I'm not aware of a fund of this kind, with auctions on LJ and so on. Many individual cons have scholarships or other kinds of assistance, though my impression is that they are rather ad-hoc as a rule.
Some cons are much harder to attend if you're poor than others. I used to go to cons when I was practically broke, but it involved driving rather than taking the plane, piling into a room with eight or ten other people, sleeping on the floor, and so on. I'm too old for that now, which is why David and I haven't been to many out-of-town cons for some years now.
WFC is a con that is very difficult to attend if you're poor, which is pretty ironic, given the average yearly income of most writers. The two Minneapolis WFCs tried to address this. I'm pretty sure there were behind-the-scenes scholarships, and I know the stated goal of the hospitality committee was to have enough real food in the con suite that people could be adequately nourished there rather than having to spend money on restaurants. I'm not aware of anything really organized in this area, but I might not be. Lots of cons are outside my orbit.
The founders of Con or Bust saw a need and addressed it. I'd agree that it would be excellent if more poor people could attend conventions, but organizing such matters is not my talent. I'll give such an effort as much help as I've given Con or Bust, though, if it's brought to my attention.
no subject
Some cons are much harder to attend if you're poor than others. I used to go to cons when I was practically broke, but it involved driving rather than taking the plane, piling into a room with eight or ten other people, sleeping on the floor, and so on. I'm too old for that now, which is why David and I haven't been to many out-of-town cons for some years now.
WFC is a con that is very difficult to attend if you're poor, which is pretty ironic, given the average yearly income of most writers. The two Minneapolis WFCs tried to address this. I'm pretty sure there were behind-the-scenes scholarships, and I know the stated goal of the hospitality committee was to have enough real food in the con suite that people could be adequately nourished there rather than having to spend money on restaurants. I'm not aware of anything really organized in this area, but I might not be. Lots of cons are outside my orbit.
The founders of Con or Bust saw a need and addressed it. I'd agree that it would be excellent if more poor people could attend conventions, but organizing such matters is not my talent. I'll give such an effort as much help as I've given Con or Bust, though, if it's brought to my attention.
P.
p.