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Introduction
 Planning your elective early is the key to getting the most out of the various funding organisations. As funds are limited, a simple yet well-planned project can help your elective stand out from the rest, encouraging interest from those that offer cash in return for what is often not more than an elective report upon your return. Bear in mind that funding sources change regularly, and so some of the grants below may no longer be valid. Funding SourcesThe A.H. Bygott Undergraduate ScholarshipsEight scholarships of not more than £750 each are available annually to support work, including travel, in Public Health Medicine during the elective period. A number of these scholarships will be preferentially reserved for work in the U.K. Applications must be made through, and with the support of, the Head of Public Health Medicine. Application forms and further details of the Scholarship are available from The Secretary of the Academic Trust Fund Committee. Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & IrelandOffers prizes to all medical students throughout the UK for essays written about the field of anaesthetics. For further information write to: The Honorary Secretary, 9 Bedford Square London WC1B 3RA. British Association of Dermatologists (BAD)The British Association of Dermatologists wishes to encourage students to undertake small research projects or optional periods in the study of topics related to dermatology or skin biology. BAD is able to offer 10 undergraduate grants of £500 towards student research projects. Applications must be submitted on an appropriate form together with a CV and 5 copies of the entire application. Applications should be sent to: Fellowship Administrator, British Association of Dermatologists, 4 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6EH British Association of Forensic MedicineThe British Association of Forensic Medicine are offering £200 for a retrospective prize for the best elective report on a project in forensic medicine. To apply, send a scientific presentation/report of around 2,000 words to: British Association of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Pathology, The Medico-Legal Centre, Watery Street, Sheffield, S3 7ES. British Association of Plastic SurgeonsThe British Association of Plastic Surgeons are offering 4 annual student bursaries of £350 each towards the expenses of students who wish to undertake research, travel or an elective in a subject related to plastic surgery. Students are required to submit a report of the elective within three months of the elective taking place. Applications in the form of a letter, giving an itinerary and costs and a brief CV should be submitted to the Chairman of the Education and Research Sub-Committee, British Association of Plastic Surgeons, The Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN. British Geriatrics Society Medical Student Elective GrantsThe British Geriatrics Society is offering a limited number of grants (normally up to £500) to enable medical students to make use of their elective period for a project concerned with health or health care in old age either in the United Kingdom or abroad. Two copies of application, together with relevant supporting documentation and a current CV are required. Any other inquiries should be directed to The British Geriatrics Society, Marjorie Warren House, 31 St John's Square, London EC1M 4DN. British Society for HaematologyA maximum of 8 Student Scholarships of £600 each are offered per year. These are on a project related to any aspect of Haematology. Applications by letter outlining the project, costs involved, a letter of support from the project supervisor and from the Tutor or Undergraduate Dean. Applications are considered at any time of the year. Applications to: The Scientific Secretary, The British Society for Haematology, 2 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AF. British Medical and Dental Students' TrustThe awards made are usually between £150 and £600 and are open to students undertaking approved electives overseas. Preference is given to well-planned and well-presented applications and a detailed project will enhance your chance of receiving an award. A short report is required on completion of elective. Application forms are available from The Secretary, The British Medical and Dental Students' Trust, Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 4EA. British Nutrition FoundationThe aim of this bursary is to help students undertake an elective concerned with nutritional problems encountered in the Third World, associated with adults in apparent health and disease states, including the special areas of maternal health and infant nutrition. Applications for awards up to £500 are to be submitted to The Secretary, The British Nutrition Foundation, High Holborn House, 52-54 High Holborn, London WC1V 6RQ. British Federation of Women GraduatesThe British Federation of Women Graduates offer help on accommodation expenses to women only. Contact the Federation at 28 Great James Street London, WC1N 3ES. Cancer Research CampaignThe Cancer Research Campaign offers 10 bursaries of up to £1,000 each, to assist undergraduate medical students to take up a cancer related option during their elective period of study. The proposed elective must have a direct relationship to any of the following: prevention, detection, treatment, and management of cancer. One application per medical school is considered, with the exception of the recently merged medical schools, which are invited to submit up to two applications. Applications must be nominated by the appropriate Faculty Tutor and then forwarded to Cancer Research UK for a final decision. Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief written report, of no less than 6 sides of A4, to Cancer Research UK within 3 months of the completion of the period of elective study. For further information, contact your Faculty Tutor or Cancer Research UK, PO Box 123, Lincoln¹s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PX. The Clegg ScholarshipThe Clegg Scholarship is set up for those students who would like to spend an elective with the BMJ, studying medical journalism. They pay the successful student around £600 for eight weeks. They look for "two kinds of students: clinical students wanting to spend their elective with us or pre-clinical students keen to spend eight weeks of their summer holiday with us." Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a record of any published work, and a covering letter explaining why you would like to work with the BMJ. Apply to: Luisa Dillner, The British Medical Journal, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9TR. Commonwealth FoundationThe Commonwealth Foundation Medical Electives Bursaries Scheme is an "annual scheme to provide grants of up to £1,000, which assist final year medical students to undertake their medical elective training in another Commonwealth country. The students work closely with health professionals of the host country, have an opportunity to use their knowledge and skills and are exposed to different ways of treating and managing patients and to a different culture. Two students are recommended for consideration by Deans of participating medical schools. The nominations are considered by the Selection Committee, comprising staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat Health Programme, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The ACU manage the scheme on behalf of the Foundation.' The Dennis Burkitt Study AwardsThe Dennis Burkitt scheme provides up to 10 awards of £750 for students of medicine, nutrition science, and related subjects, that wish to do studies related to food and nutrition. Applications for study placements in developing countries are particularly well received. Applications are to be submitted to the British Nutrition Foundation, High Holborn House, 52-54 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6RQ. Successful applicants will be required to submit written reports within 5 months of completing their elective. East Anglian Group of Family Planning DoctorsA Bursary for Student Elective of £250 is awarded annually. "Applicants should be studying, or have their home base, in East Anglia. The subject for study should include some aspect of reproductive/sexual health." Apply to Dr Helen C Hutchinson (Chairman) at East Anglican Group of Family Planning Doctors, 60 Windsor Road, Cambridge, CB4 3JN. Edinburgh Medical Missionary SocietyThe Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society provide bursaries to medical students at any medical school in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Third World. "To qualify for a bursary, your elective must be an integral part of a course of study at a Scottish, Northern Ireland or Third World university or college. You will be expected to have an active Christian testimony and will usually be involved in your college, university or hospital Christian fellowship. Bursaries are not awarded solely on the basis of academic merit, but rather on your desire to experience healthcare in a "mission" context. While support is primarily for electives to mission hospitals overseas, each application is assessed on its merits." Contact Robin G K Arnott (Executive Director) at 7 Washington Lane, Edinburgh, EH11 2HA, for an application form. There is no application deadline. The Elective SchemeThe Elective Scheme is open to British medical students and others in the health care sector, during their elective period. Must be undertaking electives in a leprosy project, or through leprosy research. Availability of other grants must be indicated. UK residents only; variable number of grants up to £11,500. Applicants should submit an outline of the proposed work, CV, and tutor's report 6 months in advance of their elective period. An interview in London may be required. Suitable assignments may take several months to arrange." LEPRA (British Leprosy Relief Association), 5 Kelross Road, London, N5 2QS. Israel Medical AssociationThe British Fellowship of the Israel Medical Association awards 8 bursaries of £300 each to students who with to spend their elective period in a teaching hospital in Israel. Application is by sending the Association the details of the proposed trip, together with a curriculum vitae and a letter of recommendation from the Faculty Tutor (confirming the student's suitability to study in Israel) to: Dr. L. Blafour-Lynn, Israel Medical Association, 120 Harley Street, London, W1N 1AG. Joe Taylor ScholarshipThe Joe Taylor scholarship is awarded to a medical student planning to do an elective in an African mission hospital with ophthalmology element. Write to Dr Bill McAllister at Joe Taylor Scholarship, Christian