Financial support comes in two kinds: help to which you are entitled, usually on the basis of family income; and funds designed to help you out of a tight spot, known as Hardship Funds. Grants, bursaries and scholarships don’t have to be paid back unless you withdraw from your studies; while loans usually get paid back afterwards. Often student loans are subsidised by the government, and operate at a lower than commercial rate; some don’t need to be repaid unless you earn above a certain figure.
There are other sources of funding: trusts and foundations which support drama and drama students. These can sometimes be useful for supporting project initiatives too.
Support for students from lower income backgrounds
Maintenance Grant
New full-time UK undergraduate students starting a programme in 2009 will be eligible to apply to their Local Education Authority (LEA) for an LEA Maintenance Grant of up to £2,906 to help with living expenses. How much a student receives will depend on the income of the student and their household. This is calculated on a sliding scale: a student with a household income of £25,000 or lower would receive the full £2906 maintenance grant; those above this figure will receive less.
College Bursary
Rose Bruford College will give all full-time undergraduate students who qualify for the full Government Maintenance Grant, a College Bursary of £319 per year towards living expenses. Students who receive this bursary should apply for a further top-up College Bursary, to take it to £1,000.
Tuition Fee Loan
Students will no longer need to pay any fees upfront whilst they are studying. Instead they can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover the full fees each year. This is obtained through the Student Loans Company and all students on a full time HE course are eligible to receive the full amount. Only applicable to undergraduate home students not postgradate. See http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/student_finance
The interest rate for the loan is set at inflation levels, so that in real terms the amount that you repay is the same as the amount borrowed. The loan does not have to be paid back until you have graduated and are earning over £15,000 a year.
Maintenance Loan
Student Maintenance Loans for living expenses are also available to eligible full-time undergraduate UK and EU students who have been resident in the UK for three years. The amount they are entitled to depends on their income or their parents’ income, whether they will be living at home or in student accommodation, and if they will be studying in or outside London.
Rose Bruford College is a London HE institution so students qualify for the higher London region loan. The maximum loan for students living away from home and studying in London is £6,475. Your local education authority will assess your circumstances and inform you of a total figure for the academic year.
The final academic year of a course is viewed as having fewer weeks than previous years, which include the need for financial assistance during summer holidays. Therefore the loan will be lower in your final year.
As with the Tuition Fee Loan, these have an interest rate set at inflation levels, so that in real terms the amount that you repay is the same as the amount borrowed. The loan does not have to be paid back until you have graduated and are earning over £15,000 a year.
See www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/ for more guidance. EU students should contact the Government’s EU team at EUTeam@dfes.gsi.gov.uk or visit www.dfes.gov.uk/studentsupport/eustudents/index.shtml.
Support for students with hardship
Some students at college find they are facing severe financial difficulties. The college has limited funds to offer such students who are unable to find financial assistance elsewhere.
Access to Learning Fund
You can apply for support from the Access to Learning Fund. But you must have agreed to take out the full Student Loan available to you. Only a home student (not EU) may apply to this fund, and only one application may be made once a year unless your circumstances have changed significantly since your first application.
You need to request an application form from Reception, or the Student Welfare office, or from the Finance Department (both in Lamorbey House). Return your application form to Reception. It will then be assessed by the Student Welfare Officer and the Finance Department and you will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.
Applications are usually assessed in November and the following February, though real emergencies may be dealt with between meetings.
Other College Funds
Martin Bowley Trust (£3,000 annually)
· Support for projects which engage significantly with the local community.
· Students must also demonstrate financial hardship.
· Application forms are available from Reception. Return completed forms to Reception. Your application will be assessed through the Principal’s Office.
· Application can be made at any time.
Rose Bruford Memorial Trust (£500 annually)
· Support for a special project or activity.
· Students must also demonstrate financial hardship.
· Application forms are available from Reception. Return completed forms to Reception. Your application will be assessed through the Principal’s Office.
· Applications can be made at any time.
Specialised Drama Funds
There are a small number of Trusts and Foundations which are available to drama students nationwide. In all instances a college is asked by the Trust to nominate students owing to the limited number of awards available (in other words they do not wish to receive applications directly from students).
For the funds listed below application forms are available at Reception. Return completed forms to Reception. Your application will be assessed by the relevant School.
Sir John Gielgud Charitable Trust (In the region of £3,000 – £3,500)
· Open to third year drama students
· Financial hardship as well as academic merit
· Student needs to write application letter plus detail of financial circumstance plus reference from tutor
· College chooses applicant to go forward
Applications should be made in March.
Laurence Olivier Bursary (Amounts up to £7,500 – approx. 9 bursaries in total)
· Open to second year drama students attending a three year drama course for actors/actresses accredited by the NCDT. Those eligible for nomination should demonstrate considerable or potential talent, but face financial difficulty in completing the third year of their course.
