Nicolas Barré had always insisted that the Institute should not accept ‘endowments’: investment of capital (money or house, lands, etc.) under contract that would guarantee the financial security of the Institute…with a number of restrictions going with them. They were not free to move from one place to another in response to a greater need. After P Barré's death, some of the lay administrators thought this unrealistic and unwise, and the Rouen and Paris lay administrators clashed over the sharing of geographical and financial responsibilities.