[Note: this is a translation of the official statutes which are in Swedish.]
§ 1. The Objective of the Foundation:
A world freed from hatred, fear, and greed, as a precondition for lasting peace and
reconciliation.
§ 2. The Fundamental Values of the Foundation are founded on:
a) the vision of a world freed from hatred, fear and greed.
b) the desire to live life in a way which can build lasting bridges between people and peoples, regardless of background, culture and beliefs.
c) openness to the wisdom and guidance that can be found in silence, and which has many names such as: ‘conscience’, ‘the inner voice’, or a ‘Higher / divine power’.
d) regular calibration of one’s inner compass through uncompromising standards of love, purity, unselfishness and honesty.
e) the courage to question one’s own motives, in order to build, with others, the “good society”
f) the ideas and examples illustrated by the Reference Material listed in § 11 below
§ 3. The Tasks of the Foundation are:
(a) to support those in the world who feel a commitment to, and responsibility for, the spiritual and moral legacy brought to fresh life by Frank N.D. Buchman. This legacy was passed on through (among others) the programme for Moral Re-Armament (MRA) and later was reformulated in the expression Initiatives of Change.
(b) to provide financial support to individuals and groups for initiatives and projects which lie within the values in §2.
(c) to pass on these values (§2) to both individuals and society, by encouraging and supporting personal encounters, such as gatherings, training programs, courses and the like, as well as spreading them through words, images and sounds.
(d) to receive and pass on gifts for the purpose.
§4 Capital
For the accomplishment of the Tasks, the Board has at its command both the capital and any income arising from it. Financial assets shall be invested in a way that supports the Objective and does not counteract its spirit.
§5 The Board
(a) The Board shall consist of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 members, elected for a three-year term of office. Board members can be re-elected.
(b) If possible, the Board should include members from the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). A Board member may be resident in the country in question but does not have to be a citizen of it. Alternatively, Nordic citizens who live in other countries may be chosen.
(c) A Board member shall: be well versed in the spiritual and moral heritage left by Frank. N. D. Buchman; have an insight into the Fundamental Values (§2); and have read the Reference material (§ 11) or have participated in a named training programme (see § 11).
(d) A Board member must not be a member of, or openly sympathize with, any organisation or association which acts in opposition to the democratic and human ideals expressed in the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights.
§6 Board organisation and ways-of-working
(a) The Board appoints a Chair and distributes other tasks.
(b) The Board may co-opt a person outside the Board.
(c) The Board should make decisions by consensus, with the entire Board attending either physically or electronically. If attendance is not possible, a member can state their position by writing to the Chair.
(d) Disagreements shall in the first instance be resolved internally within the board. If this fails to resolve the disagreements, three outsiders who enjoy the trust of all Board members may be called upon.
(e) Board work is expected to be a voluntary, unpaid contribution. However, reasonable compensation can be paid for work performed within the Board.
§7 The Foundation's legal entity
It is required that two Board members be authorised to sign official documents on behalf of the Foundation’s legal entity. The Board can co-opt a non-member to work as Treasurer (or similar capacity), and that person can then sign on behalf of the Foundation’s legal entity together with a board member.
§ 8 The Foundation's financial year is the calendar year, ie January 1st to December 31st.
§ 9 The Foundation shall have an authorised external auditor.
§ 10 The seat of the Foundation shall be in Stockholm.
§ 11 Reference material for the Fundamental Values (§2).
(a) Book and films:
- R1 “Streams” - Mark O. Guldseth. ISBN 0-911103-00-7
- R2 “Remaking the World” (the speeches of Frank N.D. Buchman)
- R3 “The Oxford Group, Group Revivalism and the churches in Northern Europe 1930-
1945 with Special reference to Scandinavia and Germany” - Anders Jarlert.
Art 20371 (ISBN 91-7966-318-4) - R4 “ Norway on fire” - Helje Kringlebotn Sødal. (ISBN 978-82-02-40597-7)
- R5 (Film) “Crossroad, the story of Frank Buchman”:
https://www.foranewworld.info/material/films/crossroad-story-frank-buch…; - R6 “ The Spiritual Vision of Frank Buchman” – Dr. Philip Boobbyer (ISBN 978-0-271-05980-8)
- R7 “ Frank Buchman - a life” - Garth Lean (ISBN 0-09-466650-4)
(b) Training programmes:
A selection of training programmes has been available in recent years, such as those listed below. The Board can add and remove programmes from this list, depending on which programmes are currently available at any point in time.
- P 1 “Life Matters”
- P 2 “Heart of effective leadership”
- P 3 “Creators of Peace”
- P 4 “Action for Life”
- P 5 “Foundations for Freedom”