The Variety Heart Scholarship is designed to support children with a demonstrated talent who are living with a disability, chronic illness or financial hardship, to reach the next stage of development in their area of talent.

Variety Heart Scholarships are proudly presented by the Grahame Mapp Family Foundation in honour of the late Gillian Mapp.

Applicants must be:

• Aged 8 to 18 years;
• Residents of NSW or ACT; and
• Have a demonstrated talent in one of these areas; The Arts or Sport.

Please note: The Variety Heart Scholarship is a highly competitive grant. Applicants must be able to demonstrate existing talent and success in the form of awards, state/national/international competition or other forms of recognition.  Applications that cannot provide evidence of existing talent will not be put forward to the committee.

Firstly, an applicant must meet all eligibility requirements. In addition to reviewing each applicant based on their own merit we will also look for the following:

• Clear concise information. Define exactly what the child requires and why
• Correct legible attachments
• Support letters from an appropriate professional person that directly discuss and focus on the child’s talent and clearly stipulate what achievements they have attained

If the application is not clear and/or doesn’t include requested information or attachments it may be declined.

We strongly recommend speaking to your support professionals, caseworkers, teachers, family/friends etc. to assist you during the process. If you require any further support or clarification please contact the Kids Support Team on [email protected] or at 9819 1000. Please note the Kids Support Team cannot submit an application on your behalf.

Once submitted, all applications are pre-assessed by the Kids Support Team to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. Then, all eligible applications are considered by the Variety Heart Scholarships Committee. This committee is made up of experts in areas of The Arts, Sport, Education and Medical and each application is assessed on its own merit. All decisions are at the discretion of this Committee.

If applying under Funding Option A. Financial Hardship:

• Proof of household income (i.e. payslips, ATO Notice of assessment, Centrelink statements etc.); and
• Support Letter from a professional person directly related to the child’s talent.

If applying under Funding Option B. Disability or Chronic Illness:

• Proof of household income (i.e. payslips, ATO Notice of assessment, Centrelink statements etc.); and
• Support Letter from a professional person directly related to the child’s talent
• Diagnosis letter from GP/Paediatrician addressing the child’s diagnosis/disability.

Please note this is an overview of the documents required – for more information click here for the Guidelines

For an example of a support letter, click here.

The purpose of the support letter is to provide evidence and acknowledgment of the child’s talent. The Committee relies heavily on this document when reviewing applications.

This professional person needs to confidently address the child’s talent and so must be directly related to the area of talent and should know the child and their achievements.

Here are examples of appropriate support people under each area of talent:

• THE ARTS…….. Dance, Art or Music Tutors/Teachers
• SPORT………….. Coaches, Sporting Organisations

The aim of the Variety Heart Scholarships is to assist kids with reaching their full potential in their area of talent, where they might not otherwise be afforded the opportunity to do so.

A maximum yearly household income has been set to ensure we are reaching these families.

At Variety we appreciate that there can be additional financial responsibilities and costs when a child is diagnosed with a disability or a chronic illness and for this reason have set different income limitations for option A and B.

In addition to the household income, we will review all aspects of an application and take this into consideration in the assessment process.

Variety Heart Scholarships can fund:

• Training
• Entry/Competition
• Lessons
• Courses
• Equipment
• Registration Costs
• Uniforms
• Airfares (for the child only, to and from appropriate events related to the Scholarship e.g.: competition)
• Accommodation (e.g.: basic/standard hotel room for the child and Parent/Carer to attend competition)
• Fuel (receipt must be legible, we cannot accept eftpos receipts. This is for travel to and from appropriate events related to the scholarship e.g. competition).

Approved successful applicants will be invited to a presentation event which will occur in mid-September. This is an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful talent of our Variety Heart Scholarship recipients, both past and present.

Applications for this year's Variety Heart Scholarship are now closed. Applicants will receive an outcome letter via email within 6-9 weeks of the submission deadline.

For more information, please refer to the Variety Heart Scholarship Guidelines.

We are here to help so please call and ask to speak to one of our friendly Kids Support Coordinators on 02 9819 1000 or email [email protected] if you have any questions.