Lake Erie Yearly Meeting wants no one to be kept from taking part in the life of the Yearly Meeting, or from growing in their faith and service, because of cost. This page describes the help available to adults and to young Friends. It follows Appendix D of LEYM’s Policies & Procedures.

Jump to information For adults ··· For children & teens

Who to Ask

For Adults

Quaker Colleges, Internships, and Fellowships

LEYM supports young adult Friends attending Quaker colleges and universities for their undergraduate education, and Friends taking part in a post-secondary internship or fellowship with a Quaker organization. To be eligible, an applicant:

• takes part in the life of an LEYM monthly meeting or worship group;
• is a degree-seeking student at a member institution of the Friends Association for Higher Education, or is in a post-secondary internship or fellowship with a Quaker organization such as Quaker Voluntary Service, FCNL, AFSC, QUNO, or Quaker Experiential Service and Training; and
• will be a student, intern, or fellow in the school year following the award.

To apply, send the treasurer (LEYMtreasurer@gmail.com) a letter of support from your monthly meeting clerk or worship group convener describing how you have taken part in Quaker life; proof of registration (a class schedule or a letter from the registrar); and the address the check should go to, with your student ID or other information the school needs. For internships, the check goes directly to the intern to help with living expenses.

Deadline: March 1, so that the Finance Committee and treasurer can discern and report at Representative Meeting. The budget line is divided evenly among all eligible applicants, up to $2,000 per person per year. Unused funds roll over to later years, and you may apply for each year of study or service.

Conferences Reflecting Quaker Values

Since 2018, the LEYM budget has included funds to help Friends attend conferences developed or sponsored by Quaker groups, or conferences closely aligned with Quaker testimonies such as peace, equality, integrity, and simplicity. These funds are for one-time or rarely held events, workshops, or conferences, not regular gatherings such as the FGC Gathering or yearly meeting sessions, which have their own scholarships.

Send the conference funding application (PDF) to the presiding clerk at LEYMclerk@gmail.com at least six weeks before you need an answer, with a statement of support from your monthly meeting clerk, worship group convener, or their designee. The presiding clerk, treasurer, and clerk of Ministry & Nurture (or their designees) decide together.

Ministry and Spiritual Formation

• Ministry Scholarships help a monthly meeting send a member or attender to a seminar, institute, or workshop for education or training in ministry among Friends, such as the School of the Spirit, Earlham School of Religion, or a clerking workshop. The request must come from the monthly meeting, and the meeting must also contribute. Apply to the clerk of Ministry & Nurture.
• Traveling Ministries Fund. Supports the travel costs of LEYM Friends whose ministry has been recognized by their monthly meeting and by LEYM through a travel minute. Administered by Ministry & Nurture.
• Cooper Scholarships at Earlham School of Religion. On request, Ministry & Nurture can recommend an LEYM Friend for a full-tuition Cooper Scholar Award at ESR, a Quaker seminary in Richmond, Indiana. Priority goes to Quaker students identified as promising leaders and ministers by their meetings. Full details are available from ESR.
• Spiritual Formation retreats. First ask your monthly meeting for help. If you need more, let the registrar for the Spiritual Formation Program know. Help comes from Spiritual Formation Program funds.

Travel on Yearly Meeting Business

Yearly Meeting officers and appointed representatives to Friends organizations may be reimbursed for travel on behalf of LEYM, including attending meetings of Friends organizations. Reimbursable costs are registration (including food bundled into registration), transportation, and lodging. LEYM’s intent is that no one be kept from representing the Yearly Meeting because of limited means, so you may request other travel-related expenses, or instead treat them as a tax-deductible contribution.

• Committee members may be reimbursed for unusual expenses on behalf of LEYM with written approval from the presiding clerk in advance.
• Special travel requests. For help with the travel costs of Quaker work, such as serving on an FGC committee, apply to the presiding clerk, who will consult the treasurer and the clerk of the Finance Committee.
• To be reimbursed, send the Travel Expense Form (PDF) with receipts to the treasurer. The form is also in Appendix E of Policies & Procedures, and other forms are on the Financial Policies & Forms page.
• If you don’t request reimbursement, please still report your out-of-pocket and in-kind costs (such as travel and postage) to the treasurer, so the full cost of LEYM’s work is known.

Annual Meeting

LEYM waives or reduces fees to help Friends attend Annual Meeting. Currently:

• Children and youth (18 and under): registration and lodging are free, and meals are two-thirds off. There is no charge for children under 3.
• Young Adult Friends (ages 19–35): registration fee waived. Lodging and meals still apply.
• First-time attenders: one-third off all costs.
• Volunteers who receive room, meals, and registration at no cost: teachers for the youth program, the bookstore manager, the registrar, the plenary speaker, and workshop leaders from outside LEYM.

If you need more help to attend, ask the registrar. Monthly meetings are responsible for the travel costs of their representatives to Annual Meeting.

Representative Meeting

A small donation is requested to cover lunch and other costs at Representative Meeting. Monthly meetings are responsible for the travel costs of their representatives.

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For Children and Teens

• K-12 Fall Retreat. Scholarships are available from LEYM’s Youth Activities Fund. Parents can apply when they register their children.
• Youth activities and conferences. The Youth Activities Fund can help young Friends take part in activities and conferences, such as LEYM-sponsored trips to the FGC Gathering or Friends Music Camp, up to $300 per person. It can’t be used for tuition at academic institutions. Use the Youth Activities Fund Application in Appendix C of the Manual of LEYM Finances (PDF), with a letter of support from your monthly meeting. No letter is needed for LEYM-sponsored activities.
• Annual Meeting. Children 18 and under pay no registration or lodging, and meals for ages 3–18 are two-thirds off. There is no charge for children under 3. Parents who need more help can ask the registrar.

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Updated September 2026 to match LEYM Policies & Procedures (January 2026).