FUNDING & ADVICE SERVICE

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF

FUNDING

for

UK UNDERGRADUATES

2008/09

This booklet is available in electronic format.

CONTENTS

PAGE

SAAS Discretionary Fund + Childcare Fund ……………………………… 2

Trusts which offer regular financial support …………………… 3/4

Table of awards for 2007/08 …………………………………………….. 5

Doing your own search for trust funds ……………………………….. 6

Trust Fund Information Sessions ……………………………………… 6

Students Association Emergency Fund ……………………………….. 7

ILA Scotland ………………………………………………………………. 7

Part-time Employment …………………………………………………… 7

Making Applications …………………………………………………….. 8/9

Applications log sheet …………………………………………………… 10

Websites/Reading List…………………………………………………… 11

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Our Contact Details ………………………………………………………... 12

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ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FUNDING:

Many students find that they need to supplement their income and the following information may help you to find out about other sources of financial support. The University of the West of Scotland has a number of different sources of alternative funding which you may be eligible to apply for:

Discretionary Funds + Childcare Funds Trust Funds Students’ Association Hardship Fund Part-time Employment

SAAS DISCRETIONARY FUND + CHILDCARE FUND

If you are struggling to make ends meet, worried about paying the bills or looking for help with childcare cost, then, you should consider applying for some financial assistance, which, in most cases, you will not have to repay.

To be eligible for assistance from the funds, students must be able to show that they are experiencing financial hardship and have exhausted all other avenues of funding. Hardship generally means that income is less than the amount of necessary expenditure or that unforeseen circumstances have arisen, which have had a detrimental effect on your financial situation. Students must have taken out their full student loan entitlement before applying. The Childcare Fund is specifically for students who are paying registered childcare costs. You must be in receipt of child tax credits and any supplementary grants that you may be eligible for. In addition, you must also be in receipt of government tuition fee support through your local funding body. Eligibility criteria will be applied in accordance with SAAS guidelines.

Part-time students who are studying 50% or more of a full-time course, who receive the part-time fee grant of up to £500 are eligible to apply, as are part-time students in receipt of a Government fee waiver.

Application packs are available at Funding & Advice Reception on your campus or from the website at www.uws.ac.uk/studentservices/fundingadvice Please read the guidance notes which accompany the application form. It may take up to four weeks to process an application. The Funds are open throughout the year and if your circumstances change, you may apply for a top-up.

If you are a final year student, the closing date for applications is late April.

TRUST FUNDS:

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NB. Discretionary Funds and Childcare Funds are not guaranteed sources of funding and should therefore not be budgeted in to any financial forward planning.

A Trust Fund is a sum of money that has been set aside by individuals or companies to offer financial assistance to different causes or people including students.

A requirement of most Trust Funds is that you have already applied to your local Funding body, for example, SAAS.

Many of our students receive financial assistance from the following Trusts:

1. Frederick J Allan Scholarship2. The John Mather Trust3. Peter CoatsTrust4. Renfrewshire District Trust5. The Glenburn Educational Fund6. The Sutherland Page Trust7. The Carnegie Trust (fees only)8. Elizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund

Brief details of each of these Trusts are given below. However, you should ensure that you satisfy the eligibility criteria of a Trust before submitting an application. Full details of each Trust will be advertised via Blackboard, website and noticeboards when they become available during the year.

1. Frederick J Allan Scholarship:

Open to UK home full-time undergraduates on a Science-based degree, i.e. BSc or BEng.

2. The John Mather Trust

Open to UK home, full-time undergraduates currently studying any degree in year 2 or above, with a permanent address within the former Strathclyde region and who have attended secondary school in the same area.

3. Peter Coats Trust

Open to UK home, full-time and part-time students of any degree in penultimate or final year from Paisley or Paisley area, who have exceptionally severe financial circumstances.

4. Renfrewshire District Trust:

Open to UK home, full-time and part-time undergraduates of any degree with a home address within Renfrewshire and who currently live there.

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6. The Glenburn Educational Fund:

Open to UK home students on a full-time degree in the School of Engineering and Science. While priority is given to those whose home address is within the Greater Glenburn area of Paisley, eligible students from the west of Scotland are encouraged to apply.

7. The Sutherland Page Trust:

Open to UK home,full-time and part-time students who have successfully completed the first year of their course of study who were born in Scotland or who have lived there for at least 3 continuous years prior to entry to university, or have at least one parent born there. Eligible courses include Law, Divinity, and the Sciences.

