Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Inc

“A party who has made a donation in the last twelve months is considered a UUSC member. This is the only class of organizational member.”

“UUSC members are entitled to voting rights specified by Massachusetts statute.”

“The draft of the Form 990 is discussed and reviewed with the audit committee of the Board of Trustees for their comments, input and approval. All the members of the governing body receive either a hard copy or an electronic copy of the Form 990 before it is filed.”

“UUSC regularly and consistently monitors and enforces compliance with the conflict of interest policy which covers all staff and the board of trustees. In doing so, all decisions (financial or non-financial) are scrutinized to ensure that they are not self-serving with respect to UUSC personnel or members of the board of trustees. Human Resources decides if a conflict of interest exists for UUSC personnel and elevates the matter to the President/LEO or the Chair of the board of trustees as appropriate. The board completes a conflict of interest form annually which is then shared with the full board. Any conflicted individual is prohibited from voting or making any decisions related to the matter.”

“The compensation of the President/LEO is determined by the executive committee of the board of trustees, all of whom are independent of the President/LEO. The compensation is determined by reference to comparability data. The President/LEO's compensation is reviewed and potentially adjusted annually upon board approval. The organization maintains contemporaneous documentation of the deliberation and decision. Compensation for other officers is determined by the President/LEO. Such compensation is similarly determined by reference to comparability data.”

“UUSC makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public by publishing them on its website. Additionally, the Form 990 and financial statements are available through the Massachusetts Attorney General's website.”

“UUSC is currently updating its existing whistleblower policy.”

“UUSC has been informally adhering to such a policy for a number of years. It is in the process of codifying that policy.”

“Guided by Unitarian Universalist principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UUSC strives to advance human rights, dismantle systems of oppression, and uplift and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We center the voices and experiences of those most affected and strengthen those grassroots groups and movements who are organizing themselves to advance these goals. In order to accomplish this, we offer justice education and leadership development; engagement and mobilization for advocacy; partner support; and grant funding. UUSC Grantmaking In the past year, UUSC made over 100 grants and amendments worth over $3 million to grassroots organizations working to advance human rights in countries around the world. Due to the heightening state of humanitarian crisis around the globe, UUSC increased our grantmaking. In the latter half of FY2025, we distributed over $900,000 in rapid response grants to support community organizing and safety over and above our scheduled grantmaking goals. UUSC's approach to grantmaking centers on building relationships of trust and reciprocity and providing flexible general operating support to organizations on the frontlines of human rights struggles. In FY25, over 90% of UUSC grant funds were designated as general operating support for partners. Over 85% of our partnerships are with organizations led by directly-impacted individuals. This is especially important in a global environment in which organizations increasingly face threats from authoritarian governments limiting the space civil society can make positive change. UUSC employs a robust screening process of its grantees, which includes vetting for compliance with relevant anti-terrorism, corruption, and sanctions laws. UUSC Impact Framework For UUSC, "impact" means building movements for systemic change. Impact means using our power and privilege as a US-based nonprofit to amplify the power of the grassroots by following the leadership of communities directly affected by injustice. It is addressing immediate harms and their root causes, to dismantle oppressive systemsincluding those from which we benefit. In short, our impact can be seen in the steps we take on the way to building a more just, equitable, and regenerative world. We measure impact using our Impact and Accountability Framework. With this framework, we seek to have even more means to evaluate the extent to which we are contributing to systemic change impacts and are accountable to our partners and stakeholders. The framework centers around three key intersecting outcomes that are at the heart of what UUSC brings to our human rights work. - Partners and UUSC supporters increase their capacity for addressing the human rights and social justice needs of their communities. - UUSC members and allies in social justice learn about UUSC partners' areas of work, how areas are thematically and systemically linked, and how to translate this all into action. - UUSC works to model a culture among International NGOs, human rights funding networks, and other social justice stakeholders that is equitable, antiracist, anticolonial, and partner led. UUSC Impact Highlights The following are ten highlights from our work over the last year. These selections help us illustrate the extent to which our work is supporting our overall impact and accountability outcomes, as we strive to make progress on our mission. In all cases, we aim to put our grassroots partners at the center, showing the power of social change when it is led by communities confronting oppression and injustice. - UUSC supports the capacity of grassroots partners to carry out their human rights work, for instance: UUSC was able to deploy over $900,000 in rapid response community support grants over and above the annual budget with no substantial increase in staff or capacity, growing the capacity of grassroots organizations to respond to crises. -UUSC supports grassroots partners' advocacy capacity, for ins”

“Environmental Justice UUSC's climate justice work centers upholding the self-determination of communities and Indigenous peoples in the face of climate change and climate forced displacement. We support grassroots organizations in the Pacific and Americas facing displacement due to climate change. We center the right to self determination of communities in the face of displacement and advocate and provide guidance to communities and all levels of government on how to advance community-led processes and meaningful community engagement. We convene and build bridges to support grassroots leaders in advocating for their rights before government and international bodies, and advance narrative change work such that the stories of communities impacted by climate change and their rights are centered and upheld.”

