How you will be able to apply for a scholarship?
Applying for a scholarship
What happens after I apply?
Taking the Gay Games home
How you will be able to apply for a scholarship?
Welcome to the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program. Your desire to participate in the Gay Games is important to both host Games Cologne gGmbH and the international Federation of Gay Games. The application process will be designed for you to tell us about you and your sports and cultural community. If you have questions about or need assistance in the process, you will be able to contact us for assistance and information.
- Applying for a scholarship
- What happens after I apply?
- Taking the Gay Games home
Applying for a scholarship
Applications must be received by October 31, 2009
Announcement of awards will be made in early 2010
Like the registration process for Gay Games VIII, the application process for the Scholarship Program will be conducted online. Attachments, such as copies of income documents, will need to be delivered by postal mail or fax to of Games Cologne gGmbH, the host of Gay Games VIII.
Checklist for Applying
1—Choose your Gay Games event
2—Identify your financial need
3—Submit an application
4—Receive assistance with your application
5—If English is not your primary language
6—Obtain your national passport and German visa
All information contained on the application form and any other supporting materials will be used solely for the review and awarding of Gay Games VIII Scholarships. Games Cologne and the Federation of Gay Games will be using the same application for, selection criteria and administrative processes. All information in the applications will be treated as confidential and will only be shared with these two organisations. It will not be shared with any other organisation without the expressed written consent of the applicant.
1—Choose your event
Begin the process for receiving a Gay Games VIII Scholarship by choosing a participatory event, either one of the listed sports or cultural participator events. You should review the event standards, divisions for competition, and other aspects to participation and make sure the event is still open to new participants. Understanding the requirements of your activity will help you better prepare and make your experience at the Gay Games more enjoyable.
2—Identify your financial need
Next, review the possible awards that you can receive. To assist us in awarding scholarships to as many people as possible, choose only the scholarship type(s) that you must have to attend the Games:
A. Basic event registration fees for participatory athletic and cultural events
• Scholarships will be available for all core participatory events—athletic and cultural. (A participatory event is one for which a full Gay Games registration fee is required.)
• An applicant can receive only one registration scholarship. If an applicant registers for more than one core participatory event (either sport or culture) at Gay Games VIII, the registrant will pay for additional participatory events on their own.
• There may be other athletic and cultural events that are held in conjunction with the Gay Games but are sponsored by another organisation. Any fees associated with such an event will not qualify for Gay Games VIII Scholarship.
B. Travel costs to and from Cologne, Germany
- Scholarship administrators will attempt to provide travel arrangements of equal comfort and convenience to all scholarship recipients.
- A scholarship recipient can suggest a preferred mode of travel, but the scholarship administrators can determine—with the assistance of registered travel agents—alternate modes of travel, taking into consideration in-kind travel resources and economies that do not cause undue burden on a recipient.
- There will be restrictions on the use of airline tickets, particularly those donated to the Scholarship Program.
C. Accommodations
To the extent possible, private hosted housing or fully subsidized dorm rooms will be used to provide housing to a scholarship recipient during the Games.
D. Daily allowance for the Games period (31 July to 7 August 2010)
A small daily allowance for meals and other expenses will be provided.
There will be a maximum Scholarship Program award for any one applicant due to the limited resources that will be available for scholarships.
3—Submit an application
Once you know your event, you will be asked to complete an application form—online or printed. There are sections that ask for personal information, work experience, financial declaration, community involvement, and your reasons for participating in the Gay Games. If you apply online there are a couple of sections that ask you to send in additional information. In order for the application to be considered, information for all sections must be received by the Scholarship Program.
NOTE: Acknowledgement of application receipt will be sent to applicants within 2 weeks of receipt. If there are missing elements to the application, those elements will be noted on the acknowledgement.
4—Assistance with your application
If you need assistance with completing the application, you can seek assistance from a person local to you or contact the Scholarship Program administrators.
