The Social Ministry Funds are intended to cover unusual, sudden, or severe needs. Although distributions can take place over an extended period of time, the ultimate purpose of this ministry is not to provide financial sustenance. Therefore, individuals requiring long-term assistance should look first to their family members, if possible, if not, they should be redirected to the appropriate government agencies.

The following criteria is intended to serve as general guidelines that will help the Social Ministry Committee (henceforth, SMC) to have a more structured decision-making process. Nevertheless, each case will be analyzed thoroughly, considering all relevant details and conditions of each applicant. In this sense, some of these guidelines can be overlooked if the SMC deems it necessary.

• Individuals with full capacity to work (both mental and physical) and who do not show the required efforts to secure gainful employment do not qualify for financial assistance under normal conditions.
• All candidates for financial assistance must be willing to meet with a member of the SMC or a designated counselor, before, during, and after receiving assistance. The counselor may require the applicant to provide additional financial information or to follow additional recommendations (i.e., expense reductions, employment and career advice, etc.).
• Money will be distributed through bank-to-bank transfer; payments being made directly to the institution that is owed. Cash will only be given to the recipient as a last option.
• Financial aid to a person or a household will be limited, if possible, to no more than once per quarter and a maximum of € 300 per application.
• In any case, the total disbursements per each request should not be more than 10% in total of the current available budget of the Social Ministry (henceforth, SM).
• Previous financial assistance will be taken into account if future requests are made. If the SMC determines that the applicant requires a developmental approach:
  • A counselor will be appointed. The counselor will meet and support the beneficiary to make the necessary changes to alleviate their current financial situation.
  • Before any money is disbursed, the counselor has to ensure that the recipient owns the process of change and is taking steps to make a long-term lasting change. The ultimate goal is that the recipient glorifies God by taking full responsibility of their situation and by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruits of their work.
  • The counselor must monitor the progress of the beneficiary and communicate it to the SM Leader on a constant basis.
• Benefiting from other initiatives of the SM such as clothing drives and food program does not disqualify the applicant for financial assistance. However, this data will be taken into account to grasp a better understanding of the situation of the individual.
• All candidates for financial assistance must complete the Financial Aid Application before or after the financial disbursement at discretion of the SMC.
• Financial disbursements are approved as designated by policy. Instructions are then provided to the Church Office Secretary by the person authorizing the aid.

1. The applicant must submit a Request for Financial Assistance. In addition, the applicant should also submit a Data Protection Form. This can be done in person with the help of the Church Office Secretary or emailed to socialministry@ibcmadrid.com.
2. The SMC appoints a counselor to attend to this request. The counselor will conduct an interview to gather the information needed to complete the Financial Aid Application. It is not necessary to complete all the fields of the aforementioned form, the counselor must evaluate what is the minimum information required to make an adequate decision on the case. Nonetheless, in any case, a clear description of the following is always required: the applicant’s financial situation and request (amount and purpose).
3. If the counselor deems it necessary, the applicant must present all the supporting documentation that can prove the veracity of his/her request.
4. The SMC processes the request: the SMC will review and will agree on the proper response to the request and ensure that it meets the stipulations of the philosophy and policies stipulated in this document. If the request is approved, the SMC will determine the amount of assistance to be disbursed. When there is not clarity in judgment, the SMC will err on the side of giving rather than withholding financial assistance.
5. The SMC will then notify the Church Office Secretary of their determination in order to proceed with the disbursement of funds.
6. Approved requests are allocated within 3-5 working days.
7. Upon receiving financial aid, all recipients must send a confirmation email to info@ibcmadrid.com or socialministry@ibcmadrid.com. Another option is to sign in person a receipt handed by the Church Office Secretary.
8. If a different need arises in the future, a new request must be made and approved.

The Social Ministry food program aims to help those in need within the IBC community with a monthly food basket. The overall purpose is to provide additional support to supplement household food costs. The total funds allocated to the food program will be distributed taking into account the household size and its financial situation. A larger basket will be delivered to larger families who have greater economic needs.

The following criteria is intended to serve as general guidelines that will help the Social Ministry Committee (henceforth, SMC) to have a more structured decision-making process. Nevertheless, each case will be analyzed thoroughly, considering all relevant details and conditions of each applicant. In this sense, some of these guidelines can be overlooked if the SMC deems it necessary.

