Q: Am I eligible for grant funding?
A: We can accept applications in respect of young people and children under 25 years who currently live in Harpenden, Wheathampstead, Kimpton, Redbourn, Flamstead and Markyate. The applicants must be from families of limited financial means: either in receipt of significant income-assessed benefits or lower levels of employment/self-employment income. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the Trustees.
Q: Can I make an application on behalf of somebody else?
A: We accept applications made from parents, guardians, schools or support workers in addition to the applicant themselves.
Q: What type of assistance do you offer?
A: The Foundation can provide financial grants to assist young people with educational or career-related items/activities. The most common areas are school uniform, residential school trips, laptops, extra-curricular activities, further education courses, degrees (generally accommodation costs) and starting work. Please just get in touch if you are unsure whether it is an item/activity that the Foundation would support.
Q: When should I apply for a grant and can I apply for more than one grant?
A: It is always best to apply for a grant before you make any financial commitment. If you are unsure please do get in touch and we can advise how best to proceed. You can apply for more than one grant within an application or in a separate application(s) at different times.
Q: Which Application Form should I use?
A: We have two different application forms, as a guide they should be used as follows:
- Further Education & Career Development (age 16 to 24), should be used by young people applying for grants relating to further education courses, diplomas, college, university, apprenticeships or work-related items.
- School Pupils up to age 18, should be used for items/activities relating to students attending primary or secondary school.
Q: What is the maximum grant I can apply for?
A: We consider each application on its own merit and have internal guidance so that we can ensure fairness across similar applications. Please provide details of the costs that you are seeking financial assistance for, together with supporting detail for those costs, as this will enable the Trustees to consider your application.
Q: How long does it take for a grant application to be processed?
A: We aim to process applications within two weeks but it may take a little longer for more unusual requests. We are unable to progress an application if we do not have all the requested information.
Q: How do you award grants?
A: Grants may be provided as a financial contribution directly to a supplier or a reimbursement to the applicant (or parent) on proof of payment.
When a laptop grant is awarded, we will provide a Voucher for either a professionally reconditioned or new, laptop, which will be supplied by Harpenden Computer Services Ltd. The laptop should last at least 4 years and we do not get involved in (or fund) repairs, so you must ensure that it is properly looked after.
When a school uniform grant is awarded, we can provide Vouchers up to the value of the grant for local school uniform providers, Stevensons and Beat School Uniforms.
Q: Is my application confidential and how do you protect my information?
A: The privacy of our applicants and their parents is fundamental to the Foundation and we are committed to letting you know how we use your personal information and to making only responsible use of your data. We may need to contact an applicant’s school, educational institution or a relevant supplier. We ask you to give your consent to this as part of the application process. Further information can be found in our Privacy Statement.
Q: What things doesn’t JMF offer grants for?
A: We are unlikely to support the following:
- Items that are medical rather than educational in nature
- Laptop repairs
- Items for a family, rather than for a specific child
- Expensive non-curriculum trips e.g. ski trips/World Challenge
- External/private tutoring
- Payments of rent to parents for students living at home
- Living costs
- Travel grants to a station if the station is within 30 minutes walking distance from the applicant’s home
- General stationery items/electronic calculators
- School bags
