Foundation funding

Introduction: Funding your Foundation course at Falmouth

This guide introduces you to ways of funding your Foundation course at Falmouth. Start thinking about how you will fund your course as early as possible. This will give you more time to arrange your finances and to apply for the appropriate funding.

Important.  The Foundation Diploma is not classed as Higher Education (like degree/BA courses), instead it is classed as a Further Education course, like A-Levels.  This means that you will not be eligible for a grant, loan or bursary from the government. There are however some forms of funding available which are detailed in this guide.

Government Funding (UK Students only)

In the past, many students have been able to access support through either the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) or the Adult Learning Grant (ALG), but these funds have largely come to an end now.  Instead, the Government has provided two new funds which are aimed at helping students in a more focused manner.  These are the '16-19 Bursary Fund' and 'Discretionary Support Fund'.

16-19 Bursary Fund

We are required to focus this fund on UK students from specific 'low participation' groups and those from low income households.

Students who qualify as being in one of the following groups will be eligible for a £1,200 award: 

• those in care (or were in care at age 16);
• those in receipt of Income Support;
• or disabled students in receipt of both 'Employment Support Allowance' and 'Disability Living Allowance'.

If you feel that you qualify in one of these groups, please contact our Bursary Adviser (Will Wears) before enrolment, at bursaries@falmouth.ac.uk or 01326 213744.

Students who qualify for support through the Residential Support Scheme (RSS), will be eligible for a £200 contribution towards the overseas field trip in the January of the course.  In order to qualify for this you must have received confirmation of your eligibility for the RSS before the end of the Autumn term.  If you have any queries, please contact the Bursary Adviser, as above.

We will also be able to offer £200 awards to 3 other Cornish students, who don't qualify for RSS support.  The recipients will be selected through an application process, which we will contact all eligible students about towards the end of September, once everyone has enrolled.

Any remaining monies will be directed into extra awards, including:

• Materials Award.  Designed to help students with some of teh costs involved in putting together their final projects.  Students will be contacted about this during the January of their course.
• South West Travel Award.  Each year the course team try to arrange a trip to an exhibition in Exeter, London or Bristol.  This awards enables all students from the south west to attend for free.
• End of Year prizes.  The course team are keen to award exceptional work, where possible.  There will be some end of year awards, for eligible students, to be allocated at the discretion of the course team.

Discretionary Support Fund

Funding for those students who are 19 or over, is very limited.  We receive some funding from the Skills Funding Agency, and we feel this is best used by providing students with access to a hardship fund.  As such, this money is allocated via application to our Access to Learning Fund (ALF), which is handled by the FXU (Student Union).  Assistance in covering childcare costs, for those over the age of 20, can also be made through this scheme. 

Accommodation Support

For Foundation students joining us in 2012, there are two funds available to help with accommodation costs.  The Residential Support Scheme (for those who will be under 19 on 1^st September 2012) and the Residential Access Fund (for those who will be 19 or over on 1^st September 2012).

Residential Support Scheme

This scheme is for those students who will be under 19 on the 1^st September 2012 (the first day of the academic year).  It can offer up to £3,458 towards your residential living costs, enabling you to relocate to the Falmouth area - but only if you don't have a Foundation course in Art & Design available near your home address.  

Please note: We won't receive formal confirmation of eligibility criteria until June 2012, but this sheet will give you a guide as to the levels of support.

There are some quite strict guidelines surrounding this scheme, with the main points for UCF students being:

• You must have a confirmed place on UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (the scheme is not applicable to any of our degree courses).
• From your home address, it must be more than a 1hour journey, by public transport, to the nearest institution offering an equivalent course in Art & Design (i.e. a 2 hour round-trip).
• You can have no other level 3 qualifications, other than your A-Levels.

Your application will then be assessed on your household income.

Payments are aimed to help cover the costs of your accommodation only, and will not necessarily cover the full costs of living away from home (you'll need to think about all your bills, cost of food etc).  There will usually be a requirement for students to contribute towards their rent as the full award from the RSS doesn't always cover the full cost of rent (although it should cover +75% of it).

How do I find out more and apply?

To check your eligibility, please provide your full home address and postcode to the Bursary Adviser:

Will Wears: Bursary Adviser, Admissions Office, Woodlane campus.

