The money in the Esterman Fund (EF) is intended to be reserved for special needs that exceed the resources of a conference and which cannot be funded by other charitable agencies. Special needs are dire circumstance situations or one-time opportunities to affect an individual or a family and that has the possibility of lifting them up out of their desperate situation and helping them change the circumstances that resulted in their need. EF is meant to enable conferences to consider cases they would not otherwise handle because of the expenses involved, e.g., $2,000 for dental care, $3,000 for cataract surgery, or $6,000 to keep a family of five in their home during an illness-caused short term loss of income. At times, a conference and case management may want to jointly request funds from the EF for a case they worked on together.
The Esterman Fund is a special needs fund set up by the Council in 1951 with money donated by the L. J. and Agnes Esterman Charity Fund. The fund has been managed by two trustees, who over the years have helped the original donation grow substantially.
Applying for Esterman Funding
To receive resources from the Esterman Fund, Conferences must submit an application by email to Council President, Mary Jo Shannon, at mshn@comcast.net. The request must come from the Conference President and should include the following:
- A simple description of the neighbor’s situation, noting what makes this need special and how meeting the need will be potentially life-changing for the neighbor.
- What the Conference is able to contribute and/or how the Conference has helped the neighbor in the past.
Esterman Fund Application Review
- The reviewer(s) may ask for more information to better understand the circumstances and the scope of the need.
- The approval of an application from the Esterman Fund will often be based on the nature of the need, the resources of the conference and other agencies, and the likelihood that the individual or family will be able to use the money to effect a change in their circumstances.
- The amount of money requested may also be examined by the reviewer(s).
- The amount of money available often depends on how many requests are made and how much money is available at any particular time.
- When necessary, the amount approved may be less than the amount requested in order to give other conferences access to this form of assistance. The trustees will respond with a recommendation to the Council President for approval or disapproval. The final approval must come from the Council President.
Distribution of Esterman Funds
Once an application is approved, funds will be sent to the conference by check from the Central Office in Seattle. A conference president may also elect to have the check picked up at the Central Office for quicker delivery.
