First Church Endowment Funds

Giving to our Endowment Funds
When you give to the church's permanent endowment fund, your gift is added to those who have already given generously through the years to provide income critical to our continuing ministry and mission Your gift is invested in low risk growth and interest bearing assets. Unless you specify otherwise, the original principal will remain intact forever with an exception only by a congregation vote for a major emergency such as the church burning down.

We recommend that you give directly to the General Endowment Fund. However, you may designate your endowment gift for capital expenditure, specific programs or special areas of interest. If your wish is to designate to a specific program, please consult with a member of the Planned Giving Committee to ascertain if the church will be able to carry out your exact wishes.

If you leave money to the church without specifying it is for "Endowment/ChanningSociety", 50% of your gift will be added immediately to the church's Endowment Fund and 50% will be allocated to the church Board of Trustees for general purposes.
The Planned Giving Committee is responsible for all matters pertaining to the management and administration of the endowment funds and is charged with adopting an investment philosophy designed to ensure the Fund's real growth. With the exception of a small portion of the Social Justice Endowment Fund, the funds are currently fully invested in the UUA General Investment Fund.
The endowment fund at first church has three fund accounts: the General Endowment Fund, the Helen Meyers Fund, and the Social Justice Endowment Fund. Each has slightly different specifications on how the moneys can be used. 

The General Endowment Fund
The Church's Constitution protects the principal of the Church's General Endowment Fund against expenditure. Only under the most pressing of circumstances and a determination that no reasonable alternative is available, may the Church, by a two-thirds vote of its membership, spend any principal.
All gifts that designate the General Endowment Fund are deposited fully into the Fund. As described above, gifts that designate the Church generally, or are otherwise undesignated, are allocated 50% to the Endowment Fund and 50% to the Church's General Fund. If the undesignated gift exceeds five percent of the current annual budgeted Church expenses, the voting members of the Church determine the allocation of the 50% that is not directly deposited into the General Endowment Fund.
Current policy allows 5% of the General Endowment Fund to support the general budget each year. This comes out of accumulated earnings rather than the original investment (principal). 

The Social Justice Endowment Fund
The Social Justice Endowment Fund has been donated specifically for Social Justice activities at First Church . The largest portion of the Social Justice Endowment Fund is invested in the UUA General Investment Fund and the rest is invested in Community Based Investments (CBI). Earnings of the UUA portion support special programs and new social justice programs not currently funded by the general Social Justice Ministerial Team budget. Investment policies are determined jointly by the Planned Giving Committee, the Social Justice Ministerial Team Leaders and the Church Administrator. 

Helen Meyers Fund
This fund was originally donated by one of our members, Helen Meyers. Her will also specifies that the fund principle should not be spent, but that the earnings must be spent to bring outstanding nationally known Unitarian Universalists to our church both as inspiration to our members and also to the surrounding community.. Expenditures of the earnings are selected by the Helen Meyers Forum Committee.   This fund is open for additional donations. 

First Church Estate Planning or Living Gifts

First Church Channing Society