Who may receive a grant from the Foundation ?

When Li Tim-Oi wanted to study for the ministry, her family could not afford the cost of the course at Union Theological Collage in Guangzhou [then Canton]. Others provided the resources for her to do so. In her memory her sister Rita primed the pump of the Foundation, so that other Christian women in the 'Two-Thirds World' could like her be trained to fulfil their vocations. So this Foundation wants to help an applicant who fulfils the following criteria :

• 1. We only make grants to women, because it is women who need affirmative action in many cultures, especially in the Two-Thirds World of nations in the South and East of the planet.
• 2. Grants can only be made to women who are members of an Anglican Church, or of a united church in communion with Anglicans. This is because on the whole it is Anglicans who have been slower than other churches to empower women.
• 3. Grants are only made to students being trained for responsible tasks for which their diocese has decided to employ them, and for which it has budgeted the funding. We want to encourage dioceses to recognise the gifts and equal status of women in society and the Church. So our grants are to upgrade the status of women in a diocese, not merely to refine their competence in their present roles.
• 4. Our grants are normally for vocational training, not for further academic qualifications. It was to take the first step of the ladder that Tim-Oi needed help.
• 5. We do not normally make a grant for a course that is already started. Students should not start courses they do not have the resources to finish and then put funders under pressure to get them out of difficulties of their own making. However we recognise that some dioceses expect a student to raise funds to cover their first year to prove their serious commitment. Unless other funding is available, a student should not start her course before the Trustees' decision is confirmed.
• 6. Having agreed an initial grant, we do not want to waste that investment, so, subject to satisfactory progress reports, we make repeat grants on an annual basis to complete the course.
• 7. Our normal grant is for not more than £1000, and is paid direct to the training institution. We need to be sure, before paying a grant, that a student is able to make up the rest of the total cost of the course. We need to avoid wasting our scarce resources in a situation where a grant is paid but the course is not started or completed.
• 8. We only give grants for students to attend an institution in their own context. We believe that training which is provided in the student's own context will be more appropriate to the needs of the student and the local church. This also allows us to help many more women.
• 9. The income of the Foundation is now very limited and the Trustees wish to spread the benefits as widely as possible. They will normally only consider in any one year supporting one student from a diocese. It is for the diocese to decide according to its priorities which woman this should be. Therefore to signal his support the application will need the personal signature of the Bishop of the diocese for whose employed service the candidate is to be trained. If the above criteria can be met, Application Forms need to be completed. The forms are available from the Secretary, or can be downloaded from here. [Acrobat Reader, which is 'freeware', will be needed to read and print the four pages.] The Trustees meet in London three times a year to consider applications - usually in January, May and September .