Tele: 01326 213744;

Email: will.wears@falmouth.ac.uk

Residential Access Fund

This scheme is for those students who will be 19 or over on the 1^st September 2012 (the first day of the academic year).  Details on the level of support available have yet to be confirmed, but we think that whilst it will help you to relocate to the Falmouth area, it will only be for those who don't have a Foundation course in Art & Design available near their home address.

We expect to have the full eligibility criteria confirmed by June, with application forms being made available by July 2012.  This is all pending details from the YPLA.

As soon as we know more, our website will be updated.

Other key sources of funding

City of London Bursary Fund (Cornwall & Isles of Scilly)

Courses Specific? No

Other Criteria? Limited to residents of Cornwall of Isles of Scilly

What is the City of London Bursary Fund?

The bursary fund aims to help young people (under 25 years of age) who have demonstrated the desire and capability to accomplish great things in Further/Higher Education but who are in danger of being held back by personal or family hardship, or disability. The bursary this year is up to a maximum of £1,000 and the beneficiaries must be studying at a Cornish College/University and must be from Cornwall. This is a fund under the umbrella of The Lord Lieutenant's Fund for Youth administered by the Cornwall Community Foundation.

The Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) manages and distributes funding on behalf of individuals, companies, voluntary/self-help groups, charitable trusts and statutory agencies to meet needs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Further details on the CCF can be found at: www.cornwallfoundation.com

Main criteria

• You must be from Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly
• You wish to study (or be currently studying) on a undergraduate degree in Cornwall at any of the following Colleges/Universities: Falmouth, Truro, Cornwall or Exeter at Tremough
• You are under 25 years of age
• You possess a particular talent or skill that you wish to study in Higher Education
• You are unable to achieve your aims or ambitions without help
• Your studies would bring benefit to your community and/or give you personal fulfilment
• You would act as a role model for young people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
• Applications must be for individuals
• You must have approached your College/University for a bursary and either have a shortfall or been rejected before applying to the City of London Bursary Fund

Completing the application form - a step-by-step guide

1. Your details: Please enter your full contact details.
2. Your circumstances: Please complete this section. To be eligible for a grant, you must fit the above criteria
3. What do you want to do? Please describe your talent or skill, and what you need to do to achieve your ambitions. How will your studies meet the criteria? When do you need the money?
4. What is stopping you achieving your ambition? Please include anything about your home circumstances or your finances. Are there any special circumstances or anything else you would like us to take into account?
5. Why are you approaching the City of London Bursary Fund? How will money from the Bursary Fund help you? Please tell us what other sources of funding you have explored - what was the outcome?
6. How much money do you need? The maximum grant is £1,000. Please list the costs involved in achieving your aims. Grants may be considered for higher education course fees and related expenses such as books, travel and equipment.
7. What money have you already raised? Please give details of the income you already have raised.
8. Referee details. Please give details of the person who is supporting your application. This should be someone who knows you and what you are trying to achieve, such as a lecturer.

The application process

To request an application form, please contact:

Will Wears, Bursary Adviser
Admissions, University College Falmouth
Woodlane Campus, Falmouth TR11 4RH

Tel: 01326 213744
Email: will.wears@falmouth.ac.uk

When submitting your application, please ensure you have included all the requested information.

• Closing date for applications (all forms to go to UCF Bursary Adviser, at above address): 4.30pm, Friday 2 October. No extensions can be given beyond this date.
• Closing date for UCF to submit selected candidates to the CCF: 5pm, Friday 16 October
• CCF Judging Panel meet: Friday 30 October
• Winners announced: hopefully, by the end of November

What happens next?

Once we have received your application we will assess it, and may contact you for further information. We will then shortlist the strongest 2/3 applications before forwarding them to the CCF. Their Grants Panel will then meet in October, to make the final decision and you may be asked to attend an interview with the panel to discuss your application.

After this, you will receive the result of your application and, if successful, a letter enclosing an Agreement for signature and return.

The small print

• You must not disclose any confidential information relating to the City of London Bursary Fund except information that is already public, or information that cannot reasonably be considered to be confidential.
• The grant must be taken up within six months of being awarded.
• We ask you to complete an End of Grant Report (on a standard form which we will supply) within six weeks of your project or activity ending.

Lawrence Atwell Trust

The Lawrence Atwell Trust is a charity run by The Skinners' Company in London, who have been working to relieve poverty and disadvantage for many hundreds of years.

Today the Company continues to act as a force for good through the provision of social housing for older people and charitable grant-making for both old and young, enabling people in need to lead full and independent lives. One of these grants is the Lawrence Atwell award.

