BSAC

The Jubilee Trust is the official charity of the British Sub-Aqua Club. It was set up in 1977, the Queen's Silver Jubilee Year, with the main objective of providing financial support to divers for a wide variety of projects. These projects would fall beyond the scope and financial resources of normal Branch and local club activities.
The Trust has funds of its own and there is no charge whatsoever on members' annual subscriptions. (Mind you the Trust is always very happy to receive gifts or bequests from members who feel they might like to put something back into the sport). These funds are invested and each year Grants are distributed out of the income to the diving community. Being a registered charity the Trust is overseen by the Charity Commissioners and run by a group of approved Trustees.
The Trustees are all people with long experience of diving. They are also experts in the fields of technology, archaeology, biology etc. However they are totally independent of the Club management and officers. For example the Club has no power to appoint or dismiss a Trustee. Equally, the Trust has no voting rights in the Club Council. On the other hand a relationship of cooperation and mutual assistance exists between the Club and the Trust, as both wish to promote and support diving activities particularly in British waters, but also overseas.

Trust Activities and Types of Projects Supported

Q : Someone is prepared to give me money to go diving ?
A : Yes, BUT !!
Q : There's always a "BUT" so what is it ?
A : Yes BUT the results of your diving should be of benefit to the diving community in general AND there one or two other conditions to be fulfilled.

Read On
The Jubilee Trust exists to help and promote good ideas for the development of the sport of diving as practiced by the British Sub Aqua Cub and other appropriately recognised diving bodies. Often divers either individually or in groups, have ideas for extending their activities beyond the normal club diving expedition but need funds to help them get started. For example you may want to investigate the underwater life in some remote part of the world. In contrast we know of divers who wished to observe the annual biological changes on their favourite U.K. dive site. Others have wanted to research into the effects of diving at altitude or get involved in some aspect of mixed-gas breathing research, or perhaps they belong to a group who have found an ancient shipwreck or even more recent archaeological artifact from World War II. Yet others may have a plan to investigate a new underwater cave system. Whatever the project an approach to the Trust may well provide some financial assistance. Your proposals need to extend normal branch diving activities. Trust funds will seldom, if ever be available to assist in the purchase of Branch or individual diving equipment.
To be considered for a Grant you need to be properly qualified to carry out the level of diving you are proposing. Your diving must follow BSAC (or equivalent) rules to the letter. Don't tell us you wish to solo dive under the Antarctic ice-shelf to film dragon-fish if you have only just qualified as a novice. Neither will we sponsor you to enter a spear-fishing competition, as that's against the rules.
A good example of a project with personal and diving community benefits would be the excavation of wreck artifacts and the publication of a report, having followed the Nautical Archaeology Society guidelines. Similar projects involving the determination of the extent of reef decay would also receive sympathetic attention from the Trustees.
Applicants will always need to show the Trustees exactly what they are proposing to do within the project. For example we do not fund people who just wish to "join in and help the scientists etc., etc." as a member of the current vogue for mass- participation expeditions, and we won't pay for your diving training before going on such trips either. Taking another extreme example, we will not be interested in funding anybody's holiday trip to the Red Sea, however cunningly they try to dress it up as "essential research"

Q : Who can apply for a BS-A Jubilee Trust Grant ?
A : Any diver or group of divers.
Download the Grant Application Form here.

Q : How can an amateur possibly compete with a professional application?
A : The trust recognises this and takes account of each type of applicant.
Take the most obvious examples where professionals and amateurs might seem to be in competition; biological, medical and archaeological research. The Trustees will expect a very high level of professional skill in a qualified scientists application, but a more modest level from the amateur diver who wants to start some biological recording or archaeological investigation. Professionals and amateurs are viewed quite differently by the trustees and grants are given evenly and without favour to either.

Q : I dive as my main (part of my main) occupation. Can I apply for a Grant to support my work ?
A : No
Grants are primarily for activities which are seen to be part of your amateur diver involvement in the sport. We would not fund anybody's Undergraduate course research project at University, although we will consider a grant for research that is undertaken as part of a Post Graduate Degee. Neither can we give anything to a professional diver to help him with his employment. But we would give a professional rig diver a grant if he wanted to record the flora and fauna on a rig-leg out of amateur interest. So if you think that you have got a good idea for a project, but are not sure - do get in touch with the Trust first, preferably by email.

Q : How large are these Grants ?
A : Funds are limited and only a proportion of applicants are successful. The grant you get depends on the nature of your proposal, how much cash you intend to raise yourself and the competence with which you have planned the project
We are never able to fund a project completely. Recently grants have ranged from a few hundred pounds to several thousand. However if a really earth-shattering idea were to be presented to us then the sum could be larger.

Q : What do I have to do once I receive a Grant ?
A : Carry out the terms of the legal contract you enter into with the Trust.
You will have told us on the application form what you propose to do and the time and financial scale for its completion - this is the basis of a binding legal agreement. You also have to provide a written report on or before the first anniversary of the award. Abstracts and photographs from these reports may appear on the Trust web site. Agreeing to this form of publication is part of your contract with the Trust. However the Trust does not wish to publish any of your work in the diving press or other journals, this is entirely up to you. If you fail to provide your report within the agreed time you will have to repay the full amount of the Grant to the Trust.

Q : Does the Trust just distribute Grants ?
A : No, we also have responsibility for other areas of B.S.-A.C. activities where the Trustees independence is essential. These are:-

1) The Duke of Edinburgh's Prize for the British Sub-Aqua Club

When the Duke of Edinburgh was President of the British Sub-Aqua Club he offered this annual prize for the best underwater scientific project carried out by members of the Club. Eligible projects may be selected from, but not limited to, successful recipients of the Trust's Grants.
This is now the premier award for amateur diving activities in the Club.Previous Prize Winners.

Just write to HQ. for a Duke of Edinburgh's Prize entry form or download the form here. The Duke personally selects the winners who are invited to the Palace for the Prize presentation by Prince Philip himself.

Written applications only can be submitted for this Prize. It is not possible to submit your application directly through the internet.

2) The Colin McLeod Award
This is made annually to the person (B.S-A.C. member or not) who has made the most significant contribution to international relationships between divers and diving organisations. Anyone with a name to suggest for this award should either write to or email the Trust. Previous Award recipients.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A TRUST GRANT
The aim of the grant awards is to raise the standard of projects undertaken by diving clubs, individuals or expeditions by providing financial assistance, so long as the aims and execution of the project do not conflict with the Objectives of the Trust

Grant awards are made to INDIVIDUALS, notwithstanding the fact that the individual might participate in a larger group enterprise. Successful candidates must provide a report on THEIR OWN activities, including a financial statement not later than the first anniversary of the awarding of the Grant.
Applications should be received by the Secretary TWO MONTHS before the project is due to take place. In exceptional circumstances the Trust may be able to make decisions in a shorter time - contact the Secretary to explain these circumstances.

Email divetrust25@lineone.net

The Trust meets three times a year to consider applications.

Any applications received after the above dates will not be considered until the next Trust meeting. e.g. an application received on 10th DECEMBER is unlikely to be considered until the May/early June meeting.


All applications should be made on the official Jubilee Trust Grant Application Form downloaded here. Down load the form. The Trust now ONLY accepts applications in electronic form. THIS SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF A MICROSOFT WORD FILE ONLY. The application should consist of the completed Application Form and any supporting documentation as a single WORD attachment (maximum size 1Mb - larger files are deleted by server) and email to divetrust25@lineone.net