Beneficiaries

• The target beneficiaries are the IBC members. However, requests made by regular attendees or guests will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
• The applicant must not be a beneficiary of other existing food programs inside or outside Madrid. This will be accredited by sworn statement, the SMC may verify it at its discretion.

Household income limitations

In order to establish the household income limitations, the Spanish public ratio known as “Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples (IPREM[1])” has been chosen. The IPREM ratio is published annually through the Budget Law, so the last official published value will be used as a reference.

The applicant may be eligible for the food program if his or her household’s gross income (before taxes or other deductions) does not exceed the amounts listed in the table below[2], based on the number of people in your household:

[1] The IPREM is a public index used in Spain as a reference for granting aid, subsidies or unemployment benefits. It was born in 2004, under the Real Decreto – Ley 3/2004, to replace the “Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI)” as a reference for these aids.

[2] These values were estimated using the IPREM value referenced to 2022. However, the up-to-date IPREM value (updated annually) should be used for future calculations. This table will be our general guideline, although unique circumstances might cause us to make an exception as God leads.

• Submit along with the application, the required documentation, justifying to the Social Ministry Committee (henceforth, SMC) that the requirements established in these guidelines are met.
• Carry out an interview with a volunteer designated by the SMC. In addition, the applicant should provide any additional information required at the discretion of the interviewer in order to better support their application.
• Submit just one application per family unit, otherwise both will be canceled.
• Give proper use of the monthly basket. This means using it only for the sole purpose of feeding household members.
• If the applicant’s request is approved, the beneficiary must notify the Social Ministry of any relevant change in their household income that may cause the suspension or termination of the assistance provided.
• If the applicant’s request is approved, the beneficiary must agree to provide quarterly updates on his/her household’s financial situation. If the situation has not changed and the applicant still meets the eligibility criteria, the beneficiary will be required to sign a Statement of Compliance with the Eligibility Criteria.

The following documentation must be submitted with each application:

• Copy of DNI, TIE or passport of all household members.
• Proof of income for the last three months: payroll, benefits, pensions or recent tax returns. If income cannot be proven or no income is earned, a signed affidavit of income must be submitted.
• Proof of housing expenses for the last three months: rental contract or mortgage payments receipts.
• Proof of utilities expenses for the last three months: electricity, water, gas, telephone and internet bills.

1. The applicant must submit an Application for Food Assistance along with all the required documentation mentioned in the previous section. In addition, the applicant should also submit a Data Protection Form. This can be done in person with the help of the Church Office Secretary or emailed to socialministry@ibcmadrid.com.
2. The Social Ministry Committee appoints an interviewer to attend to this request. Based on the information provided in the application, the interviewer might conduct an interview to:
   • Ask questions about the information on requester’s application.
   • Ask for proof of certain information.
   • Request additional information that the interviewer might consider necessary to make a judgment on applicant’s case.
   • Explain any questions the applicant might have about the food program.
3. The SMC processes the request: the SMC will review the application and the recommendations of the designated interviewer to assess whether the applicant meets the eligibility criteria. When there is not clarity in judgment, the SMC will err on the side of giving rather than withholding the assistance.
4. The interviewer will communicate to the applicant the decision of SMC in a maximum of 3 business days. If your request is approved, you will receive 12 food baskets in a period of 12 months, one basket for each month. In order to keep receiving the aid throughout the year, you will have to sign a Statement of Compliance with the Eligibility Criteria quarterly to declare that you still meet the food program eligibility criteria.
5. At the end of the twelve months of duration of aid, the beneficiary will have to restart the application process.

• The delivery of the monthly food baskets will take place every third Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. A maximum of 15 min of courtesy will be granted before closing the food pantry (11:15 a.m.). If the recipient cannot arrive on the date and time indicated, the Food Program Coordinator must be notified immediately.
• Each recipient has a maximum of three unexcused absences before being removed from the food program for at least one year.
• The Food Program Coordinator will have a Food Program Control Card form for each recipient. Each time the recipient receives food both the recipient and the coordinator will sign the form to confirm they have received the food.” This form will serve as an ongoing indicator of the food that the recipient has received from the Social Ministry.