Summary
The New Amateur Fund is a proposed restricted fund to be administered by the BCFMCA. Its purpose is to encourage younger people to obtain amateur radio licences by reimbursing exam and licence fees after successful completion and verification. This page is a proposal for the BCFMCA Executive and is not an official BCFMCA program unless and until the Executive approves it.
Eligibility
- Under 18: Reimbursement up to 100% of the exam and ISED licence cost (proof required).
- Ages 18–24: Reimbursement up to 50% of the exam and ISED licence cost (proof required).
- Proof required: Copy of Certificate of Proficiency and copy of ISED licence issued to the applicant.
- Caps: Maximum reimbursement per applicant: $___ (placeholder). Annual fund cap: $___ (placeholder).
- BCFMCA may set additional eligibility rules and reserves the right to approve or deny reimbursements.
How it works — Applicant steps
- Applicant obtains and passes the amateur radio exam and receives a Certificate of Proficiency.
- Applicant obtains their ISED licence and prepares a copy of the licence and the certificate.
- Applicant completes the New Amateur Fund application and requests reimbursement (form below).
- BCFMCA verifies documents and issues reimbursement according to fund rules and available budget.
How it works — BCFMCA administration
- Accept donations into a restricted “New Amateur Fund” account and issue official tax receipts to donors.
- Verify applicant documents and confirm ISED licence issuance before disbursing funds.
- Maintain records of disbursements, donor receipts, and anonymized annual reporting.
- Implement privacy safeguards for applicant documents and destroy personal documents after verification per policy.
Reporting and transparency
BCFMCA would publish an annual summary showing number of applicants, total disbursed, average reimbursement, and remaining fund balance. Individual applicant identities would not be published; only anonymized statistics will be reported.
Privacy and data handling
Applicant documents (Certificate of Proficiency and ISED licence) will be used only to verify eligibility. Documents will be stored securely, access limited to authorized BCFMCA staff, and destroyed after verification and recordkeeping retention period as agreed by BCFMCA policy.
Donation call to action
If you support encouraging new, younger amateur radio operators, please consider donating to the BCFMCA and specifying that the donation be directed to the “New Amateur Fund.” Donors should rely on BCFMCA for official tax receipts and confirmation of how funds are used.
Sample application form (non‑functional)
Sample email to BCFMCA Executive
Subject: Proposal — New Amateur Fund to encourage young amateur radio operators Dear BCFMCA Executive, I am writing to propose that the BCFMCA establish and administer a restricted "New Amateur Fund" to reimburse exam and ISED licence costs for younger amateur radio applicants. The fund would reimburse up to 100% for applicants under 18 and up to 50% for applicants aged 18–24, subject to verification of Certificate of Proficiency and ISED licence. I have prepared a short proposal and mockup web page describing the fund, application process, privacy safeguards, and reporting. I would welcome the opportunity to present this proposal to the Executive and to work with BCFMCA staff to finalize eligibility, caps, and administration details. Please let me know the best way to proceed. Sincerely, Ted Lee ve7lee at gmail.com http://ve7lee.tedlee.ca
Legal and approval disclaimer
This page is a proposal prepared by an individual (Ted Lee) and is not an official BCFMCA program. The New Amateur Fund and any reimbursements described here are subject to review, modification, and formal approval by the BCFMCA Executive. If approved, BCFMCA will be solely responsible for fund administration, issuing official tax receipts, verifying applicant eligibility, and disbursing funds. The proposer (Ted Lee) is not responsible for administration, disbursements, or tax receipts. Donors should rely on BCFMCA for official confirmation and receipts. This page is provided for discussion and planning purposes only.