BiCon has a long history of making access a priority. The equality fund exists to enable people who are experiencing a financial or accessibility hardship which without support would prevent them from attending BiCon.
BiCon is a volunteer-organised, non-profit event which receives no funding other than registration and booking fees. The equality fund is provided by the community through donations and the surplus of previous BiCons.
Donations
BiCon welcomes donations to the equality fund, and will keep the identity of donors confidential. If you would like to make a donation to the 2011 Equality Fund you may do so by cheque, BACS or PayPal – either alongside a BiCon registration payment or separately.
If you want all or part of your payment to be donated to the fund please let us know by emailing Alison at email address removed so we can keep our accounts accurate. Donations to the equality fund will not be used for anything else
Guidelines for Funding Allocation
In order to maximise the funding available, the 2011 equality fund will only provide funding for registration and standard accommodation costs, unless an ensuite room is required for access reasons.
As the equality fund is limited and funded by individual donations we ask that all attendees pay something for their BiCon. The only exception is that equality funding can be made available for the full costs of BiCon registration and accommodation for a PA/carer who is not attending any part of BiCon in their own right.
BiCon 2011 cannot provide funding towards the cost of travel to and from BiCon, but we may take the cost of your travel into account when deciding how much help we can offer you.
Applying for the Fund
To apply to the equality fund please fill in a booking form and an equality fund form and send them both to Alison at email address removed
Allocations will be decided in batches so early applicants will not have to wait too long for a funding offer. Dates for allocation batches are:
Batch 1: up to 24th December 2010
Batch 2: 25th December 2010 to 11th March 2011
Batch 3: 12th March 2011 to 3rd June 2011
Batch 4: 4th June 2011 to 1st July 2011
Batch 5: 2nd July 2011 to 1st August 2011
Applications received after 1st August 2011 will be handled at BiCon’s discretion.
To help us make fair decisions application forms will be anonymised and looked at by a group of three people after each deadline before we make a decision. We will respond to applicants within 30 days of our meeting.
Realistic allocations might include:
- A reduction in the income band if an applicant is not unwaged, but is experiencing hardship.
- Funding towards a percentage of the registration cost.
- Funding towards a percentage of the accommodation cost.
These are some fictional applicants who might be helped by the equality fund.
James is a student studying in London. He has large debts from university fees and loans for cost-of-living. Equality funding could be used to reduce James's registration costs.
Elizabeth has just moved in with her partner Anna, and has not yet found a job locally. Anna works in a low-paid job at a supermarket. Friends and relatives have agreed to care for their two children, but they still cannot afford the full cost of two BiCon bookings. The equality fund could be used to reduce Anna's BiCon to the unwaged rate and provide some funding to reduce the full cost of BiCon for them.
Robert has disabilities that mean that he needs some assistance during BiCon. Robert's friend Ahmed who identifies as bisexual has volunteered to provide part-time support to Robert in the mornings and nights at BiCon. Equality funding could provide partial funding of Ahmed's BiCon.
David has recently lost his job, he is seeking unemployment benefits and looking for work. His benefits have not come through yet. Equality funding could be used to reduce some of the registration and accommodation costs of BiCon.
Anita is deaf and has asked BiCon if they can help her with hearing people at BiCon plenaries and sessions. The Equality Fund is used to hire some equipment for her use at BiCon.