Veatch Program - Our Mission

The UU Veatch Program supports:

• Unitarian Universalist organizations that
  foster the growth and development of the Association
  of UU congregations;
• UU organizations that increase the involvement of
  Unitarian Universalists in social action; and
• Non-denominational organizations whose goals
  reflect the principles of Unitarian Universalism:
  
  
  1. The inherent worth and dignity of every
     person
  2. Justice, equity and compassion in
     human relations
  3. Acceptance of one another and
     encouragement to spiritual growth in
     our congregations
  4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
  5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large
  6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
  7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

We live in a world where tremendous wealth and greed exist alongside unbearable poverty; we find too little compassion and wisdom among our national leaders. We believe that fundamental changes are needed--changes in values, priorities, analysis and governance.

We also believe that those changes will occur only if the people of this country themselves provide the leadership that is currently lacking. The UU Veatch Program funds grassroots organizations of people, not "experts," because we believe that only by rebuilding democracy from the bottom up can truly new policies be envisioned, advocated and implemented.

The UU Veatch Program funds community initiatives and organizations working on a wide variety of issues in many different parts of the country. We look for organizations that are developing new public policy, and new ways of organizing at the grassroots level.

The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock is helping build a movement for social change. We focus not only on particular issues but also on the methods being used to address them. Does an organization involve its members in decision making? Does the pursuit of justice dictate the organizational practice as well as the organizational goals? Does the organization trust the grassroots and understand that political power does not come from polls or from ignorance but from a politically literate population that clearly understands the alternatives being presented? Does the organization work cooperatively with other organizations seeking to build a broader "civil society"?

As an essential part of rebuilding our democracy, the Veatch Program supports organizations that teach people the skills that have been lost as we have been systematically excluded from the political process: the skills of analysis, public speaking, conducting meetings, raising money, challenging bureaucrats and "experts," and holding political representatives accountable. To return to the principles of Unitarian Universalism, we strive through our grantmaking to encourage "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; and the use of the democratic process."

"The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock provides support for efforts within the religious and spiritual mission of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock where their purposes are best served by outside agencies acting under the Veatch Program and the Congregation."