1 - Caulmont exists without any financial aid from the public or the church. It has always been entirely funded by private members and friends who, by their gifts and offerings, defy the normal laws of independent sustenance and create an open welcome for all.

2 - The one recent exception: since 1999, there have been four paid posts, called 'emploi-jeunes' (youth employment) , funded up to 90% by the State and local government. From 2002, State funding will be noticeably reduced and so, over a period of three years, Caulmont will increase its own contribution towards the young people's salaries, up to the point where they will be fully integrated into the finances of Caulmont in 2006. This is a new challenge for us to overcome, to ensure that the services of these four young people are not lost.

3 - Apart from the State-funded salaries, Caulmont is funded by the participation of guests who visit the community (60%), donations from friends (30%) and subscriptions to the booklet 'Nouvelles' (10%).

4 - Bernard is a minister of the Reformed church, but he is detached from a circuit or parish, which means that he is not paid by the church or Caulmont, neither of whom are able to employ him in this way. He and his wife Myriam live on the minimum State benefit, offering their services freely as unpaid volunteers. Like the bird of the air, they live 'by faith alone'.

5 - Within the context of the new fiscal laws for associations in the year 2000, and after a thorough examination by the authorities, Caulmont was declared in September 2001 a tax-exempt organisation with no interest in economic gain.