for review. One call per year can go to multiple smaller grants. If you have a smaller project in mind, we’d love to hear about it. There is no grant application period, applications are received on a rolling basis.

How Can I Help?

The funds for these grants come from UU’s like you — subscribers who pledge to pay $120 or more, towards Chalice Lighters grants every year. Donors can also sign up to make a regular automatic monthly contribution.

You can sign up online. You’ll be added to the list of people who will contribute to Chalice Lighters projects.

Your $120 could help a community hire its first minister, or build its own worship space, or renovate old, cramped, tired facilities —it might even help your own community!

Light the Chalice — Sign Up!

Donations

You may choose to support Chalice Lighters in one of two ways by making a one-time contribution, or by setting up automatic recurring contributions. Please select your preferred option below.

• Chalice Lighter Giving Form
  • Use this form for one-time payment.
• Chalice Lighter Automatic Giving Form
  • Use this form for monthly payment.

Thank You!

A sincere thank you to you all for your generous giving which translates into a new and healthier UU communities, with ministerial leadership, improved meeting space, and stronger Faith Formation programs!

Testimonials

“A Chalice Lighters grant allowed UUSLO the financial flexibility to hire a Membership Coordinator (a new staff position at the time). Though the person hired with the grant had to end her employment in a matter of months, we had a glimpse into how this staff member could strengthen our mission of “deepening connections.” This gave us the confidence to move forward with finding another candidate and we now have a Membership Director as an established member of our staff team. Thank you to all who donate to Chalice Lighters! You are helping to deepen connections between our congregations with your generosity.” 

Rev. Rod Richards
Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo

“As a very small Fellowship, it can seem almost impossible to raise funds for anything but essentials. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Missoula has been blessed to have received a regular Chalice Lighter grant to help with one of those essential expenses, and also one for something we had been talking about, and needing, for years – just somehow never got it done. First, we needed to replace our roof. This absolutely fell under the essential category, and we did fund raise for much of the estimated cost. Then the pandemic hit and the estimated cost skyrocketed. The Chalice Lighter Grant that we received at that time was a real lifesaver. The steps from the back porch to the back yard did not have a handrail. For years, that was something “we should really to.” When the call went out that the “leftover” Chalice Lighter funds for Mountain Desert District would be disbursed prior to merging with the other districts, we applied for one to finally get that done. It was such a great feeling!”

Mary Nordhagen
Former member of Universalist Fellowship of Missoula

Documents & Forms

• Light the Chalice — Sign Up!
• PWR Chalice Lighters Giving Form
  • Use this form for one-time payment.
• PWR Chalice Lighters Automatic Giving Form
  • Use this form for monthly payment.
• PWR Chalice Lighters Grant Application (PDF) — View Only
  • View this form to prepare for the grant application.
• PWR Chalice Lighters Grant Application
  • Use this form to complete the grant application.

History

Chalice Lighters began in 1984 as a way for individual Unitarian Universalists to support projects and programs within and among UU congregations by donating $10 or more three times a year. Once a district’s Chalice Lighters team approved a project, a “call” would go out to participating UU’s who would then write checks and send them to help meet the Chalice Lighters goal.

With the advent of UUA’s reorganization around five regions rather than 19 Districts starting in the late 2000s, Chalice Lighters programs began to evolve, reflecting the distinct needs and circumstances of each region. In 2014, the New England Region translated its Chalice Lighters into the pilot for Faithify, now the online crowdfunding platform for the whole UUA. The Southern Region holds a total of nine Chalice Lighters calls each year — two for projects in each of its historic former Districts and one that is considered as a Region-wide effort. The Central East Region donates $20,000 each to three congregations annually. The MidAmerica Region has a hybrid program which allows for calls of $10,000 or more and up to $1,000 to smaller congregational projects via Faithify.

The remaining district-based Chalice Lighters networks were all in the Pacific Western Region. They historically each followed the same basic structure: with support from Regional staff, each District had three Chalice Lighters calls each year: Fall, Winter and Spring. Among these, Pacific Northwest had the most consistently robust program, both in terms of congregational participation and funds raised.

With each of the four Districts merged into the Pacific Western Region (PWR) evolution of Chalice Lighters is an opportunity to explore what generosity could mean within the Region at this pivotal time, as we affirm our commitment to ideals of cooperation, hope, trust, faith and intentional inclusion of people and causes that are often pushed to the margins. We seek to more fully realize the dream of beingbetter together.

Vision

We are implementing a Regional Chalice Lighters program that: 

1. Builds on the successes of the District Chalice Lighters programs.

   Chalice Lighters shines as an accessible way of funding projects in small and mid-sized congregations. It has especially thrived in settings where dedicated volunteer leaders have committed to it long-term and the donations are automated. In areas where congregations are in relatively close proximity to each other, Chalice Lighters promote connection to the “Association of Congregations” and even where there may not be close geographical proximity, the program promotes a feeling of connection with other UU communities.

