Bedell Fund Committee
Operating Procedures

The Vestry is informed that the Bedell Fund Committee will operate in accord with the following procedures, until further notice. The Vestry encourages the Committee to amend and update these guidelines from time to time as its experience may suggest, keeping the Vestry informed.

1. Composition. The Committee shall consist of eight voting members as appointed by the Vestry, among whom one shall be a member on the Vestry. The Rector shall be an Advisory member in addition. Voting members shall serve a maximum of six one-year terms. The Chairman shall be appointed by the Senior Warden for a three-year term, subject to a maximum of two terms.
2. Bedell Allocation. In January each year the Vestry will inform the Chairman of the Bedell Committee of the Bedell Allocation for that year. If the full Allocation is not committed within the calendar year the uncommitted funds will revert to the Bedell Fund, increasing its funding capacity for the future.
3. Grant Approvals. After due investigation and deliberation the committee will recommend grants for approval by the Vestry. The Chairman or a Bedell Committee member may recommend grants to the Vestry in person at a mutually convenient Vestry meeting as needed but ideally twice per year. The Vestry will make every effort to respond by the next Vestry meeting.
4. Voting. All members have one vote each and all grants to be recommended to the Vestry must have a minimum of five votes.
5. Conflicts. Conflicts of interest, or even the appearance thereof, should be avoided. A Committee member with a meaningful personal association with an applicant is encouraged to so declare, present his/her evaluation of the grant application and be excused from final deliberations and voting on the application. St. Matthew's parishioners should feel confident in the objectivity of the Committee's deliberations.
6. Applicants. The Committee will treat all applicants with the utmost respect. The Committee will endeavor to see that all applicants have a clear understanding of the purposes of the Bedell Fund and of the complete grant application, implementation and "follow-through" process.
7. Deliberation. The Committee is encouraged to exercise considerable "due diligence" before recommending grants to the Vestry, including, but not limited to visits to the applicant's site and meetings with senior clergy and lay representatives. Grant recommendations should be for projects that are realistically budgeted and timely.
8. Grant Supervision. The Committee is responsible to maintain regular contact with grant recipients from grant approval and initial funding (with Bedell Committee Chairman approval) until the approved project is complete and all funds authorized under the approved grant have been expended or returned to St. Matthew's.
9. Committed Funds. Funds which have been committed to an applicant under a grant approved by the Vestry remain committed to that applicant, and may be carried forward from year to year, without impacting future annual Bedell Allocations by the Vestry. Funding under a particular grant may be rescinded at the discretion of the Bedell Committee upon a finding by a the Committee that the project to have been funded by the Bedell grant is no longer viable.