“Migration Justice We support grassroots and worker-led movements challenging systemic oppression or pursuing systemic alternatives to the root causes of injustice so they can grow stronger and continue their work for the long-term. We uphold the rights of Human rights and environmental defenders and their resistance efforts, helping to ensure that their rights are protected across the region (including in the US), leading to stronger protections for rights, land, territories, and nature. We contribute to discourse change such that the stories we tell about migration and the region to accurately reflect the systemic roots of human rights abuses and impacts in the region. We advance tactics and support partners who protect and uphold the Freedom and rights of people displaced and in migration.”

“Crisis Response When we feel we can make an impact and it is strategic to do so, UUSC develops programmatic work in response to emerging natural disasters and complex humanitarian crises throughout the world. In recent years, UUSC has developed programmatic work in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine; we responded to natural disasters like Hurricane Dorien in the Bahamas; as well as crisis events in Burma, Haiti, and beyond. In crisis response situations, UUSC identifies and supports grassroots organizations that are often overlooked by mainstream humanitarian relief and commits to multi-year support, not one-off approaches.”

“UU College of Social Justice The UU College of Social Justice is a program created as an act of radical imagination between the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). UUCSJ is a joint program of the UUA and UUSC and its staff are employees of the UUSC. Mission The mission of the UU College of Social Justice is to inspire and sustain effective and spiritually grounded activism for justice. We do this in alignment with the strategic approaches, prioritized issues, and missions of UUSC and the UUA: UUSC Mission: UUSC advances human rights and social justice around the world, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies. Our work is grounded in the belief that all people have inherent power and dignity. UUA Mission: The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is to equip congregations for health and vitality, to support and train lay and professional leaders, and to advance Unitarian Universalist values in the world. Strategy UUCSJ is a key strategy by which both UUSC and the UUA realize their independent and intertwined missions to advance the justice-centered values of Unitarian Universalism and human rights. UUCSJ provides justice education and leadership development to a wide variety of UU constituents, including clergy, lay leaders, and youth, and UUSC members and partners. Impact Framework The goal of the Impact & Accountability Framework is to discern UUCSJ's contribution to inspiring and sustaining effective and spiritually grounded activism for justice, especially in the work of global solidarity building and the dismantling of systems of oppression. UUCSJ's framework is shaped by both UUSC and the UUA's impact frameworks: For UUSC, "impact" means building movements for systemic change. Impact means using UUSC's power and privilege as a US-based nonprofit to amplify the power of the grassroots by following the leadership of communities directly affected by injustice. It is addressing immediate harms and their root causes, to dismantle oppressive systemsincluding those from which we appear to benefit within empire. In short, our impact can be seen in the steps we take on the way to building a more just, equitable, and regenerative world. These are ambitious goals to be sure. Achieving them takes time, and the work that will make them possible is not always easily quantifiable. For the UUA, the framework of impact is held within the concept of "Meeting the Moment." This framework asks: - What is the shared moment we are in? - What are the most urgent and important needs of this moment? - What is this moment calling us to do and become? UUCSJ Impact Highlights Since its inception, UUCSJ has offered a distinct form of justice education designed to forge lifelong connections to movements for social change. Instead of focusing on theory in isolation, UUCSJ provides opportunities for participants to learn directly from the leaders of grassroots movements working for justice. The themes, stories, and outcomes we choose to highlight in our work, therefore, are chosen because they help us understand whether or not our work is supporting those long-term, systemic impacts, as we strive to make progress on advancing the justice-centered values of Unitarian Universalism and human rights. In all cases, we aim to put our grassroots partners at the center, showing the power of social change when it is led by communities confronting oppression and injustice. A few highlights of our work include: In FY25, UUCSJ developed and successfully led an experiential education program called "Practice the Practice: Experiential Education for Religious Professionals." Religious professionals are a diverse group that includes clergy, directors of religious education, seminarians, and many others. They come from many different communities and are at various stages of their own learning about what it means to be in solidari”

“Change in Value of Split-interest Gifts -4,698.”