Endowment for Russian students to attend Danish folk high schools

To subsidize young Russians to attend courses at a Danish folk high schools in order to support the democratic development of Russia by encouraging young democratic change makers of civil society in Russia. A purpose in line with the general main aim of the Danish folk high schools.

The Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark administers a grant on behalf of Marius Pedersen's foundation to support Russian youth to attend courses in Danish folk high schools, in order to support the democratic development in Russia.

Stipends currently at DKK 559 per week can be awarded for such stays, consistent with the lowest student fee a folk high school can demand. This means that the folk high school must reduce the price to half of the lowest weekly fee. This way the folk high school offers a significant discount for this group of students, and the stipend allows the students to participate in the course for free.

The stipend can be applied for by the school on behalf of the individual student and disbursed to the school.

Since funding is limited, stipends will be given for a maximum of 25 weeks, regardless of whether this covers a number of courses at different folk high schools.

You can apply for a maximum of one semester per application.

The Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark will manage this scheme and transfer stipends directly to the Danish folk high school.

• The student must have Russian citizenship.
• The stay must take place on a state-authorized folk high school in Denmark.
• The course must be approved by the authorities and have a duration of at least 12 weeks.
• The course must have the standards of a proper folk high school course.
• The student must live in at the folk high school throughout the course.
• Only applications for folk high school courses that have not yet commenced at the time of application will be considered.

In relation to the purpose of the endowment, the allocation of funding will reflect the following priorities:

• Funding must have the highest possible impact in terms of supporting civil society development, including strengthening the folk high school movement in Russia.
• Young people aged 18-35 are prioritized, but older people should also be able to get funding in cases that are particularly relevant.
• In handling the applications and in communication in general, consideration will be shown for the fact that Ukraine is in a state of war with all the consequences that entails for all Ukrainians.
• Stipends should benefit as many students and folk high schools as possible.

The stipend funding is divided into two pools: One allocated for spring courses beginning in the first half of the calendar year and one allocated for autumn courses beginning in the second half of the calendar year.

There will be two annual application sessions, one before May 1^st and one before November 1^st, each meant for the upcoming semester in the following six months.

NB. Deadline for applications for the spring term 2025 will be that the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark must have received the application no later than October 7th 2024. 

Please be aware that because of limited funds, there may be times where no stipends are available for application. 

Relevant partners in the two countries will notify potential students of this possibility and request students to contact the schools that offer what they are looking for. The individual student will inform the school that his or her application to attend a course is linked to this scheme, and the school will then take care of the ensuing process with information and application for funding.

Interested students will submit an application describing the motivation behind it, maximum length = one A4 sheet. This will contain: a description of why this person wants to attend a Danish folk high school, what relationship this person has to folk high school or civil society movements in Russia and how this person intends to use his or her Danish experiences in Russia subsequently.

The folk high school selected by the student applies for a stipend by filling in an online form at the homepage of the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark. The school will attach a copy of the student's application for admission to the folk high school as well as the students written motivation (max. 1 page). In addition, the school will write a short account of the school's thinking behind admitting the student.

The board of the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark will appoint a stipend committee rooted in the association's international committee.

Upon deadline the stipend committee will decide on the applications received and distribute the funds available. The committee will assess the students' motivation in relation to the purposes of the endowment.

The association will strive to answer applications as soon as possible after deadline.

Civil society organizations in Russia will be consulted in relation to the management of the endowment in order to qualitatively improve the distribution, to get the message across to relevant potential applicants and in order to increase the odds the students supported by the scheme will be able to make a difference in the existing movements in the future.

Immediately upon approval of the stipend application, the folk high school will send a letter of confirmation to the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark stating that the student in question has been admitted to the course or setting a date for when such confirmation is expected to be forwarded. The stipend will not have been finally approved until such time.

After the completion of the course, the folk high school will forward documentation for the number of completed weeks and an invoice for the stipend granted. The school will also forward a short report with the student's reflections on how he or she has benefitted from it. The Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark will then transfer the amount of the stipend to the school.

If the student's course has been shorter than stated in the application, the stipend will be reduced accordingly.

Please note: If the school fails to forward documentation before one month after the completion of the course, the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark can consider the awarded stipend annulled and thereafter neither the school nor the student will be entitled to make any claims on the funding granted.

After the stay, the student will submit a written account reflecting on how he or she has benefitted from the stay at the folk high school and how these experiences will be helpful in his or her future activities. The reflections are sent to the folk high school which will forward them to the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark along with the other report materials mentioned above.