General Information

The scheme

The Mind Association offers grants of up to £600 to support philosophy conferences and workshops in the UK and Ireland. This includes online events.

The deadline for applications is Friday 17th November 2023.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Monday 22nd January 2024.

Early applications will be welcomed. Late applications will be rejected. Ex post facto applications after the award decision date will be rejected. All grant awards are conditional on the presentation of satisfactory conference reports and accounts.

Prudent use of conference-grant funds is encouraged, as it enables the Mind Association to fund more events in total. We expect organisers not to claim more of the award than they actually need, and ask that they return to us any funds that turn out to be surplus.

Funds to cover costs relating to delegates with disabilities

The sums specified above are not inclusive of any funds required to cover costs relating specifically to access to the conference for delegates with disabilities. Conference grant applicants should specify any such costs in their budget, and include in their application a clear special request for any monies needed for this purpose.

Association policy on the award of grants

  • The Association only funds conferences that are open to all.
  • Conference grants are awarded only for conferences held in the British Isles.
  • The Association will only fund conferences that are thematically coherent and philosophically innovative.
  • The Association funds interdisciplinary conferences, but only if they have a substantial philosophical element.
  • A maximum of one award will be made to any given institution in a given funding round.
  • Grants are assessed on their merits in each round on a one-off basis. The Mind Association does not enter into long-term funding arrangements with any recurring conference series.
  • When putting the conference programme together, conference organizers should adhere to the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme and the BPA/SWIP Guidelines for Accessible Conferences, and should also use the relevant part of the application form to explain in detail how they have done so.
  • When putting the conference programme together, conference organizers should ensure that early career researchers (i.e. those below the level of senior lecturer) are prominently represented.
  • Funds may be requested for reasonable costs of accommodation, subsistence, room hire, and travel, but not international flights. The Mind Association does not typically fund domestic flights but will consider doing so when public transport is unavailable or for accessibility reasons.
  • The Mind Association does not provide feedback on applications. Decisions are final.

Applying

Applications must be made on the following form:

Mind Conference Grant Application Form

Please send your application form by email, with subject heading as ‘Conference Grant Application’ to the Director of the Association, Prof Daniel Whiting at MindAssoc@gmail.com.

Applications must state what other sources of funding have been sought, including those from the host department. (If the host department is not supporting the conference financially, applicants are invited to explain why not.)

You should expect an acknowledgement by email within two or three weeks; if you do not receive an acknowledgement, then you cannot assume your application has been safely received.

Notification and post-award

  • If you are successful in your application, the Director will let you know by email.
  • The Association normally issues the funds in arrears, via bank transfer, on receipt of a satisfactory report which includes a clear statement of expenditure. This report must be sent to the Treasurer, Dr Eliot Michaelson at mind.treasurer@gmail.com cc MindAssoc@gmail.com on the following form:

Mind Conference Report Form

  • Please note that funds awarded by the Treasurer need to be payable to an institutional body: personal payments are not normally permissible.