Funding Opportunity - Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme

30th April 2014

Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme

The deadline date for applications this year is 5pm on Friday, 13th June 2014.

The qualifying age criteria for sports grants has been changed to 14 – 25

But, the qualifying age criteria for grants for specialist courses remains at 16 – 25.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is it?

The Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme can offer financial assistance to young Highland people who can meet the essential criteria for the scheme. These are:

Young people with an exceptional or unique talent
And, who attend or attended secondary school in the Highland Council area
Or, whose parents or grandparents attended a Highland secondary school for a minimum of two years

There are two categories of award with different age groups being eligible to apply for each category:

Sports grants are available for 14 – 25 year olds who have been selected to participate in sporting events at national or international level and/or who require specialist sports coaching, training or equipment to compete at national or international level
Grants for 16 – 25 year olds undertaking specialist courses of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment and/or to purchase specialist equipment for such courses.
I am eligible, what can I apply for?

Awards of up to a maximum of £1000 (or 75% of eligible costs) are available. The eligible costs depend on the type of assistance you are applying for but can include, for example:

Tuition/course fees if these are not available from other sources such as the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
Living expenses if you are living away from home
Travel costs if you are living at home and travelling to study
Costs of specialist sports coaching, attending training sessions or competing in national or international sporting events
Essential specialist equipment (based on the provision of at least one estimate)
You cannot, however:

Make a retrospective application, for example, apply for activities or events that have already taken place or for courses that have already started
Apply for standard IT equipment such as PCs and laptops
Apply to repeat a failed year or to undertake a completely new course of study
Are there any rules about eligible sports activities?

Yes, the funding is targeted specifically for elite and talented young athletes who:

Have been selected by a competitive and recognised process to receive specialist sports coaching or training and/or participate in programmes of sporting events at national or international level
Are following a structured programme and have been recognised by the relevant governing body for their sport as having genuine potential at national or international level.
Please note that, unfortunately, limited resources mean that funding is not available to support attendance at single events or for one-off activities.

What do you mean by a specialist course?

Funding is targeted specifically to help young people with an exceptional or unique talent achieve their potential through specialist post-school training. This means that funding is not available for most college and university courses or for courses that are part of the school curriculum.

Competition is intense and priority is given to young people who have been selected to attend specialist elite institutions which primarily deliver vocational and practical training rather than institutions that offer mainstream academic studies. For example, funding may be available for courses provided by specialist elite music or drama institutions but would not normally be available to study these subjects at university.

All specialist courses must be accredited and places awarded by a competitive and recognised selection process. This will include audition where appropriate.

The Trust aims to help exceptionally talented young people and is very unlikely that an award would be made for a specialist course below HND or equivalent level.

Applicants need to provide evidence that they have been offered and have registered on the course before any award can be paid.

Can I apply for more than one year?

No, all grants are made on a one-off basis but you can apply again if you received an award from the Trust previously and you still meet the essential criteria for the Scheme. Please note, however, you can only receive a maximum of four awards from the Trust.

If you are applying again, you must send us a Report on Award with your application form as we will not be able to consider a new application from you without this.

Is there anything else I need to know?

As the funds are limited and demand is high, priority is given to young people:

Who attend or attended a Highland secondary school for a minimum of two years
Who completed their secondary education in the Highland Council area
Whose financial or personal circumstances might prevent them from achieving their potential in one of the identified areas
Data Protection

We will use the personal information you provide in the following ways so please think about whether you are willing to accept these before you make an application.

To process and validate your application
To publicise the scheme as detailed in the General Terms & Conditions below
What are the General Terms & Conditions?

1. Awards must only be used for the purposes for which they were allocated.

2. Awards will be paid when the recipient has signed and returned one copy of the offer letter and provided all the information required such as confirmation of registration on a specialist course.

3. All award recipients must submit a short Report on Award on what the grant from the Trust has helped them achieve. (Report forms are found in the Current Documents section)

All Reports must be countersigned by an independent person who is in position to vouch for the recipient’s achievements, performance and progress (e.g. head of department, tutor of a specialist course or sports coach or representative of the relevant national governing body of sport)
The information given in the Report may be used in publicity about the Scheme
Applicants who have applied to the Trust before, but are not applying again, should submit the Report no later than 30th September of the following year
Applicants who have applied successfully before and are applying again must send this Report with their new application
4. Information about the awards will be publicised and, on occasions, recipients of awards may be asked to take part in specific publicity events such as photo opportunities.

5. The standard publicity information will include the following:

Name of recipient of the award
School attended
Amount of award
The purpose of the award
Report on what the award has helped the recipient achieve
6. As the governing body of the Trust, the Council reserves the right to withdraw awards if the recipient of the funding fails to make reasonable progress or is guilty of serious misconduct. In these circumstances the Council’s decision is final.

When can I apply?

There is one application round each year. The 2014 deadline date is 5pm on Friday, 13th June 2014.

Application forms and guidance notes to help applicants complete the form are available in the Current Documents section.

Who decides?

The Highland Council is the governing body of the Trust and, if your application is eligible for consideration, a group of elected councillors will make the decisions.

Where appropriate, we will consult with consult with specialist staff and specialist external organisations such as sportscotland, governing bodies of sport, Creative Scotland to clarify selection details or to seek advice on specific issues relating to applications.

Elected councillors will make decisions based on the merit and strength of the application and in light of the funding that is available. Your personal details will not be presented to them.

When will I know if my application has been successful?

We aim to let you know the outcome of your application before your term or programme starts. However, the earliest that we are likely to be able to advise you of the outcome of your application this year is mid September.

Application forms can be found at http://www.highland.gov.uk/learninghere/grantsandallowances/trust.htm

Any other questions?

If you have any other questions about the Scheme, please contact Jeannie Graham by email Jeannie.graham[AT]highland.gov.uk or on (01463) 702064