Financial constraints may deter many dancers and would-be dance teachers from attending Summer School, organising local teacher-training classes or dance events, or participating in other RSCDS activities. Do not despair! The RSCDS offers a number of generous scholarships and funding schemes to provide assistance, particularly from the Jean Milligan Memorial Fund (JMMF).
Attending events
A number of scholarships are offered to cover the cost of residential and course fees at events and dance schools (plus examination fees where applicable). Some are available even to non-members.
Travel expenses are not covered; however, the RSCDS International Branch’s Susi Mayr Fund offers grants that may cover travel; the Fund’s purposes are much wider, and dancers are recommended to investigate it.
Summer School scholarships
There are a range of scholarships available to members attending Summer School and applications should be made by mid-November for Summer School the following year. Further details are given on the application form and in the sections below.
Scholarships are offered annually to cover residential and course fees for Summer School. These comprise general JMMF scholarships open to members:
- The Kitty McLaughlin Award for those wishing to attend the Musicians’ Course
- The JMMF Youth scholarships, including the Derek Haynes Award and one Alastair Aitkenhead Award, for members aged 16-25
- The John Duckett Scholarship, which gives preference to students aged 16-25
- And another Alastair Aitkenhead Scholarship, for young dancers (including non-members) aged 12-16
(For those wishing to attend the Teaching Certificate courses, see Teaching Certificate Scholarships).
Applications should be signed by the applicant, a proposer and a supporter (both RSCDS members) and include a letter of recommendation from a Branch committee or an RSCDS qualified teacher. The deadline for applications is usually mid-November; successful applicants must apply to attend Summer School by 31st January in the year of attendance and submit a report on their experience (up to 500 words) by 1st September following, all or part of which may be published by RSCDS. See the application form for further details.
Scholarships are available for those wishing to take the Teaching Certificate Part 1 (Units 2&3) or Part 2 (Unit 5) at Summer School. These include the Duncan McLeod scholarship, for which preference is given to those training as teachers, particularly of physical education. Scholarships cover residential, course and examination fees.
Applications should be signed by the applicant, a proposer and a supporter (both RSCDS members) and include a letter of recommendation from a Branch committee or an RSCDS qualified teacher.
Successful applicants must apply to attend Summer School by 31st January in the year of attendance and submit a report on their experience (up to 500 words) by 1st September following, all or part of which may be published by RSCDS. The deadline for applications is usually mid-November. See the application form for further details.
| Name | Age Range / Other | Preference for 1st Time Attendance | Open to Non-Members | Dancers |
Musicians' Course |
Teaching Certificate Part 1 or 2 |
| JMMF General Scholarship | X | X | ||||
| Kitty McLaughlin Award | X | X | ||||
| JMM Youth Scholarships (SummerSchool) | 16-25; preferably in full-time education | X | X | X | ||
| Derek Haynes Award | 16-25 | X | X | X | X | |
| John Duckett Scholarship | 16-25; Preference to full-time students | X | X | |||
| Alastair Aitkenhead Scholarship | 16-25 | Required | X (Resident) | |||
| Alastair Aitkenhead Scholarship | 12-16 | X | X | X (Resident) | ||
| JMMF Teaching Certificate Scholarship | X | |||||
| Duncan McLeod Scholarship | Preference for candidates undergoing teacher training, preferably in Physical Education | Preference for candidates undergoing teacher training, preferably in Physical Education | X |
Spring Fling scholarships
Spring Fling is an event for dancers aged 35 or under and five scholarships to attend Spring Fling are offered annually by the Youth Services Committee. You don’t have to be an RSCDS member to apply. The Youth Services Committee will select the recipients, giving preference to applicants who are under 25. For more information please see below.
Scholarships for Spring Fling are offered annually. The scholarships are open to members of the RSCDS and to non-members. Applicants should be under 35 and preference will be given to those under 25. Only residential (accommodation) and course fees are covered by the Scholarships; travelling expenses are not covered.
The application should be supported by a short statement from the applicant under 'Reasons for Application', outlining the financial need and stating briefly why the applicant wants to attend Spring Fling.
The form should be signed by the applicant and a proposer. The proposer may be another dancer, a dance teacher, or a member of the RSCDS.
The proposer should submit a brief statement in support of the applicant, which should be enclosed with the application form. The Youth Services Committee will be responsible for selecting the recipients from the applications received.
If successful, it is a condition of the award that a short report, maximum 500 words, must be submitted to the Youth Services Committee by 1st June in the year of the award. The report, or extracts from it, may be featured in the Scottish Country Dancer or published on the RSCDS website.
Please return the completed form to the RSCDS office, together with the proposer's statement, by 15th January 2019. It can be emailed to Moira Thomson, Events Manager, at moira.thomson@rscds.org
Young dancers
The RSCDS is particularly keen to support and encourage young dancers. It offers scholarships to dancers under 20 to help them attend youth events, classes, schools or workshops run by RSCDS Branches anywhere in the world. Some of the scholarships for dancers and teaching certificate candidates attending Summer School are reserved for young people aged 25 or under.
The RSCDS Youth Branch also offers travel grants to its members to attend events, so we encourage you to get in touch with the Youth Branch to find out more.
Youth scholarships are offered to young dancers under 20, and preferably under 17, to cover residential and course fees for attending youth events, classes, schools or workshops run by any Branch of the RSCDS anywhere in the world. Applicants should submit a short statement saying why they want to attend the event and need financial support, along with a supporting statement from a proposer (another dancer, dance teacher or RSCDS member). See the application form for further details including the deadline for applications (usually mid-January).
Scholarships to attend Spring Fling are restricted to those aged 35 and under, with a preference for those under 25 (see Spring Fling Scholarships above).
Some of the scholarships for attending RSCDS Summer School in St. Andrews are targeted at young people. These are:
- JMMF Youth Scholarships, for members aged 16-25, preferably those in full-time education who haven’t previously been to Summer School
- The Derek Haynes Award, for a member aged 16-25 to attend as a dancer or on the Musicians’ Course
- The John Duckett Scholarship, which has a preference for full-time students aged 16-25
- The Alastair Aitkenhead Scholarships, for dancers preferably attending Summer School for the first time: one for a member aged 16-25, the other for a dancer aged 12-16
See Summer School scholarships (above) for more details.
Applying for a scholarship
Application forms for each scholarship or source of funding can be downloaded from the relevant link or obtained by contacting RSCDS or your local Branch secretary. They can be completed electronically or printed and posted to RSCDS.
For all scholarship applications contact Events Manager Moira Thomson: moira.thomson@rscds.org; for other JMMF applications contact Finance Manager Sandra Parish: sandra.parish@rscds.org
There are a range of scholarships available from JMMF to members and young dancers attending Spring Fling and Summer School, including Teaching Certificate Scholarships. Consult the relevant sections above for details of these and visit the JMMF page for more information and to download the guidelines and application form.
