Policy on IPA Subsidies to Visiting Committees


Background

1. IPA policy is that Study Groups and Provisional Societies fund the costs of their visiting committees – Sponsoring Committees (in the case of Study Groups) and Liaison Committees (in the case of Provisional Societies).

2. In exceptional circumstances, the IPA will consider funding part of the costs of such visiting committees.  The procedures below describe such exceptional circumstances and the processes to be followed.  The purpose of these subsidies is to recognise cases of financial hardship amongst IPA Members.

3. Subsidies are not available for any other IPA visiting committees.  The IPA already funds the costs of site visits to potential new groups, and to potential Allied Centres.

Criteria for Subsidies to Visiting Committees

4. Subsidies to the costs of visiting committees (Sponsoring Committees and Liaison Committees) will be available to Study Groups and to Provisional Societies whose IPA Members are in receipt of discounted IPA dues. 

5. Subsidies are not normally available to those groups paying IPA dues at standard and harmonization rates, unless those groups on harmonization rates can show that they would be eligible for dues discounts at the standard rate. 

6. Those Study Groups and Provisional Societies to which this applies will be informed of this option once the IPA Board has approved IPA dues discounts for the year in question.

7. Study Groups and Provisional Societies will be asked to indicate whether or not they wish to take up the offer of such subsidies.  Each Study Group and Provisional Society which wishes to take up the offer will be asked to provide the IPA with a list of its currently registered candidates on the 1 January for the year in question.  Subsidies cannot be provided unless the list of such candidates is received by the IPA.

Value of Subsidies

8. Subsidies to the costs of visiting committees will be determined by a spreadsheet – the Appendix to these procedures - showing the percentage of the costs incurred by Sponsoring Committees and Liaison Committees which the IPA will refund according to the number of IPA Members and registered candidates within Study Groups and Provisional Societies, and the IPA discounted dues level paid by the IPA Members, subject to a limit on the costs to which the percentages apply. 

Notes on the Spreadsheet

9. The minimum number of IPA Members and registered candidates within Study Groups and Provisional Societies to which the system applies is 10.  Where Study Groups contain fewer than 10 IPA Members and registered candidates, the IPA subsidies will be based on spreadsheet column of 10 IPA Members and registered candidates.  The subsidy percentages payable up to 10 IPA Members and registered candidates are the greatest available, and decline for each additional person above this number.

10. The limits for which the percentages are payable are up to $6000 for the total costs of two Sponsoring Committee visits per year and up to $3000 for the total costs of one Liaison Committee visit per year.  (Based upon $1000 per Committee member, per visit, and assuming Committees of 3 people in each.)

11. For example – using the spreadsheet in the Appendix:

a. A Study Group has 8 IPA Members and registered candidates, and the IPA Members pay $80 in IPA dues.  The total costs of the two visits of the Sponsoring Committee for a calendar year were $5500.  The value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Sponsoring Committee is 73% of $5500.  If the costs of the two visits of the Sponsoring Committee for a calendar year were at or above $6000, the value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Sponsoring Committee would be limited to 73% of $6000.
b. A Study Groups has 12 IPA Members and registered candidates, and the IPA Members pay $120 in IPA dues.  The total costs of the two visits of the Sponsoring Committee for a calendar year were $5500.  The value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Sponsoring Committee is 52% of $5500.  If the costs of the two visits of the Sponsoring Committee for a calendar year were at or above $6000, the value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Sponsoring Committee would be limited to 52% of $6000.
c. A Provisional Society has 15 IPA Members and registered candidates, and the IPA Members pay $160 in IPA dues.  The total costs of the single visit of the Liaison Committee for a calendar year were $2900.  The value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Liaison Committee is 20% of $2900.  If the costs of the single visit of the Liaison Committee for a calendar year were at or above $3000, the value of the subsidy available to the costs of the visiting Liaison Committee would be limited to 20% of $3000.
d. A Provisional Society has 21IPA Members and registered candidates, and the IPA Members pay $200 in IPA dues.  The total costs of the single visit of the Liaison Committee for a calendar year were $2900.  No subsidy is payable towards the costs of the visiting Liaison Committee, even if the costs of the single visit of the Liaison Committee for a calendar year were at or above $3000.

12. Subsidies may be reduced in cases where splits occur in groups prior to becoming Study Groups or Provisional Societies, or during the time they have this status.  Such splits mean that the IPA has to provide separate Sponsoring Committees or Liaison Committees, thus increasing the costs to the individuals in the groups themselves, and to the IPA where subsidies are offered.  Normally the subsidies available will be reduced to the level of cost to the IPA which would have been incurred had the groups not split.  In all such cases, the Treasurer will determine the subsidies available in close consultation with the Chair of the International New Groups Committee.

Special Needs

13. The subsidies payable may vary from those determined by the spreadsheet where “special needs” apply.  The above policy is based on total cost of a Sponsoring Committee not exceeding $6000 for two visits of a three person Sponsoring Committee each year, and a Liaison Committee not exceeding $3000 for one visit of a three person Liaison Committee each year.  There are cases where the IPA may need to make decisions which could increase the costs of visiting committees, and so the subsidies payable may be higher.

14. The special needs which could give rise to a higher subsidy are as follows:
a. Where the IPA determines that the Sponsoring or Liaison Committee should contain four or more members.  (The normal composition of a Sponsoring or a Liaison Committee is two or three members.)
b. Where the IPA determines that the Sponsoring or Liaison Committee’s members should be from countries at a considerable distance from the country being visited.  (The normal practice is that members of a Sponsoring or a Liaison Committee should be from countries relatively close to the country being visited in order to reduce travel costs.)
c. Where the IPA determines that the Sponsoring or Liaison Committee should visit the group more than twice a year for Sponsoring Committees, and more than once a year for Liaison Committees.  (The normal practice is for Sponsoring Committees to visit twice per year, and for Liaison Committees to visit once per year.)
d. Any other special circumstances, which, in the opinion of the Chair of the International New Groups Committee, might qualify for consideration under the “special needs” clause.  All such cases will be referred to the Treasurer for review in consultation with the Chair of the International New Groups Committee.
All “special needs” cases will be referred to the Executive Committee and the Board for   approval as part of the annual budgetary process.

Payment of Subsidies

15. The Study Groups and Provisional Societies eligible for subsidies must pay all the costs of the visiting committees for each calendar year.  They are then requested to send details of all the costs incurred in the full calendar year with the necessary supporting documentation.  The IPA will refund the value of the subsidies to the relevant percentage of costs when all the costs have been incurred, and the supporting documentation has been received and validated.

16. The IPA will normally make such refunds within three months after all the costs have been incurred and the supporting documentation has been received.

 

Change Log

Approved by the Board July 2007

 

*This change record is for background information only and does not form part of the Procedural Code. If there is any conflict between a statement in the Procedural Code and a statement in this change record, the change record will be disregarded.