— How we work —

Contact the national office. See How We Process Grants for an overview of the process.

No, but in order to evaluate your case we must talk to you by phone and ask questions specific to your situation and your practice of Christian Science.

Most grants are processed within 24-48 hours. When necessary we have processed grants and wired payment within a single business day.

Yes, but we do not publish them.

Please tell us about your concerns when you call.

Confidentiality is of primary importance to us. Only the Local Committee Administrator will have your name and the case details that you provide. Using a case number, the Administrator will pass on to the Committee only the details required for good decision-making. If a grant is approved, the Committee Treasurer may be given your name in order to process a check.

A brief description of the background for this particular need is helpful, but lengthy rehearsals of the problem tend to cloud rather than clarify. (See Church Manual 47:18.) We love hearing as much as you would like to share about how you're approaching the challenge metaphysically! It is helpful to have specific cost information; for example, if a car repair is needed, what are the estimates?

When we call a reference, we identify ourselves by our role with The Principle Foundation and then typically ask one or two direct questions such as, "Can you verify that ___ is a member of your branch church? Can you describe his attendance and/or participation?" Often practitioners are given as references, but we do not need to know and will not ask about the practitioner-patient relationship. Our typical question of a practitioner (and most other references) is, "Do you know this individual to be a practicing Christian Scientist?"

We are primarily interested in supporting the demonstration of Christian Science, not in just giving out humanitarian aid. See our Financial Assistance page for a more detailed explanation.

Christian Scientists value the idea of Principle as divine quality.

We pay most grants by check. If the need is more urgent and you have a checking or savings account, we can do a direct deposit directly to your bank. Funds will typically show up in your bank account in 2-3 days. We often make payments directly to a practitioner, auto repair shop, utility company, etc. We can NOT send funds by Western Union. We can NOT send funds out of the country.

1) Type of account—checking or savings. 2) 9-digit bank routing number. 3) Your account number.

No.

Assistance from The Principle Foundation is an expression of unconditional love. It is meant to alleviate a burden, not increase it. We consider grants to be an investment in the demonstration of Christian Science. The "pay back" is healing that blesses all mankind.

No. The Foundation gives short-term, one-time grants with the expectation of complete healing. We do not give grants that will extend an otherwise unsustainable arrangement.

When there is evidence of spiritual growth, a subsequent grant may be considered.

No, but if the demonstration is not complete, including supply, why wouldn't you seek the best help available?

No, but we consider church membership and activity to be indicators of an individual's sincerity. We also find that active church membership promotes spiritual growth.

No. The Principle Foundation does not provide financial assistance to individuals who, by choice, rely on medical care in whole or in part.

We do not send grants outside of the United States. We do not fund any travel outside of the U.S. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen, but you must be legally residing in the United States to be eligible for a grant from us.

This is possible under certain circumstances when the individual has given us permission to work with his or her personal representative.

The IRS Form 990 is a public statement of The Principle Foundation's annual income and outflow. In 2015, we reported that 84.2% of the funds we received were directly related to program costs, in 2016, the figure was 78.4%. For 2017, we expect that figure to be above 85%.

Check, cash, credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), and PayPal.

Please contact us at info@principlefoundation.org or by phone at 800-826-7756, and the Accounting Manager will make the change immediately.

No, The Principle Foundation does not accept pass-through contributions and accepts donations only to established Funds.

Yes, please click here for a list and descriptions.

If paying by check, please include the person's name on the memo line. If paying online, there is a box you can check, and then you will be asked to provide the person's name.

Yes. If the family has requested that gifts be made to The Principle Foundation, we will typically have their contact information, and if we don't have it, we'll get it. If you're concerned that we may not have the family's contact information, we would be delighted to have you send it to us!

Yes. Please provide us with his or her contact information--either email or mailing address.

Please contact us at info@principlefoundation.org or by phone at 800-826-7756, and the Executive Director or Manager of Finance will be happy to work with you.

Yes. Please contact us at info@principlefoundation.org or by phone at 800-826-7756, and the Executive Director or Manager of Finance will be happy to work with you.

The "appropriate" amount is whatever your Father tells you when you pray to Him in secret.

Local Committee funds revert to the Foundation's General Fund.

Yes. Many churches and societies contribute to the General Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, or to one of our Local Committees that serve specific regions of the country. Some churches have set up automatic recurring donations.

Yes.

Twenty-two volunteer Local Committees of The Principle Foundation currently serve 24 states. We invite you to consider joining or starting a Local Committee in your area.

The primary activity of our Local Committees is to process benevolence requests that come to the Foundation from that area. Local Committees also help spread the word about The Principle Foundation.

Click here for a map showing the locations of The Principle Foundation's Local Committees.

Call or email the national office and we'll put you in touch with the Local Committee in your area or work with you on starting a new one?

Local Committees are composed of a minimum of three dedicated students of Christian Science who agree to operate in accord with the Policies & Procedures of The Principle Foundation’s Board of Directors and National Office. Committee members must be members of The Mother Church and should be active members of their branch churches or societies.