2. Honors and affirms the generosity of current Chalice Lighters.

   At a time when connection to and support for our congregations are at risk, Chalice Lighters is a trusted, effective way for Unitarian Universalists to live out our shared values. The absence of such a program may send the signal that their generosity no longer matters when that is far from the truth. Faithful contributions to UU projects and programs are more important than ever.

3. Focuses on generous giving to the program itself, rather than to specific projects.

   Working closely with grant recipients to gather images, testimonials, and expressions of gratitude, PWR staff will communicate successes of Chalice Lighters funding to donors to inspire their generous giving toward future projects. These communications will then be reformatted and adapted to many different platforms over the years (i.e., social media, email, website), helping expand the awareness and reach of Chalice Lighters.

4. Reflects the priorities and needs of the different areas within the Pacific Western Region.

   Where one District Board might have been focused on ongoing funding of staff or projects involving marginalized groups, another might have grappled with being stretched too thin because of low volunteer participation. PWR Chalice Lighters will strive for adaptability to the region’s needs, as determined by the Chalice Lighters Circle.

5. Standardizes grant amounts, which supports congregational financial planning.

   Current practices based the amount of each Chalice Lighters grant on what that call netted in donations, rather than on the needs of the applying congregations. Some District Chalice Lighters programs had residual donations that are used to round-up and round-out what some Chalice Lighters call raise. Creating set amounts for grants (i.e., $5k, $10k, $20k) takes the guesswork out of what is being asked and what will be received.

6. Streamlines and clarifies the application process.

   We foresee a four to five page application packet that includes: two pages of frequently asked questions, sample of a successful application, and a 1-2 application to be completed. This application may have several additional pages of information to clarify the details of the project to be granted. A volunteer Chalice Program Circle meets periodically to evaluate applications and propose possible future applicants. Circle members would review and rank applications on their own and then meet virtually to determine recipients on Zoom.

7. Allows for low-risk investment in experimental and emerging ministries, including those that might otherwise be marginalized.

   Nurturing new ministries is core to our commitment to love. One way we do this is by directly funding promising endeavors that expand community and relatedness. We will manifest our intention to widen the circle of concern and live out our UU values through the Chalice Lighters program.

8. Centers marginalized groups and projects at each stage of the Chalice Lighters process.

   Rather than doing what has already been done and reinforcing existing barriers to participation and funding, we see PWR Chalice Lighters as an opportunity to intentionally include people of marginalized groups in the development, promotion, and grant-awarding processes, and to increase funding of projects designed by and supportive of marginalized communities.

9. Benefits from sustained and sustainable PWR/UUA staff support.

   We will create ways for volunteer leaders/leaders in the field to have ongoing relationships with one another and to be able to contribute to our movement at various levels. The recent trends in volunteerism suggest that we need strong staff support for volunteer leadership at all levels of our movement to enable broad and sustainable participation.

The current (initial) Board of the Pacific Western Region was appointed for the first year of the organization’s existence, with the intention of holding an election at the Annual Meeting. Members of this initial Board had previously served on the board of a former district within this region or on the Transition Team, which negotiated with the existing districts and the UUA to draft the founding bylaws, or both. The Board encourages all interested members of UU communities—both professional and lay leaders—to consider applying for nomination to be elected to the volunteer Board or for appointment to one of the Circles (which, in dynamic governance, operate similarly to committees).

The primary purpose of the PWR is to model inclusivity, accountability, and living the values of Unitarian Universalism while nurturing the Member Communities in our part of the UUA.

1. To encourage leadership development and facilitate planning and organizing regional events.
2. To help make local, regional, and national resources available to UU member communities.
3. To encourage and facilitate UUA Member Communities to participate in formulating the ideals, policies, and governance of the UUA, to more fully live UUA values
4. To engage in intentional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression philosophies and behaviors;
5. To promote awareness of the current climate emergency and practicing stewardship of the planet;
6. To establish, promote, and provide accountability processes, including but not limited to Restorative and Transformative Justice and other Restorative Practices.
7. To aid in the establishment, growth, and support of liberal religion.

If you are interested in volunteering to support the communities of the Pacific Western Region, please complete and submit the volunteer application.

Documents & Forms

• Pacific Western Region bylaws (PDF)
• PWR Board/Circle Volunteer Application

What Does It Mean to Light a Chalice?

Chalice Lighters is a program to help fund the growth of the member congregations and communitiesof the Region.

