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Caring Supplementary Grants

Objectives: To enable parents and carers to attend conferences and other research schools, meetings or visits by making a supplementary contribution towards caring costs

Eligibility: Any mathematician in the UK is eligible to apply for a grant. If the applicant is not a member then the application must be countersigned by an LMS member.

Criteria:

  • Candidates should first approach the institution or event (conference, school, research visit) organisers to see if any arrangements for funding caring costs are in place, and contact other bodies for support, before applying for the LMS grants. It is the LMS view that institutions should make provision for caring costs but, while this is not largely the case, the Society is willing to make a supplementary grant as a contribution to the costs.
  • Confirmation of participation and the extra reasonable costs associated with care that will be incurred is required before payment of the grant can be made.
  • Applications are open year-round and there is no deadline. Applications are considered by the London Mathematical Society's Committee for Women and Diversity in Mathematics in four rounds per year. The first round will take place in September and thereafter on a quarterly basis.
  • Grants will not be made for activities that have already occurred at the time of decision. 
  • The Committee will not normally fund more than one grant per family per conference.
  • The Committee will not normally award more than one grant per person per year.
  • Each case will be considered on its individual merits.
  • A report will be required after the conference or meeting has taken place.
  • Priority will be given to applicants who have not already received support for caring costs from other sources.
  • Priority will be given to early career applicants.
  • Only mathematicians based in the UK may apply.  UK mathematicians may not apply on behalf of mathematicians visiting from outside the UK.
  • PhD students should submit a letter of support from their department with their application.

Value of award: The maximum award is £200.

When to submit:

Applications for Caring Grants are open year-round. Applications are considered by the Committee for Women and Diversity in Mathematics and candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application shortly after the decision is made. The first round of decisions is made in September and thereafter on a quarterly basis.

Testimonials:

“We are academics at the University of Edinburgh in the area of Operational Research, with two children aged 8 and 5. We often find we need to attend the same conference, which means taking our children with us or one of us not attending and missing out on an important career benefit. Last summer we received a Caring Supplementary Grant from the London Mathematical Society to attend the EURO 2022 Conference, the main conference in Europe in Operational Research. This grant helped to mitigate the additional costs that were incurred through bringing our children with us. We are very grateful to the LMS for this financial support!  We think that it is very important that schemes such as this exist, and that there should be as many as possible. Sergio García Quiles and Belén Martín Barragán, Readers in Operational Research, University of Edinburgh” - Sergio García Quiles

“I used the LMS Caring Supplementary Grant to travel to a conference. At the time, I had just come from maternity leave, I was still breastfeeding, and, above all, I was eager to get back into the research game. Networking and being in touch with other mathematicians and their current research is of utmost importance, especially when you have been away for a considerable time. The grant allowed me to participate in the conference with my breastfed child and a babysitter and for that, I am very grateful.” - Maria Del Carmen Reguera Rodriguez

“Last summer I was invited by my collaborator to carry out a week-long research visit to focus on our project. However, I had no one to leave my 1-year-old son with. The LMS Caring Supplementary Grant allowed me to take my son with me and to undertake a productive and fruitful research visit.” - Luciana Dalla Valle

“By covering childcare-related costs, the Caring Supplementary Grant allowed me to interact in person with my collaborators at a stage of my life when it wouldn't have been possible otherwise. This has led to crucial progress, which rarely happens via less intensive ways of collaboration (e.g. online).” – Ana Peon Nieto

Queries regarding applications can be addressed to the Grants Administrator who will be pleased to discuss proposals informally with potential applicants and give advice on the submission of an application.

Grant Administrator:  Kieran O'Connor (email: womenanddiversity@lms.ac.uk).

Information and Guidance notes:

Application Form:

Report Form

 

HMRC provides information and guidance for both employers and employees about tax contributions on employer-supported childcare. This can be found on the HMRC website

HMRC's tax guide for Expenses and Benefits can be found here with guidance with regards to 'work related training' on page 22. Further HMRC guidance can be found here, and information about childcare costs incurred during such training can be found here.

The University of Warwick's Social Inclusion Group website contains information on its Conference Support Awards scheme and some information about this scheme in relation to Work Related Training which may be of use to other institutions.

Please note that the Society is unable to provide advice on any tax-related issues regarding childcare. Please contact HMRC directly.