Financial Assistance and Outreach

PyCon Australia offers a generous financial assistance programme, so that some attendees and speakers have some -- or in rare cases, all -- of their expenses such as flight, hotel and admission provided to them from the conference budget.

PyCon Australia strongly encourages people to apply for financial assistance -- even if we can’t cover all of your expenses, we will give you free or discounted admission based on need. The application process is simple, and straightforward. Accepted speakers are given priority, but budget is set aside to help attendees too. This helps us balance supporting this year's conference, and investing in the future of the Python community. We also don’t ban anyone from applying.

Essentially, the financial assistance programme is the PyCon Outreach programme -- it's the community holding up the community and making itself accessible at this major event through these financial grants. It is the very spirit of the conference: make the information, knowledge, friendships and connection available to everyone.

The generous contribution of the Python Software Foundation has helped us in offering this programme. Financial assistance is core to the mission of the PSF -- The mission of the Python Software Foundation is to promote, protect, and advance the Python programming language, and to support and facilitate the growth of a diverse and international community of Python programmers.

Application and deadlines

To apply, please fill out our financial assistance application form. Applications close on Friday 30 June 2017 and you will receive a response by 4 July. However applications will be approved progressively so please apply early and your application may be approved early.

Eligibility

Anyone interested in attending PyCon Australia is eligible to apply for financial assistance. Grants are allocated on the basis of need, and applications will be assessed by our financial assistance panel.

Cases that will be looked upon favourably include, but are not limited to:

Presenters with accepted proposals, who would otherwise not be able afford to attend the conference.
Contributors to Python Open Source projects, looking to participate in the post-conference sprints.
Members of Python-related user groups, looking to bring knowledge back to their local community.
Members of groups that encourage diversity in computing and technology, including PyLadies groups, looking to bring knowledge back to their local community.
Students interested in Python, who can contribute knowledge of Python back to their peers.
Teachers who want to keep their knowledge of software design and development up-to-date, or want to network with other IT teachers at the Python in Education day.

In short, anyone whose attendance at PyCon Australia will help improve the Python community in Australia, or around the world, is invited to apply.

Assistance Types

We can offer four types of assistance to attend the conference: discounted registration for your conference ticket, financial assistance for transportation and accommodation expenses associated with your attendance, assistance with the on-site childcare, and financial assistance associated with other expenses you might incur.

You may apply for as much assistance as you require, however, applications seeking more funding will be reviewed more stringently. It is also likely that we will not be able to fund the entirety of your requested funding.

As a rule: ask for only as much assistance as would enable you to attend the event. We have a limited pool of funding, and we want to make it available to as many people as possible.

Exceptions to the eligibility requirements will be considered on a case by case basis. Please e-mail contact@pycon-au.org

Discounted or Complimentary Registration

We can offer applicants either discounted, or complimentary 'enthusiast' level registration. This type of assistance is the easiest for us to provide, and if we are unable to consider the rest of your application for assistance, we may still consider registration assistance.

At a minimum, genuine requests for registration assistance will remain eligible for 'early bird' registration rates, regardless of whether that rate is generally available.

Transportation and accommodation assistance

If you're from out of town, we can help cover reasonable travel-related expenses associated with your attendance at the conference. Types of assistance that we look favourably upon include, but are not limited to:

Costs of accommodation at a nearby hotel for the conference nights that you're planning on attending.
Costs of airfares or long-distance bus/train tickets to Melbourne.
Public transportation tickets or airport transfers
Childcare expenses for the conference days you're planning on attending (conference childcare or otherwise)
Costs for substitute teachers to cover for practising educators attending the Python in Education Seminar.

You will need to provide a rough estimate of the expenses you're planning to claim, and explain how you arrived at your claim. We expect you to show that you've made an effort to minimise the amount you plan to claim, for example:

Booking air travel on low-cost carriers such as Jetstar or Tigerair, and booking your flights well in advance.
Finding a room-mate with whom you can split the cost of your accommodation.
Booking accommodation slightly further out from the venue to reduce costs (the conference venue is well served by public transit).

Of course, if you have special needs that prevent you from doing any of these, we'll be happy to try to accommodate you. Please contact us by e-mail at contact@pycon-au.org to discuss your circumstances.

If your application for assistance is accepted, we will calculate a maximum amount to reimburse you based only on the assistance you have requested. We'll reimburse you after the conference, provided you can show receipts for that amount.

Other Expenses

If there are other financial barriers to your attendance at the conference, we can also help.

Examples of assistance we can provide include:

Costs for substitute teachers to cover for teachers who want to attend the Python in Education Seminar.
Registration and catering costs for carers of conference attendees.