Heijtz Research Fund

One of the most significant developments at the Study Group AGM was the launch of a Research Fund, which will bear the name of the present Research Co-ordinator who has made a very generous donation to start the fund off.

It was decided at the AGM that awards from the Fund would be administered by the Chairman of the Study Group, the Editor of the Journal and the Research Co-ordinator, all for the time being.

This sub-committee has drafted some basic rules – very much on the KISS principle – as below:-

AIMS: To encourage research within Falkland Islands and Dependencies Philately with the goal of publishing the information in the Upland Goose, as a supplement or monograph, or elsewhere.

COMMITTEE: Three people: The FIPSG Chairman; The Editor of the Upland Goose; The FIPSG Research Coordinator.

USE OF FUNDS: The fund will be used to help fund the publication of research within Falkland Islands and Dependencies Philately and will be awarded to projects rather than to people as such. Any one project can be awarded an amount up to a maximum of £200. The maximum amount may be changed by a unanimous committee decision. The committee has to be unanimous to award funds to a project. There is no minimum or maximum number of projects that could receive funds within a year. Some years could have none, others several.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FUND: Any FIPSG member or any other person may donate cash to the fund, but it is also possible to donate stamps, covers, postcards or any other items with a Falklands connection, which will be sold through a FIPSG auction (or another auction which the committee finds suitable) and proceeds from these sales will be added to the fund.

HANDLING OF THE FUND: The money in the fund will be handled by the FIPSG Treasurer as a separate fund in the FIPSG accounts.

These rules are subject to ratification at the next Executive Committee meeting but the fund is very much “in being” and Members are encouraged to support this initiative - gifts in “kind” are just as welcome as gifts of cash. The beneficiaries are the ultimately whole membership.