Money

The Societies Committee offers grants to affliated societies. This money comes from profit within the Union bars and cafes.

When should you apply for a Societies Committee Grant?

Grants are awarded based on 2 main criteria:

• Financial Need: the grant form asks you how much money your society is putting into the event, how much is being made from ticket sales, how much has been received through sponsorship, and how the event will cost. The Societies Committee looks at this information to determine whether there is financial need for a grant, or if your society can self-fund the event.
• Merit of event: societies are meant to run events that are both congruent with their aims as well as valuable to their members. The last section of the Grant Form asks about the merit of your event with regards to the student experience. How is your event beneficial to your members? The University community? Town and gown relations? Think about why you are holding the event, and what you are hoping to achieve.

We recommend applying for a grant at least two weeks before your event. We strongly discourage retroactive grants.

Apply for a grant

1. Complete a grant form and risk assessment

   Download the societies grant form (.xlsx).

   The Grant Form was discussed in Treasurer Training, and all Treasurers have received a guide that covers how to fill out the form. If you have any additional questions, email the Societies Grants Officer at [email protected].

   You must also submit a risk assessment 14 days before the event. You will not be able to claim a grant if your risk assessment is not approved. You can find information for risk assessments here. Email your completed risk assessment to [email protected].

2. Once you've completed the form, send it to [email protected]. You may wish to attend the Societies Committee meeting (Wednesday 16:30-17:30 Society Room D) to discuss your grant request. Please email [email protected] if you plan to attend.

3. Reviewing your grant request

   Once we've received your grant request and reviewed it with you, your request will be discussed by the committee at their weekly Wednesday committee meeting.

   If your grant request is over £500, you will be asked to attend the meeting to present your request, and answer any questions the committee may have about the event.

   You will hear back by the following Friday, and be informed of the committee's decision.

   If you have been successful, the Societies Grants Officer will email you about how much funding have been granted, as well as a Grant Receipt to access the funds.

4. Claiming your funds

   In order to claim your grant funding, your President and Treasurer must sign off on the grant receipt. Please bring your Grant Receipt and valid receipts to the Cash Office to reimburse any expenses. Alternatively you may email the cash office [email protected] with an invoice for any purchases you wish them to make for you, up to the value of the Grant.

If you have any questions about the grants process, you can email the Societies Officer via [email protected].