Charities and awards

Again, a competitive area, but hundreds of charities and schemes offer money to needy postgraduates. These range from large trusts such as the Wellcome Trust to much smaller, nevertheless useful awards – some have a wide eligibility criterion and some have much more specific remits. For example, the Buchanan Society have an award for people with a specific surname, many have geographical links, educational requirements or are distributed only when other sources of funding have been exhausted by applicants.

Some of the better-known charities giving fairly hefty awards directly to graduates include;

• Panasonic Trust Fellowships and Awards
• The Perry Foundation
• The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation
• British Federation of Women Graduates

The key here is checking the criteria and writing a good proposal.

Do remember to check universities too, they may offer their own awards in particular subjects, or discounts for alumni.