· Schools should only nominate students who are intending to pursue their career in this country
· Those nominated will be asked to attend an audition and interview (usually around 10th June)
· Auditions will be solo, will last for no longer than ten minutes and should consist of two pieces demonstrating the range of the students’ abilities (e.g. one classical and one contemporary); a song may be included if sufficient time remains.
· Students need to complete an application form, it lays out income and expenditure headings that need to be completed. Students need to send their CV, a statement and a reference
· College chooses the two applicants to go forward
Applications should be made in March.
Lilian Bayliss Award (£1,500)
· PROMISE: The student shows a potential which suggests the potential to make a significant contribution to the development of theatre
· HARDSHIP: The completion of the student’s course is in jeopardy without additional finance
· He or she should have completed two years of a three year course – the award is for a student just about to finish the course. He or she should have another year of study to do.
· Application form needs to be completed with a statement of financial hardship plus reference from tutor
· College chooses applicant to put forward
Applications should be received in late December/early January.
Post Graduate and Distance Learning Programmes
Students on these programmes should contact their Programme Administrator for information on what help might be available (including the Edith Rudinger Gray Trust for BA Opera Studies).
Charitable Trusts and Foundations
If you still require additional financial support it is worth some time and effort to investigate funding from Trusts and Foundations.
It is important to stress that the majority do not fund individuals directly, but nevertheless there are a significant number which do (particularly at local level).
It is therefore important to find out as much as you can about their funding criteria and application procedures before making an application.
In the funding directories (see below) the “Beneficial Areas” for support will be described. This usually means one of two things: either the geographical area in which the Trust works, or the kind of people they are prepared to help (eg the elderly). Before applying it can help to contact the Trust first to talk over your situation, and ask if there are any guidelines they can send you.
There are various publications and CD Roms which are available as hard copy or on line. Buying or accessing these can be expensive, but they are available via Rose Bruford’s LRC (and often in Libraries and Town Halls). The following are good sources of information:
Good Sources for Finding Trusts and Foundations
· The Directory of Grant Making Trusts – Charities Aid Foundation
The range of books that include A Guide to Major Trusts, A Guide to Trusts (general), A Guide to Smaller Trusts, Trusts in London, Trusts in Scotland (etc.)
The Directory of Grant Making Trusts description from Amazon.co.uk: Now in its twentieth edition, the “Directory of Grant Making Trusts” continues to be one of the foremost authorities in the field. Its objective and detailed information on trusts and their funding policies within each updated version has ensured that many people buy every new edition. With fully updated information supplied by the trusts themselves, the entries include: contact details; what is (and is not) funded; type and range of grants made; and examples of recent grants. The extensive indexes – by geographical area, field of interest and type of beneficiary, and type of grant – enable you to target the trusts that are most relevant to your needs.
A Guide to Local Trusts in the South of England description from Amazon.co.uk: The new and updated edition of this popular local guide is an indispensable research tool for anyone looking to raise money from grant-making trusts in the south of England. This title covers more than 900 trusts that concentrate their grant making in the south of England, making annual awards totalling more than GBP80 million. Each trust has the potential give funding of at least £1,000 a year. This work provides clear descriptions of trusts’ grant-making policies and practices, as well as examples of the donations made. It also includes contact details and advice to applicants.
· A Guide to Major Trusts, Vols 1 and 2 and other specialist Trust guides – Directory of Social Change (DoSC)
A Guide to Major Trusts Volume 1 description from Amazon.co.uk: Grant-making trusts are a key source of funding for charitable activity, and this guide – now in its eleventh edition – has built a reputation as the definitive source of information in this area. It concentrates on the 400 largest trusts that give over GBP300,000 a year. The content is compiled both through contact with the trusts and through independent research. Each entry gives full details of the trust’s activity, including: a yearly grant total; contact details; grant-making policies; and, areas or subjects the trusts will not consider. The Annual Reports and guidelines for applicants are quoted extensively where relevant.
A Guide to Major Trusts Volume 2 description from Amazon.co.uk: Grant-making trusts are a key source of funding for charitable activity, which no fundraiser can afford to ignore. “The Guide to the Major Trusts” series has built a reputation as the definitive source of information in this area. This second volume examines a further 1,200 mainly smaller trusts, which between them give tens of thousands each year. The content is compiled both through contact with the trusts themselves and through independent research. Each entry includes: clear description of the trust’s grant-making policies and practices; a yearly grant total; contact details; and, areas or subjects the trusts will not consider.
· “Funder Finder” – computer Trust-seeking database and other search engines
Funder Finder – 65 Raglan Road, Leeds, LS2 9DZ, www.funderfinder.org.uk
London Voluntary Service Council – 356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA, 020 7700 8107, www.lvsc.org.uk
The Directory of Social Change – 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2DP, www.dsc.org.uk
Help – www.help.co.uk – search engine for registered charities
Charity Choice – www.charitychoice.co.uk – charities directory UK and free online donation service
Funder’s Index – http://www.fundersindex.co.uk/