The Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund and Bayard Rustin Fund
Given the limited amount of money we have available for grants, and in our attempt to provide equal support for Friends, we may not be able to grant continuous support for Friends who had received aid more than two times from our funds. We look forward to a future in which we will have fewer limitations on funding. We encourage those who were unable to receive aid to seek other avenues of support through their Monthly and Yearly Meetings, as well as other sources of financial assistance through FGC.
Please make a donation today. Your contribution will make it possible for us to build the Bayard Rustin Fund and Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund so that we can continue to defray the cost barriers for People of Color to the FGC’s Summer Gatherings and other FGC sponsored events and meetings. You can donate during your Gathering registration or by visiting FGC’s donation page and selecting the Bayard Rustin Fund or Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund in the dropdown menu under “Please use my gift to support…” Thank you!
To ensure mutual accountability and to help our discernment process, all Friends requesting grants are required to fill out a budget in the application form that fully details the amount of grant requested and how the funds received will be spent.
The Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund
The Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund was established by the Committee for Nurturing Ministries and approved by Central Committee in 2019. Mahala Ashley Dickerson was an African-American attorney who was admitted to the bars of Alabama, Indiana, and Alaska in the 1950s, often the first African-American woman to be admitted, and was a founding member of Alaska Friends Conference.
The Mahala Ashley Dickerson Fund is intended to benefit our Ministry on Racism. It provides broad support for anti-racism work, including defraying the cost of People of Color’s (in our constituent Monthly and Yearly Meeting areas) registration fees for FGC-sponsored meetings and other activities, as well as supporting program development and staffing. The funds cannot be used for travel costs as the Bayard Rustin Fund is specifically intended for that use. To ensure mutual accountability and to help our discernment process, all individuals requesting grants are required to fill out a budget in the application form that fully details the amount of grant requested and how the funds received will be spent.
The Bayard Rustin Fund: A Travel Support Fund for People of Color
This fund is intended to be used to support People of Color’s (in our constituent Monthly and Yearly Meeting areas) travel to FGC sponsored meetings and other activities, including the Summer Gathering. It was initiated by a generous gift from Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns.
The Bayard Rustin Fund was established by the Committee on Nurturing Ministries in February 2015 at our meeting in Atlanta, GA. This fund was seeded with a donation by Friends for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer Concerns. In order to support broader participation by People of Color in FGC sponsored activities and meetings, the CNM has minuted, and Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns have agreed that the fund may be used to support travel for activities beyond the FGC Summer Gathering.
The Bayard Rustin Fund has since been able to provide travel support for dozens of People of Color to the Gathering and Pre-Gathering retreat, regional retreats for Friends of Color, Committee Meetings, and the White Privilege Conference.