Have an idea that brings people together?
The “Growth Engine” is a fund designed to help your group try it.
The UUCPA Board of Trustees has created a small, one-time fund to help our committees and groups try things that build connections — helping newcomers find their place, bringing people together, strengthening the groups that help make UUCPA a thriving community. If you belong to a group with an idea, we’d love to help you try it.
What it’s for
Modest practical spending that helps people connect and stay engaged. For instance the cost of a shared meal, childcare that lets parents attend something your group does, a special welcome for newcomers, a gathering that gives a group another reason to meet. The examples on the next pages show the kind of thing we mean.
How to apply
The application process is deliberately light — about half a page. When you fill out the Growth Engine Request for Funds Form, you’ll tell us three things:
- What you’d do — the activity, and who it’s for.
- What it would cost — a rough budget is fine.
- What connection result you’d expect — how you’d know it worked (newcomers invited, more hosts to connect people around a supper table, new faces who came back, a group that meets more often).
Submit the form or send the information requested to growth@uucpa.org. Not sure if your idea fits, or want help shaping it? Just ask — email the same address or catch us after service. A half-formed idea is welcome; we’ll help you finish it.
How it works
- Two rounds. We’ll fund a first set of ideas this fall, and a second set in early 2027 — so there’s more than one chance, and the second round can learn from the first.
- A small review group considers the proposals: a mix of folks from the Finance Committee, Board, and Membership & Growth, with anyone connected to a particular proposal recusing themselves from reviewing that one.
- We fund the strongest ideas and check back afterward — you’ll tell us briefly how it went, which helps us learn what builds connection here.
Example proposal #1
This is what a filled-in application looks like — short, concrete, clear about the result. Yours can be this simple.
Circle Suppers — funding the main meal
| What you’d do, and who it’s forCircle Suppers brings 6–8 people together for dinner in someone’s home. Right now the host ends up also providing an entree, sometimes two for varying diets, to ensure there is enough food and to reduce the expectation on visitors and new members. We’d use the fund to cover the cost of the main dish for each supper — so hosting is a bit smaller of a burden. |
| What it would costAbout $40 per supper for the main dish, for roughly 8 suppers this season — approximately $320. Guests still bring sides and dessert. |
| What connection result we’d expectMore people willing to host (we’re hoping to go from 3 regular hosts to 6), and more first-time participants — we’ll count hosts and new attendees and note how many come back for a second supper. |
Example proposal #2
A different kind of idea — a new gathering for a group we’d like to strengthen. Same simple format.
Young Adults — a “Beer & Hymn” (and mocktail) sing
| What you’d do, and who it’s forAn informal evening for young adults — singing favorite hymns and songs together over drinks (beer, and mocktails so everyone’s included), somewhere relaxed. It gives our Young Adult group a low-key, joyful reason to gather and an easy thing to invite a friend to. For young adults, members and newcomers alike. |
| What it would costAbout $150 for drinks and simple snacks for a first evening of ~15–20 people, plus $30 for printed song sheets — approximately $180. |
| What connection result you’d expectA well-attended first event (15+), at least a few first-time faces brought by friends, and enough energy to make it a recurring gathering — we’ll track attendance and how many return for a second one. |