Carer's Fund Application Form

The IOA Carer's Fund provides financial support to members with caring responsibilities to attend IOA events and conferences.

To apply, please check the guidelines and fill out the form below. Applications should be submitted up to four weeks before the event and decisions will be advised within two weeks of submission. 

 

Institute of Acoustics Carer’s Fund 


1.0 Introduction


1.1 This fund helps you attend IOA events or conferences that you might not otherwise be able to attend because you care for someone. 


2.0 What you can use the grant for 


2.1 We appreciate that the care you put in place for your dependants varies and we do not restrict how you use the grant. Examples of how you might use it include: 
 

  • extended hours for a child-minder or care worker;
  • babysitter costs;
  • travel expenses for friends or relatives to care for your dependants;
  • after school activities, clubs or play-schemes;
  • medical, nursing or respite care. 


3.0 Who can apply 

3.1 To apply for the grant you need to: 

 

  • be a member of the IOA;
  • use the grant towards the costs of additional care; and
  • attend an IOA conference, meeting or event. 


4.0 How much is the grant 


4.1 Up to £250 for each application. 


4.2 The Carers’ Fund is a limited fund and we review all applications in the order we receive 
them. We allocate £2,500 between January and June and another £2,500 between July and 
December. 


5.0 How to apply 


5.1 The application is designed to be straight-forward and we ask you to provide brief details of 
the event and a description of how you will use the grant. 


5.2 You may submit an application up to four weeks before the event using the application form. We will normally let you know our decision within two weeks. 


5.3 After the event, we ask you to complete and return a brief feedback form. The funds will be 
paid when we receive this feedback. We will not normally consider retrospective awards. 
Proof of expense is desirable. 

 

Guidance Notes


The Institute recognises that many of its members have caring responsibilities, whether this is for 
children, elderly or disabled relatives or friends. As a result, they are sometimes prevented from 
attending conferences and events because there is no provision for the extra costs incurred in paying 
for the additional care needed while they are away at the event. 


The Carers’ Fund provides IOA members with the opportunity to apply for a grant to contribute 
towards additional costs of care when attending events, meetings and conferences. 


We appreciate that the arrangements that members will put in place will be many and varied, and 
therefore we do not wish to place restrictions on how the grant will be used, except that: 


- It must be used towards the costs associated with additional care for the person or people 
that the member cares for; and
- It must be an acoustics-related conference, meeting or event. 


Eligibility 


Any IOA member is eligible to apply for a grant. We appreciate that there may be more than one 
occasion in the year that members may wish to apply; however, we must also give priority to those 
who have not previously claimed. Therefore we will not normally pay more than £250 to any one 
member in a calendar year. 


The total amount of money available to the Carers’ Fund is limited: in any one year, a total of £2,500 
will be allocated between January and June and £2,500 between July and December. 


Submitting an application 


Applications must be submitted at least four weeks prior to the event. A decision will normally be 
made within two weeks of receipt of your application. Retrospective applications will not normally be 
accepted. 


An application form may be obtained from the IOA Head Office (0300 999 9675, ioa@ioa.org.uk) or 
may be downloaded from the IOA website. All sections of the application form must be completed. 


Payment 


Once you have confirmation that your application has been accepted, you will be requested to submit 
a short form following the event, confirming attendance and any benefit obtained from attendance. 
You may also wish to comment on the effectiveness of the fund in contributing to your additional 
costs. 


The grant will normally be paid after you have attended the event and the report has been received. If 
you feel that you cannot attend without receiving payment beforehand, please contact the IOA Head 
Office (0300 999 9675, ioa@ioa.org.uk). 


Completed forms and further enquires should be directed to the IOA Head Office (0300 999 9675, 
ioa@ioa.org.uk).