1. THE FUND'S POLICY

1.1 The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund is a registered charity which was established primarily to aid the research into learning disability and to aid the care and relief of those affected by learning disability by making grants to voluntary organisations working in this field.

1.2 Learning Disabilities Learning disabilities (intellectual disabilities), with or without autism are our priorities for funding.  We consider projects for children or adults.  We do not give grants for research into or care of people with mental illness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, nor ADHD, if they do not also have learning disabilities (intellectual disabilities).

1.3 We generally direct our limited funds towards the initiation of research so that it can progress to the point at which there is sufficient data to support an application to one of the major funding bodies.

2. HOW TO APPLY

2.1 Applications will only be considered from established research workers and will be subject to normal professional peer review procedures.

2.2 Applications, limited to 5 pages (including references) with the type no smaller than Times New Roman 12, should be in the form of a scientific case for support, with:

• a brief background,
• research questions or hypotheses,
• detailed description of the methods including number of participants, study design, assessments/outcome measures, and proposed analyses,
• timetable,
• importance/likely impact of the research, or other opportunities likely to arise from the research,
• references. 

The appendices required in 2.3, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7 below are additional to the 5 page limit stipulated in 2.2.

2.3 A detailed budget of costs should be submitted together with a justification for the support requested. Details should be included of any other applications for funding which have been made to other funders and their outcomes, if known.

2.4 We only fund the directly incurred costs of research. This can include the salary costs of researchers to be employed full or part time directly on the project, but not a percentage salary recoup of academics employed on permanent University contracts. We do not cover University Full Economic Costs, nor open access publishing costs, nor costs for conference attendance.

2.5 A one page Curriculum Vitae will be required for each of the personnel conducting the study, including a note of the number of their peer reviewed publications and details of the 10 most significant publications.

2.6 Evidence may be submitted of the approval of the Ethics Committee of the applicant to the study and approval of the University for the application to the Fund.  Please note any successful application will be subject to confirmation of ethics approval prior to the release of any funds.

2.7 An eighty word lay summary should also be submitted with the scientific summary.

2.8 Any papers submitted in excess of those stipulated above will not be passed to the Research Committee for consideration.

2.9 Before submitting a full application, researchers may submit a one page summary of the proposed study so that the Trustees may indicate whether they are prepared to consider a full application.  The one page summary should include sufficient description of the proposed study design and methods to assess the proposal, and hence only a brief introduction, and an approximation of the likely sum of money to be requested.  If you are wishing to submit an initial one-page summary, the deadline for submission is 1 December or 1 May.

2.10 Meetings of the Trustees are usually held in June and November each year and all full applications should therefore be submitted no later than 1 February or 1 July for consideration at the next relevant meeting.  Late applications will not be considered.