Last year the everyone was recruiting instructors like crazy as instructors moved onto airlines. This year we are all getting laid off from our flying jobs so there are alot of experienced instructors coming back into the market.
So your chances of getting sponsored for an FI rating are probably zero. GAPAN do run a scholarship for FI ratings but only give out a couple of awards each year. So it may be worth checking the GAPAN website to see when the next scholarships will be available.