WMS caregiver grant

The WMS provides grants of up to £1,000 GBP to assist WMS members who wish to attend the Congress in person and who have costs associated with the care of themselves or others during the Congress.

Eligible dependents are defined as the following:

• children under the age of 16
• disabled child, parent, spouse, partner or family member for whom the applicant is the primary caregiver 

We will provide a family-friendly room at the Congress venue with the Congress virtual platform viewable on screens for delegates with children. Please note that children are not permitted in the rest of the Congress spaces.

Grant eligibility and terms:

• Grant recipients must be WMS members and attend the Congress in person (will be verified);
• Funding of up to £1,000 will be awarded after the Congress. No funds can be distributed prior to the conclusion of the Congress, and no funds are distributed on site;
• Each recipient will complete an expense claim form in full and return it with original receipts and supporting documentation to [email protected]. Claims should be submitted within 30 days of the event, anything received after this date may not be accepted or processed;
• Caregiver grant recipients are responsible for ensuring that a suitable travel insurance policy is in place to cover any changes to travel plans;
• If a visa application is required for travel, the awardee is responsible for purchasing a flexible or refundable ticket in case the visa is denied or delayed;
• Recipients must include full bank details for the reimbursement on the expenses claim form including IBAN and BIC codes for international payments. UK payments will need a sort code and account number. Payments to the US often require additional details for the payment to be processed successfully. Payment will be made to the recipient's nominated account by electronic transfer from a UK bank within one month of receipt of the claim;
• Any expenses incurred in excess of the award amount must be borne by the individual recipient;
• The applicant can also apply for a Fellowship if applicable. 

Eligible expenses include:

• child or adult care (on-site at the Congress location or at home)
• home-based child or adult care expenses incurred because of congress attendance (funds may not be applied to normal ongoing expenses)
• personal care assistants for Congress presenting authors
• airfare/hotel costs for a caregiver to accompany dependent(s) to the Congress location
• airfare/hotel costs for dependent(s)
• only one caregiver may apply for a grant

Expenses not eligible for reimbursement include:

• meals
• tickets to museums and other attractions
• expenses related to the delegate's participation in the congress (including congress registration or other expenses the delegate would already be incurring by attending the congress).

Application:

WMS Members can apply for a grant in the registration form no later than 9th September 2025. 

We will only be able to award a limited number of grants, so may not be able to meet the needs of all applicants. All applicants will be notified no later than 16th September 2025.

If you have a question, please email [email protected].

Submission of expense claims

We are using a new platform for expense claims for WMS 2025. We will use a secure portal called Zoho Expense. We will contact all caregiver grant recipients to request additional information and in October, we will contact you through Zoho Expense to ask you to create an account and submit your expense claim. We will provide detailed instructions for how to do this.