Coronavirus update for applicants - 13 April

The Tom Fund exists to help third year BA Design students with their final projects. Final projects this year have been disrupted by the spread of the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately our funds are limited and we can’t help everyone. We have adapted our application process to try and limit the uncertainty experienced by applicants.

The modified process, applicable to applications received from today 13 April, is explained below:

  • The deadline for all Tom Fund 2019-20 applications is now Friday 24 April (at midnight).

  • Applications received between now and the deadline will all be assessed following the deadline, decisions will be sent out in the week beginning 27 April.

  • Applications received between now and the deadline do not require the support of tutors due to the need to allow students to apply swiftly at a time when tutors may not be available.

  • Applications will be assessed in line with our existing criteria, which are explained here. We want to help you develop your ideas, and not only improve production value.

If you are experiencing exceptionally disruptive personal circumstances, such as quarantine away from home, hospitalisation, or bereavement, and will therefore be unable to apply by 24 April, please contact Matt Ward.

We know that many of you will be incurring unexpected costs as you seek to adapt your outcomes to the new constraints, and we are sorry that we can’t help everyone meet those costs. If we receive a lot of applications we will have to reject a lot of exceptional projects.

Newsletter - January 2019

The Tom Fund has recently been launched to the 2019 Third Year Design BA students and now seems a very good time to let you know a bit more about how the Tom Fund looks in 2019.

The Tom Fund leadership within the Design Department has been handed over from Matt Ward to Juliette Kristensen, who is the programme lead for BA Design. Huge thanks go to Matt for steering the fund through its earliest days with kindness and thoughtfulness to students, staff and friends and family. Matt also offered direction in making the fund as responsive as possible to allow a very rapid turnaround in providing funds at a crucial time in project development. I think our record is 4 days from application to available funds! Juliette has taken the reins in hand and continues to lead with an analytical and compassionate approach ensuring the fund reaches as many students as possible at the right time. We are very grateful for Juliette’s delight in the fund and her thoughtful approach and wish her well in her new role at Goldsmiths. Further details about Juliette and her fascinating work are available at http://www.jckristensen.com.

We also welcome Keit Bonnici to the team of Tom’s friends assessing applications. He has just returned to the UK after a successful exhibition of his work in Malta.

The Tom Fund has been formally launched by Juliette to this years’ Third Year Students who are working hard on their final projects. The launch brought a fresh insight as the current third years were not at Goldsmiths with Tom; students were curious about him, us and the fund. It was particularly gratifying to hear Juliette explain her delight in their recognition of being part of a community of Goldsmith designers able to both pay it forwards and backwards. We are very much looking forward to seeing the first applications and joining the year group at their Degree Show in the summer.

Continued funding of the Tom Fund has been a delightful surprise. The funds are held in a Gift –Aid enabled account by the Goldsmiths finance team who let us know if donations are made. To date, the majority have been, and are extremely gratefully received, from people who knew Tom. However, the students who graduated in 2018 have made significant donations to the fund, which together with several warmly welcomed continuing donations from Tom’s family and friends, has left our finances in a healthy position.

The website at https://www.tomfund.org provides both a means of application for students and a legacy of successful applicants projects. This ongoing presence on the web and experience of applying for funding are two of the significant benefits offered by the Tom Fund attested to by graduates as they pursue their careers in the design world.

Thank you

STOP PRESS….30th January…First Application in and swiftly approved.