Who can apply?

Applicants must be resident on the Isle of Wight, aged 16 and over and wishing to pursue a career in horticulture, including as a change of career later in life. We particularly encourage applications from people whose circumstances might otherwise prevent them from taking up an opportunity to improve their ability to get a job or pursue their ambition of a career in horticulture.

What can be applied for?

The following are examples, but the list is not exhaustive:
· Level 1: up to £200 for a practical course or essential equipment
· Level 2: up to £1000 for an accredited course such as pesticide use or chainsaw training, including travel costs if off Island
· Level 3: up to £3000 towards advanced training or work placement off Island including living or travel expenses

What applications would not qualify?

We will not give grants to pay for:
· items that are covered by the Student Loans Scheme or similar
· costs covered by your employer
· items covered by any Government back to work schemes

Terms and conditions

· All Awards must be applied for in advance and all monies awarded are to be spent within 3 months for Levels 1 and 2 and within 1 year for Level 3, unless a deferral is agreed in writing
· Unspent money must be returned
· All receipts must be provided
· Knowingly providing false information will invalidate this application and could lead to the requirement to repay any grant awarded
· We would expect you to provide a report in an appropriate format for feedback and monitoring. These are suggestions:For level 1 this could simply be a brief statement saying how the award helped you, with a photo of you using the item or taking part in the activity
For Level 2 a similar report but with more detail
For Level 3 an illustrated talk for members of VFWH and/or an article for our journal Ventnorensis

Help and support will be available if required and we would welcome novel suggestions of how you will provide feedback.

We would like to use the feedback provided for publicity and to celebrate success and encourage others to apply, but contributions will be anonymised if requested.

How to apply

Please fill in our application form

If you have any questions about or need help with this form, please contact Sally Peake bursary@vfhw.org.uk

The application process

Please submit your application by the first day of the month in which the panel is due to sit. These will be:
January, April, July and October.

Your application will be acknowledged by email and for some Awards we may request further details or that you attend an interview. We will notify you whether your application has been successful or not.

Personal data use

Your personal information, which we gather as part of the grant application, assessment and monitoring process, will be kept securely by VFWH and only be used in ways that we need to in accordance with statutory requirements and codes of practice issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
You can read our full policy here: Privacy Policy