Have a great idea for an event or project in your school?
We’ll give you money to make it happen!
Whether it’s battle of the bands, a panel discussion with leading academics, or just tea and cake, as long as you can convince us it will make your school community stronger we’ll give you up to £500 to make it a reality.
How do I apply?
Just complete the online form below by 27th January (or if you prefer you can download the word document and email it completed to Skye.Golding@city.ac.uk), telling us what your idea is, how it would improve your school, and how much money you need – it can be any amount from £5 to £500!
Our specially selected panel will then look at the ideas and select the best ones. If your idea is successful, we will be in touch to set up a meeting with a member of City SU staff who will work with you to make it a reality. Sounds great, right?
Guidance Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my event really be anything?
Pretty much! We know that you are best placed to know what students in your school would like so we’ll leave the decision-making up to you. However, we do ask that you limit your event spending to no more than £15 per person.
What support will I get?
If you need help filling in the application form, get in touch via email at skye.golding@city.ac.uk and we’ll give you a hand.
If your application is successful you’ll be given a named staff member who provide you with all the help and advice you need to plan, budget, and promote your event to the students in your school.
What do you mean by ‘building community’?
We know that at the moment a lot of City students come on to campus for lectures and then go straight home. We want to improve your university experience by making sure there are exciting events and activities planned that allow you to take a break from studying to socialise with your fellow students. We think that building more cohesive school communities through fun activities will improve student wellbeing and have a positive knock-on effect on your studies, and we need you to help us!
How do I get the money?
Once your idea has been approved, a member of staff will help you come up with a budget for how you’re going to spend the money. Once that’s done, you can get spending.
Either ask us to order things for you in the union or pay for things yourself and bring us the receipts. We’ll process them and pay you back.
Can I work in a team?
Yes! It’s much easier to get everything done if you have a team to share the work. Either apply together as a group or build a team of volunteers once your idea has been approved.
What skills will I learn?
Events planning, budgeting, marketing and comms, managing volunteers – the list is endless!
Who will be on the decision-making panel?
Each school will have its own panel made up of a Sabbatical Officer, the Union’s Wellbeing and Insight Coordinator, and a prominent figure from your school such as a Dean or a Student Experience Officer.
How will the panel make their decisions?
Some questions the panel might consider will be:
- How many people will the project benefit?
- How easily will it facilitate the building of relationships?
- How will it engage hard to reach students?
- How accessible is it to a wide range of students (eg. Disabled students, postgraduates etc)?
- How well considered is the budget? Value for money?
- Likelihood for further events to evolve out of the project.
Panel members will weigh up each event criteria to judge its potential impact when building community in their school.
When can I hold my event?
Your allocated staff member can discuss the best timeline for your event with you, but it’s really up to you. Just make sure it’s before the end of the 2018/19 academic year.