Modest Needs

Thursday, May 8, 2008
I was listening to my NPR podcasts yesterday, as I do everyday, and they featured a charity called "Modest Needs."

Modest Needs' mission:

"To prevent otherwise financially self-sufficient individuals and families from entering the cycle of poverty, when this might be avoided with a small amount of well-timed financial assistance;

"To restore the financial self-sufficiency of individuals who are willing to work but are temporarily unable to do so because they do not have the means to remit payment for a work-related expense; and

"To empower permanently disadvantaged individuals who otherwise live within their limited means to continue to live independently, despite a temporary, unexpected financial set-back."

They use a grant system, where qualified applicants receive money for specific needs in these categories:

"Self-Sufficiency Grants. Modest Needs makes Self-Sufficiency Grants by remitting payment to a creditor / for an expense on behalf of an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family for a relatively small, emergency expense which the individual or family could not have anticipated or prepared for. In making a Self-Sufficiency Grant, our goal is to prevent an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family from entering the cycle of poverty as a result of the financial burden posed by a relatively small emergency expense. For example, we might make a Self-Sufficiency Grant to cover the cost of an emergency auto repair that must be made if an individual is to continue working.

"Back-to-Work Grants. Modest Needs makes Back-to-Work grants by remitting payment for a small work-related fee or expense on behalf of a temporarily unemployed individual. In making a Back-to-Work grant, our goal is to provide a willing but temporarily unemployed individual with the means to return to work. For example, we might make a Back to Work grant to cover the cost of a professional license renewal for a temporarily displaced worker.

"Independent Living Grants. Modest Needs makes Independent Living Grants by remitting payment to a creditor / for an expense on behalf of persons who are permanently unable to work but who nevertheless are living independently on the limited income to which they are entitled - their retirement income, or their permanent disability income, for example. In making an Independent Living Grant, our goal is to empower financially responsible persons who cannot work to continue to live independently on their limited incomes, despite an unexpected expense which no conventional agency is prepared to address. For example, we might make an Independent Living Grant to cover the cost of maintenance on a piece of accessibility equipment not covered by Medicaid, to cover an unexpectedly large prescription medication co-pay, or to assist with a large summer cooling bill."

So donors to the web site deposit their money into an account, where the money is given a "point" value. You then select the grant applicants you'd like to help. Once an applicant has enough "points," their grant is immediately given, as only qualified applicants are posted to the web site.

How cool is this? Seriously, how cool? This charity allows people who are on the knife blade of poverty to get the help they need to stay self-sufficient. Anyone who's ever lived paycheck to paycheck knows that it only takes one unexpected expenditure or emergency to push you into unmanageable debt, public assistance, or homelessness. How cool that this group helps folks who want to be independent remain so, and executes its mission in such a way that contributors can be involved in the process.

I've been sending my monthly charity donations to Kiva, but since that program is a loan service, my donations to date are almost self-sustaining on a monthly basis. Whenever a loan is repaid, I reloan it immediately.

So I think I'll change to Modest Needs on June 1st. For some reason this program really appeals to me.

Go, helping people!

3 comments:

John the Scientist said...

Thanks for this. I really like this program.

The Mechanicky Gal said...

MagNIFicent!
Starting immediately.
This is just the kind of thing I was looking for to help out.

vince said...

Thanks for spotlighting them. A great idea!