NOLOSE 2011: Financial Assistance & Scholarships

How does this work?
We have two different categories and pots of money to distribute: A) Financial Aid; and B) Scholarships to individuals in underrepresented groups. These are reviewed separately and with different criteria, but you are welcome to apply for both! Only Financial Aid is reviewed on the basis of financial need.

PLEASE NOTE: Only self-identified fat folks are eligible to apply for both Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Option A: NOLOSE Financial Aid
For this year's conference, we're basing financial aid on living wage guidelines.

Please go to www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu to calculate the living wage for your area, based on US dollars. If your personal income is 150% or less than that amount, you are welcome to apply for financial aid. If your (individual) annual income is more than 150% of the living wage for where you live, we will not award you financial aid.

NOLOSE recognizes that this system does have its flaws; however, this cut-off is designed to make the FA process as objective and egalitarian as possible, and to ensure that FA goes to the people who need it most. While we would love to be able to offer assistance to everyone who attends the conference (and in the past, we have offered financial assistance to a large majority of conference-goers), the financial aid system is designed to give preference to those with demonstrated financial need. NOLOSE works hard to provide a quality conference while keeping costs low, and has many individuals to thank for raising funds to bring people who would not otherwise be able to attend. For the 2010 conference, we were able to award the full amount of aid to everyone who applied and was eligible.

More FA info: what, when, how and how much?

1. We ask that everyone receiving FA contribute at least $75 toward their registration this year. Awards may be tiered, meaning some people will get more aid than others, based on need.
2. FA applications that we receive after May 5th will depend on future fundraising efforts and availability of funding, so please apply early for your best chances. We will start making FA offers after May 9th.
   
3. To secure aid, you will need to pay the $75 (or the otherwise stated minimum) per your offer's instructions. In order to accept your FA or Scholarship award, you MUST register for the conference online and pay your balance by June 6th. Otherwise, we will redistribute funds to other applicants. You will be required to pay your minimum at the time of registration.

Option B: Scholarships
This year, we are also offering 12 free full-conference registrations to people in historically underrepresented groups in our community.

We will offer scholarships to two individuals in each of the following groups: people of color, people with disabilities, supersized people, people over 50, folks outside of the US and North America, and trans people (we strongly encourage trans women to apply for this scholarship). You are encouraged to apply for a scholarship if you belong to one or more of these underrepresented groups. These registration scholarships are available regardless of applicants' income level.

The 12 scholarships cover conference registration fees only; travel and hotel expenses are still the responsibility of the attendee. Please note that those in need should also apply for Financial Assistance (FA) to ensure better chances of aid, but scholarship awardees will not receive additional FA (which applies toward registration fees only).

(* fields are required)

Financial Assistance and Scholarships Application: Please note that this application does not register you for the conference.
First name *
Last name *
Address *
Address, con.
City*
State/Province*	Select option U.S.: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming ------------------ Canada: Alberta British Columbia New Brunswick Newfoundland Northern Mariana Is Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Province du Quebec Palau Saskatchewan Yukon Territory ------------------ Other/does not apply
Zip code *
Country*	Select option United States Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antartica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil Brune Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo(formerly Zaire) Congo, Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Vatican City Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovak Republic Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uraguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (U.S.) Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe Other _______________________________________
Primary phone *
Email *

Option A: If Applying for Financial Assistance:
Please note the new guidelines for applying for FA. Only individuals with an annual income 150% or less of the living wage in their geographic area will qualify. Your information will be reviewed by an internal committee and kept confidential.
1) INCOME. Please list average monthly income for self (this includes all income—employment income, unemployment income, social security, disability pay, alimony, loans, financial aid, support from friends and relatives, etc.):
Employment income	U.S. $	Unemployment income	U.S. $
Social Security	U.S. $	Disability pay	U.S. $
TANF or other govt. support	U.S. $	Loans/financial aid	U.S. $
Alimony (or support from former partner)	U.S. $	Support from friends, relatives, partners	U.S. $
Other income	U.S. $
	Total income from above 2 columns:		U.S. $
2) EXPENSES. Please list expenses beyond standard living expenses that you think apply to your FA application (medical, dependents, school/tuition, travel expenses, etc.):
>> Skip ahead to the bottom if you're ready to submit this! Or continue on to apply for a scholarship (you may apply for both FA and a scholarship if you are eligible for both):

Option B: Scholarship Application: for individuals in underrepresented groups Please read guidelines and info before applying. You need not enter any financial information (income/expenses) to apply, as the scholarships are not based on financial need. We're so glad you're applying! We would love to award this money to all applicants, who we feel are inherently deserving. Unfortunately, we can't; so this is a competitive process for our 12 scholarships. Please answer these few short questions, including a brief (not more than 500 words) statement as to what your presence at NOLOSE would add to the conference experience. Be as creative as you like. The statement need not be written. If you are unable to write the statement due to a disability, please contact the FA Committee at president@nolose.org. We will be happy to discuss alternatives with you.

1) Which scholarship are you applying for? (check all that apply:) People of color Supersized people Disabled people People over 50 Transgendered people (we strongly encourage transwomen to apply) International/transcontinental attendees (specifically: people who do not reside in N. America)

2) What has been your primary barrier to attending NOLOSE conferences in the past?

3) How will your presence as an individual enhance the conference experience? We want to know what you, right there, reading this, are going to do to make this the best NOLOSE conference yet. We're not so interested in why you "deserve" to come (everyone deserves to come!). We don't expect fireworks, or even a workshop idea (though you’re welcome to propose one). What level of involvement can you bring to the table? Maybe you sing a rollicking rendition of "Fat-Bottomed Girls." Maybe you're really shy and you know exactly how to get other shy people to get up and dance. Show us, tell us, let us know.

4) Lastly: do you have ideas as to how NOLOSE could better reach out to underrepresented groups? This won't be judged as part of your application, but will be considered for future planning.

Please click only once! It may take a moment to process:

Questions? Please contact the Financial Assistance Committee.