If you are considering applying for a travel grant, please read the following information carefully:
Timing – the cycle of Canadian seasons and work patterns means that in most cases placements are best taken between September and May (i.e. not during the summer months).
Choosing a placement – The Trustees of FML have wide contacts in Dioceses and centres of ministerial training and development in both the UK and Canada. They are willing to discuss with applicants from both countries what places or situations might be appropriate for a placement in the light of their proposed areas of study and enquiry. If you are considering applying for a grant, you are encouraged to contact the Secretary to arrange for a meeting with an appropriate member of the Board or other advisor.
Funding – The normal maximum bursary paid by FML will be for return economy airfare between Canada and the UK, plus insurance. An additional allowance may be made in some circumstances for necessary internal travel.
FML will also need to be satisfied that adequate arrangements are made for accommodation and expenses.
In the case of theological students undertaking a placement as an approved part of a course of study or ministerial formation, such costs need to be negotiated between the applicant’s training institution and the placement hosts.
Applications – should include:
- A clear statement of purpose and objectives as they apply to the applicant’s learning needs, and of how those needs can be met by the planned placement in Canada or the UK.
- Evidence of application for funding made to the applicant’s sponsoring diocese, church or training institution.
Applications should normally be received at least one month before the next scheduled Board meeting and preferably 9 months prior to the proposed date of departure. The precise dates of meetings of the Board, which currently take place twice per year (typically in April/May or October), can be obtained from the Secretary. The Board has an interim process for handling applications requiring a swifter response, but the Trustees much prefer to be able discuss applications face-to-face at a Board meeting.
Feedback – a written report reflecting on the placement experience must be submitted to the Secretary of FML within three months of the completion of the placement. Receipt of a grant by any applicant will be inferred to indicate willingness to comply with this condition.
Policy – The terms of the FML trust are cast in deliberately broad and inclusive language, which allows for an ecumenical dimension in the Board’s activities, rather than restricting support only to members and institutions of the Anglican Communion. In allocating grants, therefore, the Board is generally concerned with the ethical, educational and ecclesial appropriateness of a project or placement, rather than the denominational affiliation of an applicant or hosting church or institution.
However, the Board’s main partner in Canada has always historically been the Anglican Church of Canada or its predecessor, and it accepts its ethical responsibilities not to foster schism, either in Canada or the UK. Where an application for funding involves the participation of organisations that might be judged schismatic, or about which ethical questions might arise, therefore, it is the Board’s policy to seek the views of the local Anglican Church of Canada or Church of England (or equivalent) bishop on a case-by-case basis, before making an award.
To apply for a travel grant from FML please complete the following form. When you have done, click the ‘Submit’ button. We will get back to you with an acknowledgement within a few days. If it is necessary to make use of the interim approval procedure it normally takes 3-4 weeks for grant applications to be considered.