Fund Guidelines
Purpose
The purpose of the BC & Yukon League Development Fund (LDF) is to strengthen and grow the League by providing financial assistance to parish and diocesan councils to host qualifying activities.
Policy
1. The policy and criteria may be changed by the provincial executive as necessary.
2. The amount available in the Provincial LDF is determined annually by the provincial executive.
3. Parish and Diocesan Councils may receive funding once per calendar year.
4. Councils must explore subsidy opportunities at intervening levels prior to applying to provincial or national (eg. Parishes apply to diocesan 1st, to provincial 2nd and then to national, if needed. Dioceses apply to provincial 1st before applying to National).
5. The fact that it is a Catholic Women’s League (CWL) sponsored workshop/event must be clearly displayed on all publicity (Posters, bulletin board announcements, invitations, letters, etc.).
Qualifying Activities (Five-Fold Purpose)
• Visiting parishes without councils to present the benefits of membership
• Assisting with the organization of parish councils
• Providing leadership training
• Providing opportunities for spiritual growth
• Educating members using National League resources including (but not limited to) structure, standing committees, responsibilities of officers, parliamentary procedure and effective meetings.
Qualifying Expenses
• CWL training resources from National office
• Non-CWL Facilitator expenses – honorarium, travel, meals and accommodations
• CWL facilitator expenses – travel meals and accommodations, except when the facilitator is an executive officer, voting or accredited delegates at a combined workshop meeting*
• Meeting rooms, when not held in combination with a meeting*
• Printing expenses for workshop materials
• Transportation costs, except for executive officers, voting or accredited delegates at a combined workshop/meeting*
• Accommodations costs on a shared basis if the schedule requires an additional overnight stay beyond attending a meeting*
Process
1. Councils are encouraged to make use of the expertise of members of the Provincial and Diocesan councils. Presenters will be reimbursed for their expenses by the council submitting the application form.
2. Other than the costs already covered in number 1, a claim may be made under transportation toward travel costs for members attending the workshop and/or for travel costs for presenters. When presentations are being made to non CWL members or to parishes without a CWL council, transportation expenses for all women attending will be considered.
3. Travel expenses for diocesan or provincial executive members will not be considered if the event is a diocesan or provincial meeting for which the expenses are already covered by the diocesan or provincial council. If extra days are incurred when attending the event, then meal costs and accommodation expenses for the added days will be considered.
4. Complete and sign the application for subsidy from the BC & Yukon League Development Fund.
5. Forward to the BC & Yukon Vice President by email vicepresident@bcyukoncwl.com
• The completed application form
• A detailed agenda for the workshop and the meeting* if applicable
• A detailed budget for the workshop and the meeting* if applicable
• A list of CWL resource material that will be used
6. Receipt of the completed application will be acknowledged by the provincial vice president by email.
7. Requests for funding will be evaluated on an individual basis by the League Development Fund Committee, as outlined in the application form. The committee currently consists of the Provincial Vice President, the Provincial Treasurer, and a chairperson of a standing committee.
8. Applications will be accepted provided funds are available and should be received at least six weeks prior to the proposed date of the event. In some cases, the council submitting the application may require the funds in advance of holding the event. These cases will be approved on an individual basis, and when funds are given prior to the event, the council will be responsible for returning all unused funds to the Provincial Treasurer.
9. The following steps must be followed when applying for funding:
a) Councils must explore subsidy opportunities at intervening levels prior to applying to provincial or national (eg parish councils apply to diocesan 1st, to provincial 2nd and to National 3rd if needed) if applying to the higher level, the amount requested from that level must be shown on the provincial council application form.
b) Each applicant council must completely fill out the application form stating the estimated amount of funding needed to effectively conduct the workshop/s and attach a copy of the proposed agenda.
c) The fully executed application must be forwarded to the Provincial Vice President for approval. Within two weeks of the receipt of the application the committee will assess it and, if the application is approved, the Provincial Vice President will notify the applicant, the Provincial and Diocesan Presidents and the Provincial Treasurer. The applicant will also receive the Report of Workshop Form.
d) Unsuccessful applicants will be notified with suggestions for further action.
10. Within two weeks following the event, the applicant will complete and forward to the BC & Yukon Vice-President and Treasurer the report of workshop with follow-up summary and original/scanned receipts to support the claim. Total expenses should be reduced by registration fees charged to the attendees or funds received from other levels of the League.
11. The Provincial Vice-President and Treasurer will verify and approve the expense report. The Treasurer will issue a cheque in the amount of the approved claim.
*” Meeting” includes an executive meeting, mid-term, annual meeting of members and annual convention.
Mail application to:
BC & Yukon Council Vice President.
Send an email to vicepresident@bcyukoncwl.com to obtain name and mailing address.
Revised October 2025