Young Carer Assistance Fund

The Young Carer Assistance Fund's primary goal is to offer financial support, enabling young carers to participate in extracurricular activities that directly enrich their academic and professional development. For instance, these activities may equip them with valuable skills and experiences to enhance their CV, or provide the necessary funds for traveling to engage in such pursuits.

The award is flexible and discretionary. Examples of what the fund may be used for include:

• Tickets, travel, and expenditure to attend extra-curricular activities, such as conferences, volunteering, placements, internships, work experience or other events
• Taxis or train journeys to travel to and from these extra-curricular activities
• Taking part in societies, or society membership fees at the university

The award cannot assist with:

• Gym membership
• Driving lessons
• Car related costs
• Items or hobbies of wider personal interest that do not fit the criteria above
• Essential expenditure – this relates to costs related to accommodation, bills, food shopping, clothes, course costs e.g. books or study equipment. If you are struggling to pay essential costs, the University operates the Student Support Fund, which can support students in financial hardship.

The value of the award is up to £200. Applicants can make multiple applications in each academic year of study. If the cost of the item or event that you are requesting funding for is more than £200, additional funding may be awarded at the panel’s discretion.

Please be aware that funding for this award is finite. Once the maximum threshold of the budget has been reached the award will close for applications.

Who can apply?

The Young Carer Assistance Fund is aimed at young carers studying for an undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham. For the purposes of the award, a young carer is defined as a young person who provides significant caring duties for another person who is not their legal dependent.

Any undergraduate student who identifies as a young carer may apply and applicants will be asked to briefly describe their caring duties as part of the application. All information will be kept in the strictest confidence and be seen only by university staff members involved in the selection of the awards as necessary.

The award can be applied for in additional to any other scholarship, grant, or bursary, including the Young Carer Award.

Home students only are eligible to apply for this award.

How to Apply

Candidates should complete a short application form in which they will be asked:

• To briefly describe the caring duties that they provide and to whom
• To describe the goods, services, or event that would like financial assistance towards.

Please complete all sections of the online application form. The form should take no more than 5 – 10 minutes to fully complete.

Once submitted your application will be reviewed by the Funding, Graduation and Awards Team, who will assess your eligibility for the award. You will receive your decision within two weeks.

If you have any questions about the award, please contact FGA at fga@contacts.bham.ac.uk.