Society Grant Funding 2015-16
Information Pack
Introduction
Each year, Queen Mary Students' Union receives a block grant from the University to support student
activities and a proportion of this is made available to societies through a bidding process.
This pack includes information on which pots of funding are available to societies and how to apply for
funding. As the block grant is limited we cannot supply each society with funding. This is a competitive
process, so please take the time to read through these guidance notes to help you write a successful bid
What funding can I bid for from the Students’ Union?
Societies Grant Fund (£50,000)
The Societies Grant Fund is a pot of money which all societies can apply to for assistance with
events, trips, equipment and other costs to aid in the provision of their aims and objectives.
Bidding is restricted to 5 rounds throughout the academic year, with at least 60% of the pot being
made available in the first semester.
Any left over money from each round will be added to the next round. Anything left after the final
round will be at the Students’ Union discretion to use.
The total amount that a society can bid for is based on their membership numbers. A society which
increases its membership throughout the year can apply for the difference gained between rounds.
The Societies Grant Fund is managed by the Societies Team (su-societies@qmul.ac.uk).
Employability Project Fund (£5,000)
This is a one off pot made available by the Queen Mary Annual Fund for all QMSU groups (societies,
sports clubs, volunteering groups, student media and RAG) to run specific activities that will improve
the employability of their members.
There will be 1 round where the entire pot will be made available. The maximum amount a group
can receive is £500. Groups will also have to submit an impact report to QMSU detailing what the
money has been spent on. Any left over money will be returned to the Queen Mary Annual Fund.
The Employability Project Fund is managed by Anna Fons Garcia, Employability and Social
Enterprise Coordinator (anna.garcia@qmul.ac.uk). Anna will be running an open drop in session on
Wednesday 7th October 2015 (3-5pm) at the Students’ Hub for any groups wanting advice or
guidance filling out their application form.
The application process
Societies must complete the relevant application form to clearly explain the purpose the money is
needed for and the amount.
Application forms can be downloaded from the QMSU website and must be submitted to the relevant
staff member, typed and electronically.
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Applications for the Societies Grant Fund will be reviewed by the Societies Board, a group of 6
elected representatives from QM and BL societies and the 2 part-time Societies Officers. Any
conflicts of interests will be taken into consideration before reviewing applications.
Applications for the Employability Project Fund for Groups will reviewed by a separate panel,
comprising of the Employability Coordinator, Student Engagement Manager, a Sabbatical Officer
and a QM Careers & Enterprise Centre staff member.
All approved and re-registered societies for 2015/2016 can apply for funding from both pots.
Late applications will not be accepted.
How much is available and when can I bid?
Societies Grant Fund
Round
Opens
3rd
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2
3
4
5
Deadline
31st
August 2015
21st September
2015
26th October
2015
30th November
2015
15th February
2016
Opens
21st September
2015
Deadline
2nd November
2015
Amount
August 2015
9am
£15,000
12th October 2015
9am
£10,000
9th November 2015
9am
£10,000
11th January 2016
9am
£10,000
29th February 2016
9am
£5,000
Employability Project Fund
Round
1
Amount
9am
£5,000
How much am I allowed to receive?
Societies Grant Fund
£50,000 might seem like a lot, but between 200+ societies it’s really not! To ensure that funding is distributed
fairly, the Students’ Union has limited the amount your society is able to bid for and receive.
For the Societies Grant Fund, the maximum amount of funding a society can bid for per year will
depend on the membership figures of the society:
Number of society members
Maximum amount of funding
Under 10
£5 per member
10 - 24
£10 per member
25 - 49
£500
50 - 74
£800
75 - 99
£1,500
100 and over
£3,000
If a society bids for their maximum amount allowed, but does not receive it, they are allowed to bid
for the difference in future rounds.
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E.g. Game of Thrones Society has 95 members and bids for £1,500, but receives £500, they
are then allowed to bid and receive up to £1,000 for the rest of the year.
If a society receives their maximum amount, then increases their membership, they are able to bid
for the difference.
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E.g. Game of Thrones Society has 95 members and has received £500 in grant funding. By
round 3 they have increased their membership to 120. They are now allowed to bid and
receive the remaining £2,500
Employability Project Fund
This is a separate pot and is not restricted by membership. As set by the Annual Fund, the maximum amount
a group is allowed to receive is £500. Any amount received from this pot does not count towards a society’s
total allowance of funds they are able to receive this academic year, however the Societies Board may take
this into account when reviewing applications for the Societies Grant Fund to ensure a fair distribution of
resources.
What are the rules?
A society whose Principal Officers have not attended the compulsory training will normally not be
eligible to receive any funding from either grant pot.
Monies granted are only to be used for the purpose for which they awarded. Societies that receive a
grant will make their orders through the Union or be asked to evidence how they spent the money
through receipts.
All unspent grant monies shall be returned to the Union at the date specified by the Union, unless
otherwise agreed.
For items over £500 you should receive at least 2 quotes to make sure you get the most competitive
price.
If you wanting to hold an event, you will need to complete a budget with the Societies Team and
check if you require public liability insurance.