5— If English is not your primary language
Your first language may not be English and we encourage you to complete essay questions in you first language. If there is someone in your area who can translate your answers into English, have that person translate your words; if necessary, we will attempt to provide translation.
6—Obtain your national passport and German visa
If you have not already done so, we recommend that you begin the application process for a passport and visa to enter Germany at the same time you apply for a scholarship.All applicants who receive awards announcements must provide proof that they have valid passports and visas, before a scholarship is official. If you require a letter from the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program as part of applying for a visa, you will receive one.
Confirmation of eligibility and application completeness.
Scholarship administrators will review each application for accuracy, eligibility, and completeness before considering whether or not the applicant qualifies for a scholarship.
If there are missing elements to the application, the applicant will be notified. If the application remains incomplete after 4 weeks from the original date of receipt by Games Cologne, an applicant will receive a reminder that her/his application is incomplete and will not be processed until complete.
Only when the application is complete will a Scholarship Need Score be calculated.
Award amount assigned to each recipient
The available funds will be assigned to applicants based on the extent of their needs, as measured by the Scholarship Need Score.
Announcement of Scholarships
Announcements will be made in early 2010.
Recipients will receive an announcement of their award via email; if necessary, a recipient will receive faxed or mailed announcement. Along with the notice will be a request for the recipient to provide written confirmation of her/his intention to participate in Gay Games VIII and acceptance or refusal of the scholarship award. The written reply must be received at the office of Games Cologne within 4 weeks or the scholarship will be forfeited.
If no response has been received after 2 weeks of the notice being sent by scholarship administrators another notice will be sent. If no response has been received after 4 weeks of the original notice being sent by scholarship administrators, phone calls will be placed to the recipient.
Protecting an applicant’s privacy
The Scholarship Program administration is ready to handle the special needs of participants who for political reasons cannot register directly for Gay Games VIII, but who wish to participate in the Games. Applicants will be asked to use an official application but the form of the announcement will to be altered. The Scholarship Program will respond to these individuals on a case-by-case basis.
Wait List
If additional funds become available, scholarships will be given. This will be done as soon as possible so that a recipient can make appropriate plans.
Confirmation of travel plans and Visa
Recipients must show proof of having a visa to travel to Germany before any scholarships will be disbursed.
Distribution of Scholarships
After working directly with a scholarship recipient to plan travel and housing logistics, scholarships will be disbursed.
- No money will be sent directly to a recipient; daily allowances will be provided when a recipient arrives in Cologne Germany
- Electronic tickets will be arranged for travel.
- Registration fees already paid by the applicant will be refunded if the recipient requests help paying these fees
- Prepaid housing (or hosted housing through the host organisation) will be arranged
One of the goals of the Scholarship Program is to assist in the expansion of the Gay Games movement. To meet this goal it will be important to nurture information and support networks between the FGG (and its member organisations) and scholarship recipients, especially those from less developed parts of the world, areas where there is little or no established LGBT sports and cultural communities, or from areas where homophobia exists.
As part of the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program, we want to also establish relationships with scholarship recipients and give them the tools so that they become the catalysts for growing the movement in their local communities.
To attain that goal, we will be holding a forum for all scholarship recipients, Games Cologne representatives, FGG member organisations, and community leaders. Included in that program will be sessions that:
- Welcome recipients to Gay Games VIII
- Allow recipients to introduce themselves and present the issues and impediments to organising that each recipient faces
- Offer recipient workshops that address these issues and suggest culturally sensitive best practices for establishing LGBT sports and cultural activities and sustain viable infrastructures and ways to be a part of international organisations.
- Encourage peer-to-peer exchanges
- The forum will be held at the beginning of the Gay Games.
Though the Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program will attempt to accommodate as many people as possible, it is not possible to accommodate everyone with regard to special needs, variation in demographic traits, and financial need. This is particularly the case with assisting Gay Games VIII Scholarship Program applicants with the application process for a Visa to enter Germany.
