Societies Grant Fund

The Students' Union offers funding to support society activities that enhance student engagement and development. Societies can apply for funding to support a range of activities, including:

• Events
• Equipment
• Transport
• Accommodation
• Room hire

The grant fund is specifically designed to improve the development of societies and larger events with good reasoning. It is not intended to cover the day-to-day running costs of a society.

Please note that the grant fund cannot be used for the following:

• Any activities that put your Society or the Students Union at risk of defamation (such as illegal activities, substance abuse, vandalism, etc.)
• Alcohol related activities
• Personal benefit

Funding Timeline

Grants are now split across two terms:

How to Apply for the Societies Grant Fund

1. You will firstly need to carefully plan your event/request, including detailed information of costs breakdown. 

2. Please consider the Terms & Conditions (listed later) which the Exec will consider when deciding on applications, ensuring your application abides by them for the greatest chance of your application being successful.

3. Applications should be made through the form here, you'll need...

• Cover Letter: A brief summary of the activity or event, why it’s important, and how it benefits students (max 3,000 characters)
• Number of People Benefitting: Estimate of how many students will be involved or impacted
• Total Amount Requested: The full amount of funding you're applying for
• Detailed Breakdown of Costs: Include itemised estimates

4. You must submit your application by the application deadline for it to be considered in the Societies Executive Committee meeting 

5. Your application will then be discussed by the Societies Executive Committee and you will be informed of the outcome after the meeting.

Funding Application Guidelines

Here are some Terms and Conditions that should be considered and followed. This is what the Executive committee will take into account when considering applications so failure to follow may result in your application being rejected or your requested amount reduced:

• Applications must be submitted before the activity takes place and before the deadline. Retrospective applications will be rejected.
• Societies may apply in Term 1 and Term 2, but should only apply for activities taking place in that term’s spending period.
• There is no maximum allocation per society, but the total fund available is £9,000.
• Applications that are part-funded by the society will be looked on more favourably. Societies should not rely solely on grant funding.
• The society’s contribution must be reasonable and proportionate to the amount requested.
• Activities that benefit the wider student community or environment (e.g. planting initiatives) are encouraged.
• New activities are prioritised. Repeat annual events will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Funding Restrictions

Funding cannot be used for:

• Alcohol-related activities
• Personal gain (e.g. individual clothing or equipment)
• Donations or fundraising for other charities or individuals
• Political campaigning for or against any candidate or party
• Activities that could risk defamation of the society or Students’ Union

Assessment & Outcome

• Applications are reviewed by the Societies Executive Committee.
• Decisions may result in:
  • Full funding
  • Partial funding
  • Request for more information
  • Rejection

Spending

• Funding must be spent by the agreed deadline and follow SU finance processes.
• Receipts are required.
• Unspent funds will be reclaimed.
• Requests to alter spending must be submitted via the Help Desk.

After the event/activity

Late in the academic year when all funding has been allocated, you will be required to provide evidence of your spending and photos of any equipment or activities the fund may have supported. There is no set structure for evidencing your spend, but it's typical to be asked to provide evidence to any grant or fund that you've secured from external grant providers. This helps us ensure that that money is spent correctly, that the spending has been worthwhile, and pictures can help us promote the grant fund in future years. 

If you you want to share details of your successes that the money has enabled, please submit a ticket or tag our societies officer on social media so that it can be shared!