Blind Mission, Park House, Winship Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB4 6BQ. Kabi Pharmacia Elective GrantSix awards of £250 are available for students doing electives in developing countries. A written application of no more than 400 words must be submitted to the Medical Director, Kabi Pharmacia Elective Grant, Kabi Pharmacia Ltd, Knowhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PH. Leukaemia Research FundLeukaemia Research Fund offer 5 awards of up to £600 for an elective allied to the study of haematological malignancy; the awards are tenable worldwide. Applications should include a concise description of the proposed placement (up to 500 words), a letter of acceptance from the host institution, a summary of expenses, a brief CV and a letter of recommendation from the Faculty Tutor. ONE candidate per School will be selected for recommendation to the Leukaemia Research Fund. The fund will take particular note of the reasons why the elective was chosen, the aims of the student during the attachment and future career intentions. Leukaemia Research Fund, 43 Great Ormond Street, London, WC1N 3JJ. The Lord Major's 800th Anniversary Awards TrustApplicants need to be between 17 and 25 to be eligible for an award of approximately £500. Preference is given to those who have a connection with the City of London. The Lord Major's 800th Anniversary Awards Trust, 401 Sailsbury House, London Wall, London, EC2M 5RR. The Medicine Group and The Glaxo Wellcome Medical FellowshipAn elective award of £500 is guaranteed to one applicant from each Medical School, with one top award of £1000. Applicants must be subscribers to Medicine or Surgery. Medical Missionary Association HealthServeThose applying for the Medical Missionary Association HealthServe grants should be from medical, nursing and therapy schools in England and Wales. Where possible they should be going to a Christian mission type hospital (protestant) in a developing country situation and be committed Christians. To receive more information contact: Medical Missionary Association HealthServe, 106/110 Watney Street, London, E1W 2QE. Medical Women's Federation Student Electives BursariesAn single award of £300 is normally available from the Medical Women's Federation for female students at London teaching hospitals, who wish to study maternal/child health in a developing country. To be eligible for this grant you have to be a member of MWF (membership fee £10). Send a CV and an outline of your project of not more than 500 words to Dr J Wells. (Students from medical schools outside London should contact the MWF to see if they offer awards for their school). Medical Women's Federation, 62 Denbigh Street, London, SW1V 2EX. Successful applicants will be expected to submit a report for the London Committee on return from their elective. Milupa Student Elective Grant FundTen awards of up to £500 are available for electives on research into paediatric nutrition. Write to: The Managing Director, Mr T Bell, Milupa Ltd, Milupa House, Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, Middlesex, UV10 0NE. The Miss Ford BursariesSix bursaries of £200 are awarded each year from the Miss Ford Bursaries by competition to assist medical students in taking an elective attachment in a French speaking country. Successful applicants are required to provide a factual report on their attachment. The panel meet in December and use the applicant's stated objectives for their attachment as criteria. The closing date is 1st December. £50.00 is offered for each satisfactory report. Bursary holders are expected to enter for the Miss Ford prize by a fifteen-minute paper related to the objectives of their attachment. Application is by form accessed via the web. Write to Dr Bernard Mason, The Anglo-French Medical Society, Elmley Orchard, Hallow, Worcester, WR2 6PE. National Birthday Trust FundThe National Birthday Trust awards two grants of £250 for their elective to study either some aspect of obstetrics or neonatal paediatrics. Application is by CV with a covering letter outlining the location of the elective, its purpose and how it will contribute to the education and training. Send you application to John Marshall, Research Manager, National Birthday Trust Fund, Wellbeing, 27 Sussex Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4SP. WellBeing is The Health Research Charity for Women and Babies. The Nestle Bursary SchemeThe Nestle Bursary Scheme aims to "help medical students to undertake an elective concerned with nutritional problems encountered in the Third World, associated with adults in apparent health and disease states, including the special areas of maternal health and nutrition." A report is required 5 months after return. Twelve bursaries of up to £500 are available. Contact The British Nutrition Foundation, BNF, and Nestle Charitable Trust, High Holborn House, 52-54 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6RQ. Pathological Society of Great Britain and IrelandThe Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland is offering a number of bursaries to undergraduate students of medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry or biomedical science to enable them to work for elective or vacation periods in departments of pathology in universities, medical schools, NHS laboratories or research institutes in the United Kingdom or overseas. Proposals for work on research projects in any branch of pathology or an acquisition of experience in diagnostic departments are eligible for consideration. It is a condition of the award that the successful candidate will submit a report on the work undertaken within three months of completion of the project. Royal College of General Practitioners SAPC Elective PrizeA £500 RCGP/AUDGP Elective Prize is awarded for the best proposal by a medical student for an Elective Project in General Practice/Primary Care. Applications to be made by submitting an application form. The submissions will be considered by a joint RCGP/SAPC panel once a year, and award winners notified. Award winners will be announced at the RCGP Annual General Meeting. The Prize winner is invited to present their winning project either as a poster or an oral presentation, at the Society's Annual Scientific Meeting." Applications are made through your Department of General Practice (one application each year for each Department). You will need to download a copy of their application form from their website. The Royal College of General Practitioners, 14 Princes Gate, Hyde Park, London, SW7 1PU. The Renal AssociationThe Renal Association award 4 bursaries of £250 each for an elective in which renal medicine is a significant component. Applications, giving full details of your elective, should be sent to the Honorary Secretary, The Renal Association, Triangle House, Broomhill Road, London, SW18 4HX. Royal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsPrizes from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are awarded to those students showing the greatest understanding of a clinical problem in obstetrics and gynaecology, 1st Prize £500; 2nd Prize £300; 3rd Prize £50. Applications take the form of an essay. " Essays should consist of one case history with discussion. The judges will look for insight into the medical, social and psychological implications of the case. A maximum of 3000 words with 10 references is required. Four copies of a typewritten submission on A4 paper should be sent to the Awards Secretary at the above address. Please include with your application the name and address of your head of department." Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 27 Sussex Place Regent's Park, London NW1 4RG. Royal College of Physicians: Oscar Reginanl Lewis Wilson ScholarshipThe Royal College of Physicians offer ten scholarships of £250 each. Only one application is accepted per medical school to be selected by the Faculty Tutor. Individual application will not be accepted by the Royal College of Physicians. Royal College of Surgeons – Preiskel Elective Prize in SurgeryThe Preiskel Elective Prize in Surgery is available to Clinical students wishing to pursue a career in Surgery and plan to undertake their elective in surgery in the Developing World are eligible to apply. The value of the award is £500 each and a least 6 will be awarded. Students wishing to apply should send 6 copies of their CV (typescript), and A4 typed sheet detailing their project and what they hope to achieve, a letter of support from the Faculty Tutor, a letter of support from the Consultant Surgeon where the elective attachment will be undertaken confirming supervision of the project. Applications to: Ms Bumbi Singh, Research Board, The Royal College of Surgeons on England, 35/43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN. The Royal Society of MedicineThe Royal Society of Medicine award is open to those students who intend to go on elective modules related to anaesthesia. (Other non-elective prizes are offered to medical students by the RSM. Further details are available from the website below). Two bursaries of £350 each are available. Applicants should complete and return an application form for the bursaries, to the Section Administrator, Section of Anaesthesia. The application form can be downloaded from the RSM website. The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1M 8AE. Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneThe Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene prize will be awarded "for an account of work carried out by a medical student of any nationality during an elective period spent in a tropical or developing country. In awarding this prize emphasis will be laid on the originality of the work and on its contribution to knowledge or understanding of tropical diseases. Particular weight will be given to projects which have been developed and carried out by the students themselves." There are one or two prizes of £500 each available. Candidates shall be nominated by their head of department, supervisor, or Dean, with a supporting statement of 500 words. Application forms can be obtained from the Administrator at Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Manson House, 26 Portland Place, London, W1N 4EY. Sir John Cass FoundationBursaries of up to £500 are available from the Sir John Cass Foundation of £500 for students who are under the age of 25, from low income backgrounds and permanent residents of inner London. Inner London includes the boroughs of Camden, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, and Westminster. Students must have lived in inner London for a least 3 years for purposes other than study to be eligible to apply (i.e. if you grew up in London or your LEA for your Student Loan is one of the above boroughs