Donations Priority

The offices of the CRC organize and coordinate various events around theological, social and/or environmental themes. These events focus primarily on accompanying CRC members and partners in their commitments within the society at large.

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Presentation

Mandate of the service

  • Analyse and evaluate requests for funds made by community and popular groups from Quebec to religious orders from Quebec.
  • Make recommendations on these requests to the donation committees of different religious communities from Quebec.

Funding Streams

The communities provide support for groups involved in the fight against poverty and participate in social transformation. They encourage groups that promote working collectively, that is, groups who focus on managing the groups themselves. They support pastorally-oriented groups where the link between faith and commitment to social justice is fully integrated. Members value the link between faith, hope and a commitment to solidarity with the poor.

For information about the selection criteria, click here.

Origin

The Donations Priority Committee was founded by the Social Justice Committee and began operation in January 1980. The following proposition, adopted by the Canadian Religious Conference Quebec section at its 1997 Assembly, provides meaning: “That the CRCQ intensify the development of networks for solidarity between us, with community and popular groups and other partners to counter the dehumanizing structures of our society”. Currently, the Service is a fully integrated part of the CRC.

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Criteria

The purpose of this document is to present the selection criteria used by the Donation Priorities Committee (DPC) of the Canadian Religious Conference (CRC).

Document objective

The criteria will not only determine if your group is eligible but are also the degree of the transparency between the communities and groups. The criteria for analysis are outlined in the questionnaire itself. If the groups can show they meet these criteria, then the recommendation to the communities should be positive. From time to time, about once a year, the criteria are updated.

The priority for the allocation of funds by Quebec religious communities includes the following categories :

  • Groups defending collective rights
  • Community groups
  • Community educational group
  • Groups defending women’s rights
  • Groups promoting family life
  • Mental health alternative resources
  • Faith in action groups
  • Environmental groups

The use of community education must characterize the response of these groups in order to be supported by the communities.

Selection criteria

1) Low Income and Exclusion Neighbourhoods

This essential criterion derives from the prophetic mission of religious communities that are called to opt in a special way for the poor and the socially excluded.

2) Autonomous Community Education

ACE is the principal criterion in the analysis of all requests. This was adopted at the CRCQ policy conference in May 1997. The definition used by the DPC is that of MÉPACQ (Mouvement d’éducation populaire autonome et communautaire du Québec), which is:

All the approaches to learning and critical thinking by which citizens lead community actions that bring awareness to the individual and the community about their lives or work, and aimed at the short-term or long-term social, economic, cultural transformation and the political life of their communities.

The following elements are the important landmarks in a process of popular education:

  • a. work on the causes of social programs
  • b. collective ownership
  • c. training in consciousness-raising for autonomous persons
  • d. participation in collective actions for social change
3) Networking with other Groups

This criterion arises from the character of the popular movement and community groups which is networked to confront effectively the transformation of society.

a. Community Consultation

Local consultation allows groups to share their analyses and join their strengths on different challenges. A group which works in an isolated fashion limits its capacity to contribute to social change.

b. Member of a National Group

Religious communities give priority to national coalitions of grassroots and community groups. A coalition assures fidelity to an intervention model chosen collectively. Consequently, grassroots groups who are not members of a national coalition do not meet one of the funding criteria.

4) Importance of the Issue

This new criterion allows groups to make requests where their mission and work appear to be essential in the current context even if their approach in not in keeping with the community education movement. Examples include such groups as those working with refugee status applicants, groups which are an essential resource in remote areas, and groups involved in the issues concerning the integrity of creation and peace. In addition, this criterion allows for evaluating of the ability of established groups to question their processes used over the years in order to respond to changing realities.

5) The Organization’s Mission

Religious communities do not seek to support specific interventions or a particular project. Their support looks more at the organization’s execution of its mission. This mission must be compatible with the priorities and criteria of the DPC.

6) Charity Registration Numbers

The religious communities, through their donations, must respect civil law. They donate to organizations possessing a charity registration number and in no way to individuals through the DPC framework.

7) Sound Financial Management

The religious communities desire that their donations will contribute in a reasonable and appropriate fashion to the achievement of the organization’s mission. The following elements help to ensure that the donations are well managed and that is why the following information is required in the form:

a. Approved financial statements
b. Budgetary estimates
c. Level of funding
d. Accumulated surplus
e. Financial impact of funding support by the religious communities
f. Financial autonomy of the groups supported by the religious communities

For further information, click here.