Statute

Statute of lennart meri waterfowl fund

1. The Lennart Meri Waterfowl Fund (hereafter Fund) was established by Tõnu Seilenthal on 20 June 2007 with the objective to preserve the memory of the remarkable statesman and researcher of Finno-Ugric peoples, and to support the creative and social activities of youth for the benefit of Finno-Ugric peoples.
2. The activity of the Fund is directed according to the rules of procedure by a board that consists of five members. The board includes the founder of the Fund or a person authorised by him, as well as the director of Fenno-Ugria Foundation. The Fund’s board is formed and ratified by the board of Fenno-Ugria Foundation.
3. The Fund is catered/managed by Fenno-Ugria Foundation. Sums accrued to the Fund are kept in a bank account opened for this purpose. Sums accrued to the Fund are used only for the issuing of scholarships of the Waterfowl Fund (hereafter Scholarship). Other expenses related to the management of the Fund are paid by Fenno-Ugria Foundation through its own means.
4. The seed capital of the Fund is 100,000 Estonian kroons (€6,391) deposited by Fenno-Ugria Foundation.
5. The Fund’s board has the right to increase the Fund’s seed capital by intended and other accruements.
6. The Scholarship is paid once during the year from the account of sums and interest that have accrued to the Fund over the year, of which at least 10% is allocated to increasing the seed capital. The remaining interest is used only to pay for the Scholarships. If the Scholarship is not designated for the reasons outlined in clauses 13 and 14, the entire interest is used for increasing the seed capital.
7. The possibility to apply for the scholarship is announced in the mass media in as many Finno-Ugric languages as possible, and in English and in Russian, two months before the due date for the application’s submission.
8. The Scholarship application must be submitted each year by 15 September. The recipient of the Scholarship is announced during the Kindred Peoples’ Day in October.
9. The Scholarship is designated by decision of the Fund’s board to one or more youths up to 35 years of age.
10. The Fund’s board decides the designation of the Scholarship based on the applicant’s success in his speciality as well as the applicant’s social activity.
11. To receive the Scholarship, the applicant must present an application with an overview of his activities within his speciality and in society, as well as one or more recommendations. The Fund’s board also has the right to institute the Scholarship.
12. The recipient and amount of the Scholarship is designated by the Fund’s board in its regular meeting.
13. If there is no suitable candidate, the Fund’s board has the right to not designate the Scholarship.
14. If no scholarship applications have arrived by the announced due date, the Fund’s board does not designate the Scholarship.
15. The public is informed of the recipients of the Scholarship via information channels.
16. The Fund issues a contract with the recipient of the Scholarship, in which the rights and obligations of the parties are determined.
17. The recipient of the Scholarship presents a report in free form to the Fund’s board on the use of the Scholarship by the due date as determined in the contract.

The statute was approved at the board meeting of Fenno-Ugria Foundation on 24 September 2007.

The wording of clause 6 has been changed by the board’s decision on 28 September 2013.

The wording of clause 9 has been changed by the board’s decision of the on 9 July 2024.