you will probably be eligible to apply, but if you moved to London from another part of the country when you began your MBBS it is unlikely you will be eligible for this award, even if you have now lived in London for more than three years). All applications are means tested and the Foundation gives priority to students in the greatest financial need. Students who are in receipt of a fees only award from their LEA, because of the level of their parental income, will not be eligible to apply. To request an application form and guidelines write to or email the Foundation telling them a bit about yourself, how you heard about the Foundation and enclosing an outline proposal and budget for your elective. Grant inquiries and applications can be made throughout the year. Address: Clerk to the Governors, Sir John Cass's Foundation, 31 Jewry Street, London EC3N 2EY Email: contactus@sirjohncass.org. Telephone 020 7480 5884 St. Francis Leprosy GuildThe St. Francis Leprosy Guild provides up to £600 in funding for elective students wishing to undertake their elective on a leprosy-related subject. Applications by: A covering letter stating the reason for the application and what you think this experience in the field of leprosy will add to your future medical career. A CV – this should indicate not only your academic qualifications, but also your other interests, hobbies and achievements, an elective period project outline (the project should related in some way to a specific problem of leprosy and should include details of the person/organisation that you wish to work with), an itinerary and a plan of work. A letter of support from the Faculty Tutor and a passport sized photograph should be included with the application. As a condition of this grant you are expected to provide a written report of the project and experiences, with photographs and maps. St Francis Leprosy Guild, 26 Inglis Road, London, W5 3RL. The Thackrah Award for Undergraduate Study of Occupational MedicineUp to £1,000 is available from the Thackrah Award for research or an elective in occupational medicine. Write to the address below, enclosing a detailed proposal for your elective. The Society of Occupational Medicine, 6 St Andrew's Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LB. Telephone 020 7486 2641. Wellcome Trust – Student Elective PrizesEach year the Trust provides funds to support students to carry out a research project as part of their elective. The annual quota award for the joint School is 9 of which at least 3 must be for research in the field of tropical medicine (however this does not necessarily need to be carried out in the 'Tropics'). Students in receipt of awards will be required to conduct a specific research project under supervision. Projects involving clinical cancer or based at a cancer research institute will not be supported nor will purely clinical attachments be supported. Nominations will only be accepted from the Faculty Tutor. Students will be informed of the award before the elective but the cheque will only be available after the elective. An expense form needs to be completed with enclosure of receipts, which will be forwarded to the Wellcome Institute. Wyndham Deedes Memorial Travel ScholarshipOpen to graduates or senior students who travel to Israel to study an aspect of Israeli life (economic, cultural, scientific, etc.) At least six weeks overseas & minimum 5000 word report required. A bursary of up to £2,000 is available. Contact the Anglo-Israel Association, 9 Bentinck Street, London, W1M 5RP. Books listing further funding sourcesThe Medic's Guide to Work and Electives Around the World
The Directory of Smaller Grant Making TrustsPublished by Charity Aids Foundation (CAF), this contains details of over 1,000 smaller trusts with an income of less than £13,000 per annum. It has indexes covering field of interest, type of beneficiary and beneficial area. The individual entries demonstrate that a large number of smaller grant making trusts have a particular preference for funding activity in selected local, community-based arenas, which will make the directory of particular interest to fundraisers with a regional focus. The Directory of Grant Making TrustsPublished by Charity Aids Foundation (CAF), this is a comprehensive reference book covering the largest 2,500 trusts and foundations in the UK, which give grants to organisations. Each trust in this directory has the potential to give at least £20,000 a year. The entries include contact details, what is (and is not) funded, type and range of grants made, and examples of recent grants. The indexes are sorted by geographical area, filed of interest and type of beneficiary, and type of grant. A Guide to the Major TrustsThis comes in three volumes and covers grant-making trusts and foundations in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the UK in general. It gives clear descriptions of trusts' grant-making policies and practices, prints in full the trust's own guidelines and advice for applicants, with contact details and deadlines, offers independent commentary on trust activities and concerns, and gives examples of actual donations made, and indicates typical grant ranges. Directory of Social Change's book The Educational Grants DirectoryThis gives details of a wide range of funding and other support available for children and students in need up to and including first degree level. |