8. Carnegie Trust:

Open to students on a first degree who are looking for assistance paying for fees. You need to be of Scottish birth or extraction (at least one parent born in Scotland) or have had at least two years secondary education in Scotland. Assistance is not normally given to students whose Student Allowance or Local Educational Authority awards have been withdrawn or where you have withdrawn from a course. www.carnegie-trust.org

9. The Elizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund:

Open to female students on any degree who are looking for help with childcare and/or costs associated with adult dependants. Applicants must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years before the start of the academic year in which the course begins or have been granted refugee status, exceptional leave to enter/remain in the UK, discretionary leave or humanitarian protection. www.nuffieldfoundation.orgIn the last 3 years 24 UWS students received awards ranging from £840 to £6,600.

Details of all these Trusts will be advertised across campuses throughout the year.

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The following chart gives you an idea of how beneficial it can be to make applications, 64 UWS students received awards from the following Trusts in 2007/08:

TRUST NAME

AWARDS TOTALS

Sutherland Page Trust£600 x 2£500 x 8£350 x 11

£9,650

Glenburn Educational Trust

£250 x 8£500 x 1

£2,500

Peter Coats Trust £500 x 4£250 x 8

£4,000

Renfrewshire District £300 x 6 £1,800

John Mather Charitable Trust

£1000 x 4£500 x 12

£10,000

Frederick J Allan Scholarship

£500 x 2 £1,000

TOTAL: £28,950

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DOING YOUR OWN SEARCH FOR TRUST FUNDS:

There are thousands of other trust funds which offer financial support and to find the ones that you may be able to apply to you can use the following services which are free.

FunderFinder Database:

This is an easy to use database which holds up-to-date information on a whole range of trust funds. You will be asked to provide various details and based on the information you provide, a list of trust funds will be generated. It’s important to remember when you are answering the questions, that the more information you can provide, the more relevant the list of trusts will be to your own circumstances. There are trust funds that exist which may relate to your parents or even grandparents occupations. Once the database has printed off your list of trust funds, you then check through it to select the ones that are directly relevant to you. FunderFinder is available for students to use in Student Services on each campus.

EGAS:

Educational Grants Advisory Service is part of the Family Welfare Association. EGAS provides information and advice on funding for students and maintains a database of charitable trusts. You can do an online search for educational trusts at www.egas-online.org

SAAS:

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland maintains a Register of Educational Endowments containing information on Scottish Trusts many of which are local and open only to Scottish students studying at Scottish universities. SAAS will search the register for you if you send them a completed REE1 form, available to download from www.saas.gov.uk/ , click on Support Information and go to Other Sources of Funding, or you can pick up a form in Funding & Advice. They will then write to you with the results of any relevant trusts and you then contact the Trusts directly.

Information Sessions:

During the year a number of Funding & Advice Action Groups on Alternative Sources of Funding are held. Information and assistance will be provided on doing your own search for trust funds and you will receive guidance in making applications to increase your chances of a successful outcome. Many of the Trusts have very specific guidelines and it is important that you adhere to the guidelines specified. Information will also be given on the trusts which are open to students at different times during the year. Dates of the sessions, which will be offered on each campus, will be advertised via Blackboard, website and noticeboards.

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STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION EMERGENCY FUND

The Students’ Association has a small emergency fund which is available for students experiencing extreme financial hardship. The priority is to help part-time, international and nursing students, however, all students will be considered. To access this fund, contact the Students’ Association on your campus.

ILA SCOTLAND:

If you are over 16 and earn £18,000 a year or less and are studying for at least 50% of the time needed to complete a full-time higher education qualification, an ILA account could give you up to £500 each year towards your qualification. For further information, call the Centre for Lifelong Learning on 0141 848 3193 and ask to speak to an Education Guidance Advisor or visit the website at www.ilascotland.org.uk

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT:

The Careers Service regularly advertises local part-time vacancies. These are posted on the web site at www.uws.ac.uk/studentservices/careersclick on Vacancies.

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MAKING APPLICATIONS:

It is a good idea to draw up a short list of possible Trusts. This should include:

Trusts which operate in the area where you live/where you are from. Pay special attention to Trusts which only fund in your area.

Trusts which are interested in your field of study/work.

Trusts which have the funds to make grants of the size you require.

