Grants are the cornerstone of the Foundation. They represent both the Foundation’s mission as well as our donors’ commitment to further Bapak’s vision. Each year the trustees review large and small proposals to determine if they meet the Foundation’s requirements and standards to receive funds.
SUBUD HOUSE GRANTS
The Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF) applies a fair and measured allocation of its available resources when making awards to member countries of the World Subud Association (WSA). The Muhammad Subuh Foundation applies due diligence to ensure that grants are distributed equitably to the Subud community and have maximum impact. MSF must comply with U.S. tax regulations and Foundation stipulations that govern charitable giving internationally.
The Foundation respects local autonomy over the management of the project by the recipients, however, all recipients must sign a letter of agreement to abide by specific terms and conditions to receive grant funds. These conditions include submitting written reports that contain a detailed description of what was accomplished with the use of the funds, and a financial statement reporting all expenditures of the funds, in U.S. dollar values. Recipients must also be members of WSA and abide by its bylaws, in particular, the section stating: “The Association shall not promote or engage in political activities.”
MSF asks that grant applicants provide evidence that there is broad member harmony to support and maintain the Subud property. This might take the form of ownership by the group’s region or country or at the very least an agreed-upon commitment of responsibility for support of the house by a large number of Subud members in the local center.
In addition, MSF expects groups to have a business plan for commercial use of their house, in compliance with local and national laws and regulations. This is to help ensure the sustainable generation of income for the house and surrounding property’s ongoing repair, taxes, emergencies, etc., as well as further support to the Foundation when possible.
All grants must comply with the US Homeland Security Act ensuring that no portion of the funds was used to engage in, support, or promote violence, terrorist activity, or related training of any kind, whether directly through the Subud group’s own activities and programs or indirectly through its support of, or cooperation with, other persons and organizations engaged in such activities.
Recipients must begin to use the funds within 15 months from the date of the final signature of the agreement. Funds will be remitted only after the grantee notifies the Foundation that they are ready to begin the project. Generally, a project is expected to be completed within twenty-four months, from the final signature of the agreement.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
MSF housing grants, including the property that the Subud house is located on, are primarily focused on the acquisition and capital improvements to the facility (or property) for groups to do their latihan. Capital improvements do not include routine maintenance of recurring activities (inspection, cleaning, plumbing, testing, painting, replacing parts, carpeting, and so on). Such maintenance is expected to be performed based on normal use and to keep the property in good operating condition.
Capital improvement to a property is defined as an activity that extends its useful life or efficiency or improves its quality such as its strength or capacity. In such cases this activity would:
- ‘put’ the property in a better operating condition rather than ‘keep’ the property in efficient operating condition, or
- restore the property to a ‘like new’ condition rather than to a ‘previous’ condition, or
- add new or replacement components or material sub-components rather than protecting the underlying property through routine maintenance, or that
- includes additional upgrades or modifications that are not incidental or ongoing repair to the property.
The outcome of capital improvements would be the amelioration of a material condition, defect, or the adaptation of the property to a new or different use. This policy is used to guide the MSF trustees on a case-by-case basis based on the merits of a proposal.
GRANTS THAT SUPPORT WSA
It is understood that the responsibility for funding the activities of the international helpers and the projects of the international archives rests solely with WSA. In this way, the ongoing financial support pertaining to these activities and projects remains under the purview of WSA.
Nonetheless, the Foundation may support WSA with these two activities if needed. MSF has identified both international helpers and international archives as compatible with its mission to support the worldwide growth and long-term development of Subud. The following policies do not attempt to limit the responsibilities of WSA regarding the work of the international helpers or projects prioritized by the international archive team. It only defines the parameters under which MSF may provide funds that support the purposes of these two groups:
- International Helper Policy: It is the policy of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation to support (funds permitting) travel by the international helpers of the World Subud Association. The Foundation limits its funds to those allowed in the WSA travel reimbursement policies as approved by the WSA Board of Directors. This includes reimbursement to travel to world and national congresses, zonal meetings, kejiwaan events, and countries to focus on the development of helper dewans. MSF considers these funds to be supplemental to the support provided by WSA.MSF is not permitted to reimburse funds directly to an individual international helper. Any funds earmarked for international helpers travel should not flow through MSF but should be submitted directly to WSA.
- International Archives Policy: The policy of the Muhammad Subuh Foundation is to support (funds permitting) the international archives of the World Subud Association particularly as it relates to the preservation, storage, dissemination, and access to YM Bapak and Ibu Siti Rahayu media (print, magnetic, film and digital). This includes the preservation and storage of the original as well as master copies of their media. It further includes the dissemination and access to such media through the Lucienne and Francois Farkas Permanent Endowment Fund (funds permitting). The management and application of distributable funds through the Farkas Endowment are not superseded, limited to, or replaced by this policy. The Foundation limits its funding to archival projects that have been identified and authorized in the Annual Plan submitted by the WSA Archive Team as approved by the WSA Board of Directors. This includes funds that support the WSA portions of international archive centers in approved countries as well as funds for the storage of material in a secure, environmentally-controlled facility that conforms to reasonable quality standards for long-term archival conservation. MSF considers these funds to be supplemental to the support provided by WSA. The Foundation is not permitted, nor will it provide, funds for management, stipends or salaries for the administration of international archive centers or their staff. The Foundation will not act as a flowthrough agency used to offset archival responsibilities of WSA. Donors that earmark funds to the international archives through MSF are subject to this policy. Exceptions may apply to any permanent endowment.