Financial Aid

FGC wants Friends to attend the Gathering regardless of financial need. Register early to get highest priority for financial assistance. Scholarships and workgrants are available. It is possible to receive both a scholarship and a workgrant.

Read more about:

Workgrants
Scholarships
What if My Financial Aid need Is Not Met?
Travel Grants

Workgrants

The Gathering offers a limited number of workgrants for 40% or 50% of basic fees (in 2013, that is $305 or $380) for 2 to 4 hours of daily service at the Gathering. Basic fees are the sum of the adult program fee, plus shared housing, plus a three-meal-a-day mealplan.  Workgrants are only available to adults (18 years and older, and not in the High School program).

See a list of some of our workgrants.

How to Apply for a Workgrant

(a) Complete the High School or Junior Gathering staff application form, available online by mid-March,

OR

(b) Answer the “Workgrant” questions when completing the registration form.   

Scholarships

Friends with financial need may request a scholarship from FGC. Due to the western site, this year, Friends from all Friends meetings and churches will have equal access to scholarship funds.  (Most years, priority is given to Friends attending meetings affiliated with FGC.)

June 1, 2013 Scholarship Update

The following scholarships are still be awarded:

• First time attenders from Pacific Yearly Meeting between the ages for 14 and 25 are eligible for 50% of basic fees, and perhaps more
• All other registrants:  maximum scholarship is 25% of basic fees
• Travel grants are still available for western children and young adults, and for young adults from PhlYM

How to Apply for Scholarship Assistance

Complete the "Scholarships" section when registering for the Gathering. Include a request for a specific amount. Registering early increases the likelihood of obtaining the maximum scholarship.

First-Time Gathering Attenders

If you receive a scholarship from your monthly, quarterly or yearly meeting, you are eligible for a matching FGC scholarship (up to established maximums) as long as funds remain. If your meeting is not able to provide as much assistance as it would like, a letter or email from the meeting will increase the likelihood of FGC meeting your financial need. For example, if your meeting can only give $50 but wishes it could give $300, FGC would like to know.

Without a scholarship or a letter from your meeting, financial aid from FGC will be minimal.

Teen and young adult first-time attenders (up to age 35) who identify as Quakers and are not connected to a meeting will receive priority scholarship assistance if they have a current or recent affiliation with a Quaker organization (e.g., school, camp, or Quaker employer).

Returning Gathering Attenders

Returning attenders may apply for FGC scholarships whether or not they receive financial assistance from their meeting. You are encouraged to request support from your meeting so that FGC may extend its support to more people.

Support for Families, Youth, and Young Adults

FGC scholarships for families and youth will be continue to be awarded after other funds have been fully disbursed. For the purposes of this scholarship, a family consists of no more than two adults and their related children in Junior Gathering (the children's program) or the High School Program. "Youth and young adults" means anyone 35 years or younger. These funds are awarded via the standard application process which starts when completing the registration form.

See below for information about supplemental scholarships for young adults from Philadlephia Yearly Meeting.

FGC also awards scholarships grants from a special fund managed by FGC for Pacific Yearly Meeting (PacYM) Friends ages 14-25. PacYM scholarships may exceed the FGC scholarship maximum. These funds are awarded via the standard application process which starts when completing the registration form.  The standard maximum does not apply, and travel funds may be available upon request.

Who Is Eligible and When?

Everyone affiliated with or attending a Friends meeting is eligible for scholarship assistance, while funds remain.  First-time Gathering attenders, read more above.

By registering early, you increase the likelihood that FGC will be able to meet your financial need.

Maximum FGC Scholarships

To determine maximum scholarship amounts, FGC calculates 50% of Total Fees (Lodging & Campus Fee + Meal Plan + Program Fee), assuming that Friends are in simple double (shared) rooms, and that children sleep on the floor if eligible. You and your party may choose singles, or other premium housing, or beds for children, however, this will not impact your maximum scholarship. Similarly, you may choose to commute (including camping offsite), participate in a cooperative cooking meal plan, or choose "prepare your food", and this will not impact your maximum scholarship. Thanks to special funding, Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends age 14–25 are exempt from this maximum. Also, limited exceptions to the 50% maximum may be made in the event of extraordinary circumstances.

Exceptions to the Scholarship Maximum

The Gathering may exceed the scholarship maximum for a limited number of Friends experiencing financial hardship.  Such exceptions are given to individuals or families that meet one or more of these criteria. 

• Recipient of U.S. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Canadian Guaranteed Income Supplement  (GIS)
• Recipient of U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Income below the U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines or Canadian LICO

What If My Financial Aid Need Is Not Met?

If the financial aid provided to you is not enough to allow you to attend, you may cancel without penalty if you cancel within one week of learning of your financial aid award.  

Travel Grants (limited eligibility)

For Young Western Friends

Thanks to a generous western donor, receive up to $100 per young adult (18-35 years, not in the High School Program) and up to $200 per child (including teens in the High School program).  To be eligible for this grant, you must meet the age requirements and live in the U.S. or Canada within or west of: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories.

For Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Young Adults

Travel grants of up to $250 per person are available for young adults (ages 18-35) from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and their dependents. Many thanks to Friends Institute for providing the funds for these travel grants.

How to Apply

If you are eligible, apply for a travel grant when you register for the Gathering.  Most Friends hear within three weeks of registration about financial aid and travel grant awards.