Completing Your Application

Here are a few general points to consider when writing your application:

Trusts need to be satisfied that you have exhausted every other possible source of funding (sometimes this includes loans) before applying for charitable help.

Trusts rarely make an award without reasonable assurances that any outstanding amount needed to complete the cost of the course will be met from other sources.

Most Trusts have specific eligibility criteria such as residency, age or nationality.

It is rarely possible to obtain help at short notice as many Trusts meet infrequently or have strict closing dates for applications, sometimes as much as a year in advance of when the course starts.

Study abroad is rarely considered unless you are applying to a body dedicated to funding study in a particular country.

Remember to include the following:

Details of your circumstances, including the title and a brief description of your course of study.

A budget sheet, preferably covering the academic year, should include your income and expenditure. It is advisable to calculate this carefully and not to economise on essentials.

Ask for a specific amount of money, be realistic. Give details about the size of grant you require and how you will raise funds for the remainder of the sum, if need be.

State how a grant will help you.

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Completed Your Application?

Photocopy your application and keep a copy for your own information.

Send your applications to the Trust Funds you are applying to as soon as you can (preferably by recorded delivery to ensure safe delivery).

Wait patiently. Trust Fund application processes can be slow, but the outcome can be worthwhile.

What Next?

Some Trusts will invite you to attend an interview, whereas others will deal with your application by letter only. Some Trusts may wish to discuss your application over the telephone.

Outcome of Your Application

If you do receive a grant, contact the Trust Fund(s) to acknowledge receipt of the payment, and don't forget to thank the funder.

Try to keep in touch with the Trust Fund(s). You may be asked to produce a short report about how the grant has helped you and how your studies/research are progressing.

If you do not receive a grant-don't give up! Your application to other funds may be successful.

Keep a record of all applications you make.

It would be very helpful if you could notify Funding & Advice on your campus with any successful results which you obtain.

Please do not contact the Trustees if you are unsuccessful as there is no appeal process.

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APPLICATIONS LOG AND OUTCOMES

Name of Trust Date Sent Outcome

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USEFUL WEBSITES:

Listed below are some useful website addresses for doing your own search for trusts. The University of the West of Scotland does not accept any responsibility for the information displayed on these websites):

www.joblinks.org.uk/view-organisations.html

www.charitiesdirect.com

www.skill.org.uk

www.acf.org.uk

www.hotcourses.org.uk

www.everythingyouwantedtoknow.com (Scholarships)

www.opfs.org.uk (for one parent families)

All About U, a free virtual guide to student finances at www.allaboutu.org.uk

READING LIST:

1. A Guide to the Major Trusts The Top 300 TrustsLuke Fitzherbert, Dominic Addison & Faisel RahmanPublished by Directory of Social Change.

2. The Directory of Grant Making TrustsPublished by the Charities Aid Foundation

3. The Charities DigestPublished by the Family Welfare Association.

4. The Grants RegisterPublished by Palgrave MacMillan.

5. Everything you Wanted to Know about Sponsorship (but were afraid to ask)

Published by Amoeba Publications.

The above may be sourced within Public Libraries or the University of the West of Scotland Library.

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Useful contact information:

You are very welcome to call in to Funding & Advice to look around, get information, take away leaflets or to make an appointment. You can get in touch as follows:

AYR CAMPUS:For all services: J108 (9.30am – 3.00pm semester time) 01292 886267

Email: funding.adviceayr@uws.ac.uk

PAISLEY CAMPUS:Funding & Advice J219 0141 848 3803Opening hours: 8.45 – 4.45 Mon – Fri

Email: funding.advicepaisley@uws.ac.uk

HAMILTON CAMPUS:Student Services, Beckford Building 01698 894448Opening hours: 8.30 – 4.30 Mon to Thur: 8.30 – 3.30 Friday

Email: funding.advicehamilton@uws.ac.uk

DUMFRIES CAMPUSUniversity Student ServicesDumfries and Galloway College Building 01387 734279Opening hours: 8.45 – 4.45 Mon to Fri

Email: studentservices-dumfries@uws.ac.uk

Visit our website at: www.uws.ac.uk/studentservices/fundingadvice/index.asp

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION CONTACT DETAILS

Paisley president@sauws.org.uk or welfare@sauws.org.uk

Ayr cpa@sauws.org.uk

Hamilton bcsu@uws.ac.uk

Dumfries anne@cucsa.org.uk

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