Subject specific? Students on Foundation Diploma

Other criteria?

• Applicants must be aged 16 - 26
• You must be a UK students (or refugee with indefinite leave to remain)
• Applications are encouraged from: candidates from low income households (<26,000pa), candidates with disabilities, loan parents and ex-offenders.

Purpose of award

Awards can't be used for course fees, but they can be used to support a student (maintenance) - including travel costs.

When to apply

Check the charities website (see below), but applications usually open in January. Ensure you apply in the January before you intend to start your course.

Web: www.skinnershall.co.uk

Advice on applying for scholarships and bursaries

Using the resources listed at the end of this guide, investigate other sources of funding to see if anything exists which may be appropriate to you. When applying for a bursary or scholarship, you should try to consider these few points:

• Check the criteria. Make sure you meet the criteria of the charitable trust or funding body to which you are applying. Most trusts have specific rules about what they will and won't fund and you need to be sure that you are eligible before spending time on an application. You will usually receive guidance notes with the application form.
• Check the format. Check that you are using the correct application format. Some trusts have a specific application form while some require a letter. Treat each application separately and make sure that you tailor your application each time; don't just use one statement to send to different sources of funding.
• Stand out. Make sure that you explain your particular circumstances, if you are likely to be competing with other students who are short of money. For example, you may have family responsibilities which make it harder to provide your own funding.
• Budget. If the application form asks you to provide a budget, e.g. for a study trip, include a comprehensive set of costs to show that you have properly considered and planned the proposed trip.
• Be realistic. Charitable trusts and funding bodies are likely to assist you with bursaries of hundreds, rather than thousands of pounds, so consider the amount you ask for.
• Be patient. Many charitable trusts only meet a few times a year, so plan to apply well before you need the money.
• Say thanks. If you do receive any funding, remember to write to say thanks, and give a brief record of how you spent the money and how it helped with your study.

Funding resources for Foundation students

Useful websites

• Directgov Education and Learning: www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning

Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS)

EGAS is primarily concerned with helping those students who are ineligible for statutory funding. They hold a database containing details of funds available from various Charities, Trust and Bursary Schemes. Applicants must send a letter requesting a free funding search application form and include an SAE. When EGAS receive the completed application form and SAE, they will search the database for details of any funding the applicant may be eligible to receive. The results will be forwarded to the applicant.

An application form for this free search can be obtained from the EGAS website: www.egas-online.org.uk or by writing to: Educational Grants Advisory Services (EGAS), 501-505 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8 4AU.

Publications

Check your local library for copies of:

• The Directory of Grant Making Trusts. Published by the Charities Aid Foundation, this directory enables grant seekers to search for trusts that might aid them in funding study.
• The Education Grants Directory. This title provides information on almost 1,400 sources of financial help for students in need. Its listing section includes national and general sources of funds, local sources, statutory funds and student grants, company sponsorship, career development loans and LEA funding. There is also guidance on selecting the right source of funds for your needs, and advice on how to make an application.
• Charities Digest (Waterlow Information Services)
• Grants Register (Macmillan Press)

Access to Learning Fund (Hardship)

Once you have enrolled, if you find yourself in financial difficulty you may be able to get assistance from our Access to Learning Fund. This can draw down money from the ‘Learner Support Fund' to help students, if ‘unforeseen' financial problems arise.

The Access to Learning Fund can meet course-related costs such as; books/equipment; travel; general living costs; materials etc. You must however be able to demonstrate that you planned to have money in place for the course, but that something has happened which has disrupted these plans. If you qualify for a payment from the Fund, it will not usually have to be repaid.

If you think that you might need help from the Fund, don't wait until you have run out of money.

Contact

Woodlane Campus

Accommodation & Welfare
Kathmor, Woodlane
Tel: 01326 213735

FXU (Students Union)
Learning Resource Centre, Woodlane
Tel: 01326 213742
Email: advice@fxu.org.uk

Tremough Campus

Accommodation & Welfare
1st Floor, The Annex, Tremough
Tel: 01326 370460

FXU (Students Union)
Ground Floor, The Annex, Tremough
Tel: 01326 370447
Email: advice@fxu.org.uk

Care to Learn

If you have a child and are aged 19 or under when your learning starts, you can also apply for assistance from Care to Learn. Further information can be found on this website: www.direct.gov.uk/caretolearn