If you would like to buy or make food for an event, please ensure you have read the QMSU food
hygiene documents.
We can only accept applications submitted by the society President or Treasurer.
As set by the Queen Mary Annual Fund, there are a separate set of conditions societies must agree
to if applying for funding from the Employability Project Fund. These will be outlined on the
application form for this fund.
What sort of projects and activities CAN be funded?
Society promotion
General society, events promotion, society literature and media (please note each society
automatically receives a £50 grant which is to be used for Fresher’s Fair and initial start-up costs)
Affiliations & Entries
Competition entries, insurance, membership to national organisations
Events
Fees and hospitality, venues, equipment, general event costs
Travel
Coach hire, travel expenses, accommodation
Equipment
New equipment, replacing and maintaining equipment, hiring equipment
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Training & Development
Training for members, developmental activity
What sort of projects and activities CANNOT be funded?
Retrospective bids
You cannot apply for funding for things you have already paid for – all applications must be made in
advance of any spending/the event or activity having taken place.
Donations or affiliations to a charity or a political body
As the Students’ Union is a registered charity ourselves, you cannot donate Students’ Union funding
to other charities, political parties, campaigns or trade unions, nor are you allowed to apply for
funding to subsidize charity fundraising.
Ultra Vires spending
Grant funding must be spent on activities/projects that relate to the aims and objectives specified in
your society’s constitution. Everything that your society does should be ‘for students, as students’
and ultimately be benefitting them.
Food and drink
No grant allocations will normally be made for alcoholic drinks, food and soft drinks where these
items are not a core part of the event/activity e.g. AGM refreshments. You are allowed to apply for
funding to purchase food and drink where it is a core part of the event e.g. Craft Beer & Real Ale
society organise a craft beer tasting event and ask for funding to subsidize the cost of the beers.
How to Fill In a Grant Fund Application
Please refer to the Grant Application Form when reading this section of the information pack
SECTION 1: Your details
The form should be completed and submitted by the President or Treasurer of the society; however grant
application forms should be discussed with the other committee members of the society.
SECTION 2: Information about your society
Here you will need to confirm your society’s aims and objectives. You can summarise these or copy them
from your society’s Development Plan. You will also need to record here how many members have paid their
membership to your society. If you have been made an administrator of your society’s webpage on the
QMSU website, then you can view how many members you have using your admin access. If in doubt,
please ask a member of the Societies Team for confirmation of your membership figures.
You will also need to state here whether or not the Principal Officers of the society have registered for or
previously attended compulsory society induction training, for the academic year 2015-2016.
SECTION 3: Your idea
Please describe in this section what you are applying for funding for. Please provide as much detail as
possible. There are several things the panel reviewing your application will take into consideration when
reviewing grant funding applications:
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Will the funding aid in meeting the society’s core aims, objectives, purpose and activities?
How many members will benefit from the funding?
Have the society filled in the application form correctly and made a suitable amount of effort in
completing the form?
How many members have the society got signed up online to the QMSU website?
Is the amount applying for realistic?
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Has the society made an effort to research specific costs and obtain quotes from other sources
where necessary?
Has the society thought about if and how it will contribute to the costs involved?
If applying for funding from the Employability Project Fund – specifically, will the funding ultimately
aid in improving/enhancing the employability prospects of the society’s members?
SECTION 4: The budget
Provide a detailed breakdown of expected costs. If you bidding for several different types of activity, organise
the breakdown of your budget to clearly show this. The more detail you provide will help with the success of
your bid.
SECTION 5: Additional questions, safeguarding and signatures
Here you will be asked how much money your society currently has in its subs account. This requires you
checking with a member of the Societies Team first to find out how much money there is in your account.
If you do have a significant amount of money in your subs account, you will have to explain on your
application form why this money cannot be used for whatever you are applying for funding for. It might be
that you simply do not have enough to cover the costs, or that you’re planning on spending this money on
something else.
If you have received funding previously in the year, please also state this on your application form.
We also like to know about your fundraising/sponsorship efforts! If your society has made any special efforts
to raise money for yourselves e.g. through fundraising, securing sponsorship etc. since the beginning of the
academic year, then please tell us here.
, please tell us why this money cannot be used for
If your project/activity involves working with children and young people or adults at risk, you will need to
demonstrate that you have given careful consideration to operating safe practices. This includes ensuring
anyone involved with the delivery of your project has completed a disclosure and barring service check
(DBS). For your application to proceed, we need you to submit your DBS check with the application form.
QMSU will review the DBS and make a note of your disclosure number. This must be current and either
completed in the last 6 months or specifically for this project. You are also expected to commit to ensuring all
volunteers involved with the project are DBS checked before they commence involvement. We can offer you
advice on how to get a DBS check.
Please submit applications to the Societies Grant Fund electronically via email* to susocieties@qmul.ac.uk
Please submit applications to the Employability Project Fund electronically via email* to
anna.garcia@qmul.ac.uk
*Handwritten submission will not be accepted unless special permission has been given.
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