Chalice Lighters provides grants to communities to help them cross a major threshold towards growth:

1. Facility improvements, such as buying land, rebuilding, accessibility and inclusion, furnishing or enlarging facilities, or signage.
2. One-time professional leadership expenses, such as the costs of hiring a Minister, Religious Educator, Music Director, or membership professional.
3. Starting a new community.
4. Contributing to other outreach projects within the Region.

Chalice Lighters is intended not as a full funder, but to be a partner in funding improvements that would significantly strengthen the scope of a community’s ministry.

Want More Information?

• Sign up for Chalice Lighters

• Chalice Lighters History

• Charter for the Lighters Circle (PDF)

Ginger Yoder, DFF, MS, Credentialed Religious Education Candidate, UU Church of the Palouse

Youth programming and engagement in our post-COVID churches has become increasingly challenging. Many of these young people have missed out on the critical in-person relationships that help shape their spiritual and emotional development during the pandemic, and it is difficult to re-engage them in their teen years. As a result, our current youth have not been grounded in our faith in the same way as previous generations. This, combined with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, today’s youth face more emotional challenges than ever before. Regularly participating in weekly or even monthly youth programs is increasingly difficult, as most families struggle to commit to consistent church activities. This gap in engagement leaves many young people disconnected from UUism at a crucial stage in their lives.

However, camp has proven to be one of the most successful and impactful ways I have found to ground our youth in our faith. I believe it plays a critical, if not the foundational, role in our ministry to youth and their families. Camp offers young people a crucial space to connect with others, nurture their faith, and build resilience. These camps provide a much-needed respite from the pressures of daily life and play a pivotal role for lifelong spiritual growth, fostering a strong sense of community and UU identity. For many youth, this is truly the only safe place they have in their lives to explore who they are and discover their identity during some of the hardest years of human growth. Especially in contexts such as the political climate in Idaho and, increasingly, our nation, we desperately need places for our youth to know their diverse identities are valued and loved.

Importantly, camp is a format that families can commit to. Weekly church activities interfere with spots, custody agreements, schoolwork, and other commitments of families. A weeklong summer camp allows families to commit just a short time, but for incredible results. A single week at camp offers more hours of connection, community, and spiritual growth than an entire year of youth group meetings, even if the youth came each week. Further, the intentional break from daily routines allows campers to fully immerse in faith development and spiritual practices. And, I don’t think we can ignore the time and support it gives parents. Knowing your teen is being cared for in a place of love, unconditional acceptance, and caring community while you gain a moment of reprieve from daily teen parenting can be the difference between parenting on the edge vs. with spaciousness and grace. We have also heard from our families that the conversations that come up after camp serve to connect caregivers to their child’s faith development and growth, leading to more faith development within whole families.

The youth at the UU Church of the Palouse exemplify the transformative power of UU summer camp. Each year, we send an increasing number of young people to Camp Blue Boat, and the experience has proven to be deeply impactful for both our youth and adult counselors. Our campers return with a strong sense of connection to our faith, a broadened sense of community, and a solidified UU identity. They are becoming leaders within our church and their school communities. The renewed sense of belonging and purpose they gain from camp helps them navigate the challenges they face throughout the year. They go out into their increasingly challenging and sometimes even hostile lives with a sense of love, support, and belonging behind them.

I think camp should be a focus of denominational support. Camp allows us to reach a generation of youth who need and deserve innovative programming beyond Sunday morning classes. Immersive, transformative programming is the call I hear from our youth and families. Our youth are the future of our faith and worth the time and financial investment during their most tenuous and formative years. Now is the time to increase our presence and support for young people. We cannot lose a generation of youth and expect to carry our life-saving messages. Churches all around the country are losing members and families. It is time to create more loving spaces, not restrict them.

I truly believe camp has transformed our youth ministry and our youth. I cannot speak highly enough of the work of the camp staff and the truly magical places they provide for our young people. Camp allows us to provide the most important part of being UU to our youth — a place where they can come as a whole person and be loved and cared for. I hope camp can continue and even expand in the coming years.

The Pacific Western Region staff wish you, your family, and communities a very Happy Holidays! Your presence in our world is a blessing! May the season be a blessing to you!

The UUA will be closed December 20th-January 5th- we will be back at work on January 6th. If there is an emergency, please send an email to your primary contact which will give you who to contact during the holiday or complete our Partnership Activation Request form.

If you would like to start thinking about 2025 consider checking out our Community Resilience Hub. It has great resources, tools, and general support for your congregation and community.

We will bring more opportunities for connection and support in the new year with our spring program: Responding to Now: A PWR Series which will have one session each month on a topic responding to the challenges of our current times.

May you find love and connection this holiday season!

Sunshine, Hara, Melanie, Mylo, Melissa, Sam, Sarah, Summer, and Tania

By Pacific Western Region of the UUA