The Oliver Collins Education Grant is proudly administered by FOP Australia, with the guidance and support of the Collins family and some of Ollie’s many friends.
Ollie Collins was a vibrant, intelligent, kind-hearted soul who is missed tremendously by many, including the Australian, New Zealand and international Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva community. Ollie was a lawyer, a writer and a strong advocate for people living with a disability. In his writing and presentations Ollie was able to give others a window in to life with a disability like FOP, and to show that “together, we can change the narrative”. Ollie was loved by all that met him. He was always willing to help others and was a great support to many in our community.
The aim of the Oliver Collins Education Grant is to provide financial support to people with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva to further their education or learning: This extends beyond learning in a school setting and can relate to pursuing further skills relating to hobbies or interests. This could include (but is not limited to):
- Singing/Music lessons
- Personal development
- Learning a new language
- Photography/art/craft courses or materials
- Information technology courses (eg. programming, how to create a podcast)
- Textbooks or subscriptions to online resources
- Swimming lessons / training in another physical activity
- Technology for learning e.g., Laptop for school use
- Learning a new skill
- Learning a new hobby
- Personal development
- Training in advocacy/leadership skills
As the aim is to help people with FOP access experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise have, routine school fees will not be covered by the grant program.
Eligibility:
People living with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva in Australia or New Zealand. (Eligibility will be confirmed using the same process as the FOP Australia Support Grant Program).
People with FOP and their caregivers will be informed that a grant round is opening for applications and will be sent the application form via email. Please contact info@fopaustralia.org to confirm your contact details if you are eligible to receive notifications of this.
This is a separate program to the FOP Australia Support Grant Program, and receipt of a Support Grant does not affect eligibility for an Oliver Collins Education Grant.
How to apply:
Applicants must complete the application form, including listing what items they are applying for (and detail costs) and write a paragraph explaining what they will gain by using the fund to further their learning. Parents/guardians of a person/people with FOP may write the application on behalf of their child/children.
Funding Amounts:
At the launch of the inaugural Oliver Collins Education Grant in April 2023, the program was allocated a total amount of $5000, which can be shared between multiple successful applicants judged to be appropriate by the selection panel After the first round was completed, the board restored the funding pool to $5000 in August 2023. When this amount has been fully utilised, the board will review FOP Australia’s capacity to renew the funding pool, with ongoing funding anticipated.
Timeframe:
The inaugural grant round was launched in April 2023.
Subsequently, we now host two grant rounds per year, one in April (to mark Ollie’s anniversary) and one in September (to honour his birthday). This will enable individuals and families a chance to plan opportunities for each semester of the school year. The frequency and process for future grant rounds will be reviewed again in late 2024 by the FOP Australia board. It is currently anticipated that the Oliver Collins Education Grant will be a long-term recurring FOP Australia program.
Process:
- People with FOP and their caregivers will be informed that a grant round is opening for applications and will be sent the application form via email
- Applicants must complete the application form, including listing what items they are applying for (and detailed costs) and include a paragraph explaining what they will gain by using the fund to further their learning.
- Parents/guardians of a person/people with FOP may write the application on behalf of their child/children.
- Applications can be submitted via the secure online form using the link and password provided. A PDF form will also be sent as an alternative option, and this can be emailed to info@fopaustralia.org marked
“CONFIDENTIAL: GRANT PROGRAM”. - A returning officer (nominated by the board, after review for potential conflicts of interest) will send the applications on to the selection panel. The selection panel comprises of Ellie Collins and Will
Collins, Ian Cali and Brooke Scott. Amanda Cali, Alison McAlpine and Daniel Atkin have also kindly agreed to be our reserve selection panel members (which will allow for us to facilitate the grant process when panel members are unavailable, including in circumstances where there is a potential conflict of interest excluding their participation). - Each panel member will be asked to:
Step 1: vote whether an application is eligible or not.
Step 2: score the applications based on how much they consider that the applicant would benefit from the proposed activities/items (according to the descriptions provided in the application). - The input from each panel member will be gathered using the review sheets developed for the FOP Australia Support Grant Program, which enables collation of review and calculation of a total score for each application.
The selection panel will advise the board of who is successful and unsuccessful, based on the availability of funds. - A representative of the board will contact the applicants to advise whether their applications were successful or unsuccessful, and to arrange transfer of funds where appropriate.
- FOP Australia will share news of the awarding of the grant in order to encourage further applications.
- Grant recipients will be encouraged (but not required) to contribute an impact statement to illustrate the benefit of the grant program.
Next review:
In the absence of issues arising to warrant earlier review, the board and selection panel members will review the TOR in July 2024.