OSSTF Benevolent Council provides grants of up to $3,000 for any of our members who are in financial distress for reasons of illness, accident or extreme emergency. In order to apply for a Benevolent Council grant, you will need to complete the application form and write a letter outlining why the council should provide you with a grant. Then you submit both District Treasurer, Garrett Metcalfe at garrett.metcalfe@d13.osstf.ca. Garrett will forward your application to the appropriate bargaining unit designate. Your bargaining unit designate will provide feedback on your application and, if appropriate, will prepare a letter supporting your request. Then, the full application will be sent to the Benevolent Council for review. Grants do not need to be paid back, but it is considered income and therefore is taxable.
In the interest of understanding how the Council determines who receives grants, here is some information about what they are looking for when adjudicating submissions:
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This grant is designed for members who are actively in financial distress. This is not for members whose finances are tight, but for those who are beyond the line. |
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If members have access to other sources of credit, they will be expected to seek those out instead, i.e. if the member has savings or a line of credit or credit cards they could access to address the shortfall, the submission will be denied. |
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We all have discretionary expenses, meaning expenses which are non-essential in nature. When money is tight, these have to be sacrificed and the Council will be expecting members who apply for grants to do so. |
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While the Council is sympathetic to members’ personal circumstances, the applications are adjudicated primarily from a financial lens, i.e. they need to see the financial distress more than the emotional one. |
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In addition to or in lieu of grant money, the Council is also able to provide advice or to recommend other means to alleviate distress suffered by members. |
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All applications must be complete or they will not be reviewed. This means that they must include the following: |
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Completed Benevolent Council Application Form (information MUST be provided on the form) |
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Letter from member |
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Letter of support from District or Bargaining Unit President or designate |
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