Major Funding Sources 
The BVM'S and Their Unique, Participative Approach to Grantmaking
Last spring, I participated (with another staff member) in the most unusual grant-making decision process that I could imagine. Sitting in a circle of people representing agencies from around the world, from other parts of the U.S. as well as from Chicago, we presented our grant requests to each other, as well as to members of a grants committee. We also were asked to say why we needed the amount we requested, and whether we would be willing to accept less – and if so, how much less, or whether we would drop out of the process altogether in favor of another request. What an experience! And what group would invent and carry out a decision making process like this? The BVM’s are that group of women.
The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or "BVM's" – what everyone calls them) are an amazing religious order. Founded in Ireland in 1833 in response to the famine there, five women cared for the sick and provided food for many who were hungry. These same five dedicated women came to the United States to serve as educators and also focus their efforts on people living in poverty here. They settled in Dubuque, Iowa, chose one from their number as their leader, or foundress, and became an official order. For more than a century, they centered their work on educating immigrant children, and then more broadly on educating children who were poor. Their work spread across the country and even beyond. After Vatican II, in 1968, they decided to diversify their endeavors. Many became religious educators in parishes, others became social workers. Now their primary emphasis shifted to education not provided in parochial schools. Their congregation had become much smaller, but they wanted to continue their ministry to those marginalized from mainstream society. One way they determined they could do this, in addition to the work that individual community members did, was to give grants to organizations and agencies engaged in work that matched their values.
Over the years, the BVM’s developed a block of funds dedicated to helping agencies and organizations that were working with, providing services to, and in solidarity with the poor. The BVM Vision and Values include the following statements:
"We value and support actions which:
Empower the poor
Transform structures
Have global impact
Foster nonviolence
Further right relationship with all creation
Are collaborative and participative
Enable BVM’s to continue in ministry beyond retirement age.”
These are the values that drive their work as a religious order, and are fundamental to their decision-making about groups that they will fund.
I spoke with Kathleen Conway, BVM, a member of the decision-making committee, who is also the Regional Representative of the Great Lakes Region of the BVM’s, and who participated in last year’s grant-making process. She told me that she was involved in the reorganization of their process. They wanted to design a process that was more collaborative, more participative, and less hierar-chical. Previously, their grant-making method had been typical. They had invited requests, met in committee, made grant decisions, and sent out the grants. Conway said they decided that they wanted a totally different approach. “Instead of us having the money and you begging for it, we wanted it to be as non-competitive as possible.” They were seeking mutual sharing among committee members and organizations, and for people to hear from each other about their projects. They hoped that people would be able to share ideas and approaches to issues, causing “cross-pollination”, Conway stated. They tried a pilot project in 2000, and were encouraged by the results. So in 2001, they tried the new model for all their requests, 34 in all.
Conway said, “I’m passionate about this process.” She noted, “The money is not ours”, and went on to say that the funds are there to be used for everyone. The BVM’s are stewards of this resource, not owners. Now that they have tried this process, they believe they learn so much from all the organizations, and the BVM’s feel themselves to be a part of all of the agencies’ efforts. “The process speaks for our values”, she said.
As a participant in this intriguing process, I was overwhelmed by it at first, and then began to be incredibly impressed by it. After hearing about a wide variety of powerful projects from all over the country and the world, reflected on what of our request we could do without, in order to help another organization which was even more needy than Sarah’s. In the end, we were willing to reduce our request by $1,000, but the final reward was $10,000 per year, for three years, what we had requested.
Our request to the BVM’s centered on expanding our staff, offering more competitive salaries, and providing a tuition reimbursement program for employees furthering their education in relation to their responsibilities at Sarah’s. According to Conway, the BVM’s see that Sarah’s Circle mission is very closely tied to a number of their values, particularly their values about solidarity with the poor, especially women. They also know the importance of staff, and realize that keeping and supporting a good staff is very important to providing good services and programs.
Thank you, BVM’s, for all the amazing work you do and support. Thank you for your unique and non-hierarchical process, and thank you for choosing to support Sarah’s Circle!