The Copeland Center has limited scholarship funds to cover partial scholarships. If you are seeking financial assistance, it is a good idea to contact others who might be able to help. To get started, it is often helpful to write your own statement explaining why you want to attend a training and how you would use the knowledge and skills when you are done. When seeking financial assistance, a clearly written personal statement along with a description of the training (which you can copy from the website) will help convey your interest in and commitment to the training. This is a chance to put into practice the key concept of self-advocacy.
Here are some places where others have obtained funding to cover some or all of their expenses for training through the Copeland Center:
- Ask relatives and friends to contribute to the cost of training and travel expenses. Explain to them why you want to go and why they should invest in you. Facilitating WRAP groups helps others and might be a cause some of those around you would be happy to support. Even small contributions can help get you there.
- State Departments of Mental Health and Offices of Consumer Affairs. Call or write your state Mental Health Commission or office of Mental Health Consumer Affairs and tell the director you are looking for financial assistance to attend a Mental Health Recovery Seminar. If the director cannot help you, ask this person where they would suggest you look for funding.
- Social clubs and drop-in centers where people meet for support. If your state has one, it may give grants to people who are interested in being trained to teach others.
- If you are working with your state's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, it may provide funding.
- Check into groups that serve people with disabilities (at both the state and local levels) to see if there is any funding available.
- If involved with a place of worship, find out if any resources or connections are available. One person funded her attendance by connecting with her church which was in turn able to get funds from the Catholic Office of Ministry for Persons with Disabilities.
- Some people prearrange a trade with agencies or organizations to fund part of their tuition and travel expenses. They promise to conduct a certain number of presentations or WRAP groups in exchange for funding to cover training expenses. Some people approach multiple groups to cover more of the costs.
- Contact the local branch of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill).