Student Group Funding

Find out more about how to raise funds for your student group!

UASU Student Group Granting Program Overview
Granting Handbook
Operations Grant Applications and Scoring
Event Grant Applications and Scoring
Other Funding Opportunities
Student Group Granting Information Session

UASU Student Group Granting Program Overview

To support the great work of student groups, your UASU runs the Student Group Granting program. Your UASU contributes over $110,000 annually for both Events and Operations Grants combined.

Event Grant

This grant funds events either hosted or attended by members of student groups, which provide positive, practical experiences which will enhance the student involvement experience, and contribute to student group goals.

Please note that to be eligible for funding, your events will still have to receive approval, otherwise the University of Alberta Students’ Union reserves the right to deny or rescind funding. Events that have not been approved can still be considered for funding. If you have questions or concerns please contact the program at clubs@uasu.ca.

Round	Applications Open	Application Deadline	Event Date has to fall within:
01	May 1st	May 31st	September 1 - December 31 (Fall Semester events)
02	September 1st	September 30th	January 01 - April 30 (Winter Semester events)
03	January 1st	January 31st	May 01 - August 31 (Spring/Summer events)

Operations Grant

This grant supports a student group’s general operations. Costs affiliated with specific events are not eligible for this grant and should be requested through an Event Grant application. Operations Grants are recommended to student groups in their start-up period (typically the first two years of operations), and for groups who are experiencing extenuating circumstances which have begun to cause problems with financial health and security of the club.

Round	Applications Open	Application Deadline
01	May 1st	May 31st
02	September 1st	September 30th
03	January 1st	January 31st

How to Apply for Grants

Student Group Services, a unit of the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) administers the Student Group Granting Program. Since funds are provided by the UASU, only UASU-recognized groups are eligible for Event and Operations grants through the Student Group Granting Program.

The first step is to login to your student account on campus.hellorubric.com

Select the University of Alberta
Login with your University of Alberta email and password.
Click the icon in the upper right-hand corner.
From the options, click on the name of your student group under "Switch Accounts".
1. You will now be viewing your club page as a club executive.

Once you're accessing Rubric from your club page, follow these steps to submit an application:

Select "Administration" on the left of the navigation bar at the top of the page.
On the "Forms" dropdown menu, select "All Forms".
Scroll down until you reach "Funding Forms"
Find the application form(s) you'd like to complete
1. Event Grant: This grant is intended to offer financial support to groups that are primarily planning and hosting an event OR for a group sending members as ambassadors to an event or conference.
2. Operations Grant: The Operations Grant is intended to offer funds to support or acquire items which will contribute to general and ongoing group operations and not for a one-time or recurring event.
Read the Application thoroughly on Rubric to make sure you know what you're eligible for, what limits there are, and get everything in order. Still confused? We have budget templates and a handbook to help you with your application.
Revise your application as necessary, and submit the form via Rubric. We can't accept late applications, and we don't make exceptions - so be punctual!

The form is only visible to groups with full UASU recognition. If you believe that your group is eligible, but you cannot find the form, please contact us at clubs@uasu.ca to troubleshoot

Student Group Grant Application Resources

Granting Handbook

This page pertains to the UASU Student Group Granting Program. For more information on the program and how to apply, please see the overview page.

Student Group Grant Program (SGGP) Overview

The University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) aspires to create an exceptional and life-changing university experience for students through extra-curricular offerings that integrate learning, discovery, and citizenship to develop the intellect and imagination, educate leaders, and enhance a global perspective. To receive funding, an organization must demonstrate a benefit not only to their own group, but also to the campus community. The groups should benefit both in the short term and also in the long term by becoming more self-sufficient.

Funding Sources

The University of Alberta Students’ Union contributes over $110,000 combined annually for Events and Operations Grant applications. Only UASU-recognized student groups are eligible for this funding.

For more information about recognition levels, please visit the Student Group Recognition Guidelines page.

Student Group Granting Adjudication Committee

Applications are reviewed and scored by the Student Group Granting Adjudication Committee. The Granting Administrators of the Granting Committee ensure that all applications are eligible and provide policy and procedural guidelines for the committee.

The Granting Committee consists of:

At least four current executive members of student groups recognized by the University of Alberta Students' Union
Two non-voting members of University of Alberta Students' Union Staff

For more information regarding the Granting committee and its make up, please see the Finance Committee's Standing Orders.

Applying for a Student Group Grant

The following items guide the Student Group Granting Committee’s process and purpose. Groups must ensure that their application is consistent with all applicable guidelines and requirements.

Grant applications should demonstrate that the activities or operations of the student group contribute to the growth and vitality of the campus community, and that group members or participants will gain meaningful experiences from the proposed opportunity.

To assist the Student Group Granting Program in funding as many student groups as possible in a year, there is a cumulative cap of $2,000.00 that a recognized student group can receive in the Program’s fiscal year. This limit is cumulative between both the Event and Operations grants in the Program. Grant applications less than $100.00 will not be considered as $100.00 is the minimum application amount for both Event and Operations Grants.

A group may only request a grant for up to the total of its remaining granting limit (eg. If a group has already received a $1200 grant, they are only eligible to apply for an $800 grant, not another full $2000 grant). Event Grants will also have a maximum eligible amount of ½ the total event cost to the student group, OR the remaining annual limit for that group, whichever comes first. Requests which surpass these limits will be reduced in the adjudication process, or may be disqualified altogether. You can contact clubs@uasu.ca to confirm your group's eligible amount.

The Student Group Granting Program will not issue two grants for the same event. If multiple student groups are hosting a collaborative activity together, the groups may apply jointly for that event, by expressing this intention on the application form. The granting limit for the event will be the greatest of the annual limits of the groups, not the sum.

Student Group Granting Program Types

Event Grant

The purpose of the Event Grant is to provide funding to events either hosted or attended by members of student groups, which provide positive, practical experiences which will enhance the student involvement experience, and contribute to student group goals. The Event Grant will provide no more than 50% of the total event expenses, up to the remaining annual limit of the student group.

Before attending or hosting the event, the student group will need to complete event risk management approval by submitting an application through Rubric.

Eligibility

To be eligible for any funding from the Student Group Granting Program, a student group:

Must be fully registered and approved as a UASU student group.
Must have a community bank account under the student group’s name with at least two signing authorities.
Must demonstrate fiscal responsibility and no outstanding financial obligations to the Students’ Union.
Must submit all materials by the application deadline.
The event must occur in the time period specified (see below). The group must submit the event through the Event Risk Management Approval process and receive approval; events that are not approved through this process will have their funds rescinded and/or denied.
For an Event hosted by the student group: Must be used for any expenses related to events or activities hosted by student groups, including running a conference or competition.
For an Event student group members are attending as ambassadors: Must be used for any expenses relating to sending ambassadors to competitions, tournaments, business case studies, academic conferences, or professional development opportunities.

Ineligible Items and Costs

Part of the grant application will ask what the group plans to spend their grant on, if successful. The following items are ineligible for funding from the Student Group Granting Program. If they appear on the request list, the Committee may reduce the ask amount by the amount of money that would be allocated to that request. If the full request list is comprised of items of this nature, the application may be disqualified altogether.

To be clear, an Event Grant could have these costs included in the Event Budget, but under no circumstances can funding from the Student Group Granting Program be used to purchase or subsidize them.

List of Ineligible Items and Costs:

Operations Grant

The purpose of the Operations Grant is to support a student group’s general operations. Costs affiliated with specific events are not eligible for this grant and should be requested through an Event Grant application. This grant is recommended to student groups in their start-up period (typically the first two years of operations), and for groups who are experiencing extenuating circumstances which have begun to cause problems with financial health and security of the club.
The maximum funding received by a student group is $500 every 2 academic years. The grant cannot be used to reimburse items that have been acquired or paid for, in part or in full, by the student group prior to the application process.

Eligibility

To be eligible for any funding from the Student Group Granting Program, a student group:

Must be fully registered and approved as a UASU student group.
Must have a community bank account under the student group’s name with at least two signing authorities.
Must demonstrate fiscal responsibility and no outstanding financial issues.
Must submit all materials by the application deadline.
Must direct funds towards basic group needs including, but not limited to:
- Office supplies
- General Advertising Materials (i.e. not for a particular event)
- Printing costs
- Promotional items
- Office and locker rentals
- Web domain costs and site development
- T-shirts for long-term use (Multiple years, not given away or dated for a particular event)
- Banking fees
Must not have received $500 in Operations Grant Funding in the past two academic years.

Tips & Tricks: Preparing Your Application

Remember: all the details that the Granting Committee will have to make a decision on your grant request are in the application you submit. This means they will not have as much context as you do around the goals and vision of the organization. Think about how you would explain the purpose of your grant request to someone who knows little to nothing about your student group!

Avoid using acronyms or short-hand terminology that is specific to your student group or field of expertise, or, if you do shorten any terms, provide full definitions for them early on in the application as possible.
Discuss and clarify your goals and intentions for the costs in detail, to help the Committee understand your group’s vision, purpose, and the use of the proposed costs. Demonstrate how the event or materials will help in carrying out your group’s mandate!
You will have a much better chance if your activity is something that engages or is accessible to all of campus and not just your group and group members.

Note: This does not necessarily mean that internal events are ineligible! Be sure to explain how supporting an event with more internal impact could feed into long-term, external impacts on the campus community.

In the application, you have the option of uploading supporting documents to accompany your application. This can include timelines, outlines, event proposals, layouts, posters, marketing plans, itineraries… in that section, the world is your oyster!
We always recommend that groups have a contingency plan and other sources of funding as grants are never a guarantee—and it’s also rare that groups will get their full requested amount.
If you’ve done a first run-through of your budgets and can see that you have a surplus or deficit, we suggest that you clarify in your application why your budget stands the way it does. There are risks associated with funding a student group that plans to be thousands of dollars in debt by the end of the year, and questions of “does the group need this money?” will arise if a group is applying for grants with a significant (10% or more) budget surplus. Your budgets should reflect your actual planning, and a significant imbalance can be cause for concern and negatively impact an application score.

Application Deadlines, Process, and Scoring

There are three application periods every year, each landing on the last day of the specified month in the current fiscal year (May 1 - April 30). Applications must be submitted online through Rubric from your student group's forms page, and are due by 11:59 PM on the deadline date. Late submissions will be disqualified from the session.

Round	Applications Open	Application Deadline	Event Date has to fall within:
01	May 1st	May 31st	September 1 - December 31 (Fall Semester events)
02	September 1st	September 30th	January 01 - April 30 (Winter Semester events)
03	January 1st	January 31st	May 01 - August 31 (Spring/Summer Semester events)

Process Flowchart

Grant applications will be submitted online via Rubric.
Following the application deadline, Student Group Services Staff will audit and disqualify any ineligible applications.
Staff will divide all eligible applications amongst members of the committee for scoring before the adjudication committee meeting. Each application is scored initially by at least two members of the Committee. The average of these two scores will be brought to the full Committee Adjudication Meeting for ratification.
If the first two scores have a difference of 0.5 or more, a third Committee member will score, and their score will be added to determine the final average score, which is then brought to be ratified at the Adjudication Meeting.
The Committee Adjudication Meeting will take place to review, discuss, and finalize application scores.
During the meeting, initial scorers provide a brief summary of each application to the rest of the Committee, and explanation of the recommended scores. The voting members then decide whether to ratify the recommended score, or score the applications in-meeting (in the case of particularly contentious or vastly variant scores). If the decision is to score an application in-meeting, all remaining voting committee members will score the application, followed by discussion and a final vote.
Staff will notify each applicant of the results by Approving or Denying submissions on Rubric. All groups are welcome to contact Student Group Services at clubs@uasu.ca for additional details on their results. Cheques will not be immediately available at this time.
Staff will contact successful groups when cheques become available. Student groups must pick up their cheques within fifteen business days of being notified, unless the groups make alternative arrangements with Student Group Services, as per the Finance Committee Standing Orders.
All groups that receive a grant must complete a Grant Report by the specified deadline (two weeks following the event for all event grants, and one year after the application deadline for all operations grants). The report template and instructions will be provided. Keep all receipts for any grant-related purchases —you must submit them with your Grant Report.

Grading and Allocations

Event Grants and Operations Grants each have a corresponding scoring scoring sheet; they can be found as additional pages in this resource chapter. Each scoring sheet has a scale of 1.0 - 4.0 points. The minimum score required to receive funding is 2.7/4.0. The amount of money that will be disbursed to each applicant will be determined according to how well the application scores and scaled down proportionally; to receive the full ask amount, the score must be a 3.7/4.0.

Scoring and Allocation Table:

Score	Amount of Eligible Funding Received
>3.7	100%
3.3	90%
3.1	80%
2.9	70%
2.7	60%
>2.7	0%

Please note that this is why your group may not receive the full request amount, despite receiving grant funding!

When funds are being allocated, the highest-scoring applications are allotted their merited dollar amount first, in descending order to the lowest-scoring application. Some application rounds will have more applications than others, so in the event of a high-volume application round, some applications may not receive funding, even if they score a 2.7/4.0.

Any grant application request that is for $200 or less will be considered on a pass/fail basis, and will receive either their full request if they receive a passing score, or no funding if they do not receive a passing score.

Common Disqualifications

Late Applications - Any late submissions will automatically be disqualified. Online submissions are time-stamped, so there are no exceptions. Applications in hard copy are never considered.
Incomplete Applications – make sure that all the questions in the applications are answered and that you have attached the necessary budgets. Many applications are automatically disqualified due to incompletion when:
- a group forgets to submit one of the required budgets: If your event budget is the same as your operating budget because your group only holds the one event, please be sure to note this in the application. If your group is missing an operating budget for the previous year, please be sure to provide a reason.
- a group does not submit an adequate budget: Budgets are considered insufficient when all income, all expenses, or net surplus/loss are missing. Please note that a running total or bank statement are NOT budgets. If you need help creating a budget for your group, please contact Student Group Services at clubs@uasu.ca or visit the Resources Hub.
Ineligible Items & Activities - It’s important to specify which item(s) the Grant funding will cover or subsidize, if your group receives a grant. If costs listed for the grant request are ineligible, the ask amount for your grant may be reduced to cover only the eligible item costs, or your application may be disqualified altogether if all the included items are ineligible.
Grant request is too little - The granting minimum is $100.00. Submissions under $100.00 will be automatically disqualified.

Appealing an Adjudication Decision

Student Groups can appeal a granting decision only in the following cases:

An undeclared or unaddressed conflict of interest; or
Evidence of bias on the part of one or more reviewers; or
Factual error(s) made by one or more reviewers that could have altered the outcome of review substantially; or
Failure by a Student Group Services staff member to provide required information to the review committee.

If the student group would like to file for an appeal, they must do so within one working week of the result notification sent to the group via Rubric. Details on how to submit an appeal will be provided in the notification message.

In the event that a valid appeal request is received, the Committee will meet again to discuss the nature of the appeal within one working week. Follow up with the appealing student group will be made by the Committee immediately following the Appeal meeting.

Any appeals that are filed will be processed by the Student Group Granting Program Adjudication Committee. All decisions made by the Committee regarding appeals are final.

Reporting

Applicants who are successful and receive funds from the Student Group Granting Program are required to submit a Grant Report, which includes a Report Form, receipts, a finalized Event budget (for Event Grants), and a written report.
Grant reports are submitted online through Rubric. Log into Rubric as a student group executive and follow through the prompting questions and it will lead you to the final page where you can upload the receipts and final budget.

Report Deadlines

Event Grants: Due 2 weeks following the end date of the Event.
Operations Grants: Due 1 year from the deadline of the application round used to apply for the grant.

Failure to Submit Reports

Any late, missing or incomplete grant reports will affect a group's eligibility to receive funding from the Program. If no report or receipts are provided, the Committee may require the group to return the funds received.
To reinstate eligibility for the Student Group Granting Program, the student group must:

Submit the outstanding Grant Report, including all its component parts, to Student Group Services; OR
Submit an Auxiliary Report, outlining acceptable reasoning for the incomplete Grant Report, to the Granting Committee, via Student Group Services.

If a student group submits an Auxiliary Report, and the report is not considered valid or complete, the student group can be barred from accessing the Granting Program for up to and no longer than four (4) calendar years from the original Grant Report due date.

Report Contents

Grant Reports must include:

All receipts for costs covered or subsidized by the Grant funding received
A written summary of the impact that the funding had on the student group/on the student group event
A final actual budget for the Event or Operations of the student group (up to the report submission date)
Report on the amount of unused funds (if applicable)

Funds are to be spent as outlined in your granting application. Any deviation must be cleared with Student Group Services prior to spending on a cost that was not in the approved proposal in the application. Any money that is unspent, lacking receipts or inappropriately allocated may be required to be returned.
In the event that a group returns Grant funds for any reason, the cumulative eligibility total does not reset; that is, a group is eligible to receive up to the annual limit for Event and Operation grants, regardless of use or non-use of the funding received.

Other items that are optional to include in the Grant Report are:

Photos/media
Testimonials and feedback from participants in an Event or student group operations

Granting Program Annual Report

The Student Group Granting Program is accountable to the Finance Committee of Students’ Council for all Event and Operations funding. Governance Staff will prepare an annual report which summarizes the granting program for the year, including the number of individual grants provided to student groups, the number of applications received, and more!

Information provided in the Grant Reports filled out by student groups will be included in the Annual Report, which will be shared with stakeholders in the programs. If a student group who has received a grant and submitted a report has concerns about the use of information contained in their reports, they should contact Student Group Services at clubs@uasu.ca to resolve the issue.

Operations Grant Applications and Scoring

This page pertains to the Operations Grant offered by the UASU Student Group Granting Program. For more information on the program and how to apply, please see the overview page.

Operations Grant Applications and Scoring

The purpose of the Operations Grant is to support a student group’s general operations. Costs affiliated with specific events are not eligible for this grant and should be requested through an Event Grant application. This grant is recommended to student groups in their start-up period (typically the first two years of operations), and for groups who are experiencing extenuating circumstances which have begun to cause problems with financial health and security of the club. The Student Group Granting Program will prioritize those grant applications which best meet the standards and expectations of the scoring sheet below.

Application Questions

Grant Request Amount

Operations grants must be between $100.00 and $500.00 with the maximum awarded amount being affected by a variety of factors. This includes:

How much funding in operations grants was received in both the previous and current granting year. Up to $500.00 can be awarded to a single group in operations grants per two years.
How much funding has been received in events grants in the current granting year. Up to $2,000.00 can be received per group per year meaning that if an $1,800.00 events grant was received earlier that year, that group is only eligible for $200.00 of operations grant funding.

Constitution Upload

For this section, please upload a copy of your group's most recently approved constitution as a PDF. If you are unaware of your group's most recently approved constitution, please reach out to Student Group Services at clubs@uasu.ca. To change your group's constitution, please submit an Information Update Request form on Rubric.

Please note that you will only be able to upload PDF documents to the application form on Rubric!

With the mission in mind, what are some of the short- and long-term goals or projects of your student group?

This question is referring to the mission statement of your group's most recently approved constitution. Review this and then think about how receiving a grant will have a positive impact on your group and allow you to achieve your mission, goals, mandate, etc..

From your mission, expand your response to discuss how funding will affect your group continually, i.e. will funding help your group to build an emergency fund, host more events, expand your network or better support and represent your members? Does funding directly affect this or contribute to these goals as part of an ongoing project?

In the event that your application is successful, what will your group use the grant to pay for?

Your answer to this question is critical. It contributes to the determination of your total eligible funding amount and can affect your score in every category on the scoring sheet!

To receive full marks, you need to go above an beyond. Simply listing each item you intend to purchase is insufficient, what matters is the rationale behind each item. The Adjudicators are largely unfamiliar with your group and you need to convince them that this funding is essential to the success of your group and their on campus contribution.

Pro Tip: Relate the funded items back to your mission and goals!

Do the items listed need to be purchased annually or are they one-time purchases?

One-time purchases show that you are thinking about the long-term sustainability of your group's operations and shows that this funding could help your group to move away from dependance on the Student Group Granting Program! Purchasing items annually does not hinder your application but you should come up with some ideas in other sections on how to be sustainable in your operations.

How will these items benefit your group’s operations in the next year?

When you receive an operations grant, you must submit a report on the funding a year after the application deadline of the grant you applied for. This means that all funds must be used within one calendar year from the date of application. Why does your group want this funding? What specifically is your team tying to achieve this year and how will this funding help with that?

How will this funding affect the long term sustainability of your group (4-5 years)?

Student group finances carry over year to year, a surplus typically has a positive impact on the next operational year. Additionally, one good fiscal year can lead to many good fiscal years but this is logistically complicated due to the annual turnover of executives and leadership in student groups. How does receiving funding now have an impact on future student group executive teams and contribute to long term financial success? For example by having funding to make an expensive one-time purchase, are you having a positive impact on your groups mission and preventing future teams from spending lots of money?

What are some of the challenges that the student group is facing, or could face in the foreseeable future? How will the group anticipate or prepare to overcome these challenges?

Different group have different challenges such as getting their name out, event attendance, financial struggles, interpersonal conflict and many more. Another contributing factor is group type, hobby groups have different challenges than departmental associations and thus need to be addressed in different ways. When grant applications are scored and funding is awarded, the adjudicators are not aware of your group or what they do. Make sure to outline these challenges well as they may be specific to your group or group type.

It is advisable to discuss how this funding would help your group with these challenges or prevent them from escalating. Be specific, it has a significant positive impact on your application's score.

Operating budget upload

Fiscal responsibility is one of the the most heavily weighted categories on the scoring sheet. This means that the outcome of your application is very dependant on the quality of the operational budgets you upload! To receive the highest possible score in this category, make sure to:

Include BOTH income and expenses on your budgets.
Include expected and actual income and spending on your budgets.
Upload both current year and previous year budgets when applicable.
Be descriptive in your budgets, do not have unlabelled or miscellaneous expenses.
Show carryover from previous years.
Be reasonable in your estimates, do not under- or overestimate! Both will negatively impact your score.

Please note that you will only be able to upload PDF documents to the application form on Rubric!

For groups showing a surplus or deficit in their overall operating budget

This is your time to shine! In this section, you can explain your budget and contribute to your score in Fiscal Responsibility. Give the Adjudicators some insight into your financial history that does not appear on the budget, talk about contributing factors, plans to mitigate and your group's financial future.

(Surplus) Why are you applying for a grant, instead of using your group’s surplus to cover the proposed costs?
- What is the justification for having lots of money if it is not directly being used to benefit your members?
- Is this normal for your group or is this new? Do you have specific plans for this money?
(Deficit) How would you use grant funding to set your club up for success in the future?
- Why do you have a deficit, is it due to a specific circumstance or was it poor planning?
- Is this normal for your group or is this new? Would granting be a bandaid solution or will you use this as a reset to begin your group's financial recovery?

Scoring Sheet Categories

Group Growth

Student Groups should always be looking forward, planning for their future. In this category the Granting Program will prioritize applicants who have clearly outlined the short-term impact -- that is, within 1-2 years -- of the grant would be on their club operations, as well as the long-term vision for the club’s operations, to aspire to self-sustainability.

Strategic Planning

When setting goals, it is important for a club to set their sights on foreseeable challenges and needs of the student group that are likely to come with the attainment of short- and long-term goals. The Granting Program will prioritize applicants who can identify strategies and best practices that will allow their student group to flourish, if their application is successful.

Fiscal Responsibility

Documentation is provided on the fiscal management of the group, and they demonstrate that the group has plans beyond the current year. The application also demonstrates the considerations the executive has taken to ensure the financial health of the student group.

Details of Application

Details provided in the application are relevant and specific. The application does not leave out major details and the specific items or services that will be covered by the grant funds, if the application is successful, are identified in the application.

Scoring Sheet

Weight	Criteria	4- Excellent	3 - Good	2 - Fair	1 - Poor
25%	Group Growth	Short Term Impact: Specific and significant impact on the group’s operations and success for the year are intentionally planned in relation to how they will feed into the long term vision. Long Term Vision: Goals and plans outlined in the application indicate that the group will likely not need to apply for Operational funding in the future.	Short Term Impact: Specific and significant impact on the group’s operations and success for the year are outlined; the connection between this impact and the long term vision is articulated. Long Term Vision: The application gives specific and realistic goals for the group over the course of five years.	Short Term Impact: The application identifies potentially significant, positive impact on the group’s operations for the current year. Long Term Vision: The application implies some goals beyond the current year, but the goals are unrealistic or vague.	Short Term Impact: The application identifies unclear impacts of the grant on the group’s operations for the current year. Long Term Vision: The application demonstrates little to no long-term planning or goals for the group.
30%	Strategic Planning	Challenges & Needs: See criteria for score 3. Strategies & Best Practices: The application provides robust descriptions of strategies or practices that will help the group effectively manage challenges into the future, and internal accountability plans to ensure goals are always relevant as the group grows.	Challenges & Needs: The application identifies realistic challenges and needs that could arise from the group’s realization of goals and vision. Strategies & Best Practices: The application provides relevant strategies or practices that will help the group effectively manage challenges into the future.	Challenges & Needs: The application identifies challenges or needs which are too broad and general, and fails to explain the connections to the goals and vision of the group. Strategies & Best Practices: The application provides examples of strategies or practices but the effect(s) on the challenges are unclear.	Challenges & Needs: The application does not identify realistic challenges or needs, or those identified are not connected to the group’s short and long term vision. Strategies & Best Practices: The application does not identify strategies that will contribute to attaining the goals or vision of the group.
30%	Fiscal Responsibility	Budgets: See criteria for score 3. Financial Planning: See criteria for score 3. Budget is very detailed, and demonstrates that group has taken all measures to reduce costs. Plans for the year contribute to the financial sustainability of the group.	Budgets: Required budgets are included on the application, and include details that are clear and agree with the purposes of the student group. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the group is financially sound; that is, the listed expenses are reasonable, and/or justified, with evidence that the future financial health of the group is feasible.	Budgets: Required budgets are included on the application. Budgets are unclear in places and/or describe some “miscellaneous” costs that are undefined. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the group will not run a deficit, but some practices or financial choices may be leaving the group somewhat financially unstable for the future.	Budgets: Requested budgets are not present, or if they are present, leave out significant details. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the event will run a large deficit, or will otherwise leave the group in poor financial health.
15%	Details of Application	Clarity: See criteria for score 3. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant funding are specified; their relevance to the goals of the group have been described clearly.	Clarity: Application details are clear, informative, and include all major details and additional context provided. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant funding are specified.	Clarity: The application is readable, though disjointed. Some questions may have been answered in sentence fragments, and is difficult to understand. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant are described generally.	Clarity: Application details are lacking, vague and general. Some questions may have been answered in sentence fragments, and is difficult to understand. Specificity: No specific items or services are mentioned.

Event Grant Applications and Scoring

This page pertains to the Event Grant offered by the UASU Student Group Granting Program. For more information on the program and how to apply, please see the overview page.

Event Grant Applications and Scoring

The purpose of the Event Grant is to provide funding to events either hosted or attended by members student groups, which provide positive, practical experiences which will enhance the student involvement experience, and contribute to student group goals. The Student Group Granting Program will prioritize those grant applications which best meet the standards and expectations of the scoring sheet below.

Application Questions

Grant Request Amount

Event grants must be between $100.00 and $2,000.00 with the maximum awarded amount being affected by a variety of factors. This includes:

How much funding in grants was received in the current granting year, up to $2,000.00 can be awarded to a single group in grants per year.
The total cost of your event, event grants can cover half the cost of an event up to $2,000.00. This means to be eligible for $2,000.00, the event must cost at least $4,000.00

Constitution Upload

Please note that you will only be able to upload PDF documents to the application form on Rubric!

What is your student group's primary role in this event?

Hosting an event: Your group is responsible for the planning and oversight of the event, it was submitted for event approval by your group, your group is liable for the event.
Attending an event: Your group does not submit the event for approval, have any involvement in planning, has no liability in the event. Activities such as sending group members to a conference, competition, etc..

Please describe the event. Include: What is the purpose of the event? What will be happening at the event?

This question is especially important, it shows the Adjudicators why your event matters and why it is relevant to your student group. Your response to this question affects your score in multiple sections of the scoring sheet making it super important to have a clear and strong description of your event. Some key points include:

How does this event relate to your group's mission, goals, mandate, etc.? Why is it specifically important for your group to have this event?
What is the benefit of this event to attendees, your group's members or the general campus community?
What activities at this event contribute to the success of your event?

In your response, it is very important to be specific and detailed while still being concise! Adjudicators need to know the who, what, where, why and how AND also see the value of this event.

How does the purpose of this event relate to the mission or goals of your student group? How will this event contribute to the ongoing visibility and success of your student group?

If part of your group's mandate and mission is to serve your members, how does hosting this event contribute to this? How does the event contribute to the success of your group or benefit your members?

If this event will draw attention to your group, discuss how this is of benefit in the short- and long-term. What specifically does visibility do for your group? Does it help with recruitment, event attendance, funding, passion, etc.?

What will participants in this event learn from engaging in this activity or event? How will it impact the University of Alberta community?

Student groups exist to improve the campus community and student experience as well as provide networking and professional engagement opportunities. How does this event relate to the overall goal of your student group being of benefit to this campus and its students? More specifically, what do attendees or participants have to gain? Why is it important that they go? Broadly, how does this benefit to individuals contribute to the entirety of the campus community?

Please answer this question if your student group is HOSTING the event on this application:

Please describe the marketing and communication strategies that your group will employ to attract students to your event.

How is your group getting the word out about your event?
What are you saying or doing that makes students interested in attending your event?
Why do you think that this is an effective campaign?

Include: a description of your group’s target audience, examples of platforms and/or tactics for reaching and engaging with them.

Please answer this question if your student group is ATTENDING the event on this application:

What skills, learning, or experience will you bring back for the student group? Why is attendance at this specific event important?

Using a grant for a select few members of your group has a lower overall campus community benefit. Does attendance at this event help your group benefit students and the campus community?
Is attendance open to all members of your group or just executive?
How does this event relate to your group's mandate?

Optional: Upload a supporting document with information about the event, such as an itinerary, poster, etc.

Please describe the assessment plans for your event. What are the metrics you will use to measure the success of the event? How will you collect assessments and/or feedback from participants?

An assessment plan determines how successful your event was, this can be qualitative or quantitative. Some key questions you should ask yourself are:

How will your group determine the success of their event through an assessment plan?
How will this assessment plan help your group to plan future events or operations?
How will you get people to participate in your assessment plan if needed?
Is your plan feasible?

Pro Tip: A simple survey with an event rating is not sufficient plan, make sure to include how this plan will benefit your group!

Optional: Upload a supporting document with an outline for the specifics on how your group will evaluate the success of your event.

An assessment plan determines how successful your event was, this can be qualitative or quantitative. Some key questions you should ask yourself are:

How will your group execute this plan and how will it be of benefit?
How will the results of your assessment influence the planning of your group's future events and operations?
What will the assessment plan tell you and how will you use this information?

Pro Tip: Make sure to loop back to how your assessment relates to your group's goals.

Event and Operating budget upload

Include BOTH income and expenses on your budgets.
Include expected and actual income and spending on your budgets.
Upload both current year and previous year budgets when applicable.
Be clear about what purchases are eligible and ineligible for funding.
Be descriptive in your budgets, do not have unlabelled or miscellaneous expenses.
Show carryover from previous years.
Be reasonable in your estimates, do not under- or overestimate! Both will negatively impact your score.

Please note that you will only be able to upload PDF documents to the application form on Rubric!

For groups showing a surplus or deficit in their overall operating budget

(Surplus) Why are you applying for a grant, instead of using your group’s surplus to cover the proposed costs?
- What is the justification for having lots of money if it is not directly being used to benefit your members?
- Is this normal for your group or is this new? Do you have specific plans for this money?
(Deficit) How would you use grant funding to set your club up for success in the future?
- Why do you have a deficit, is it due to a specific circumstance or was it poor planning?
- Is this normal for your group or is this new? Would granting be a bandaid solution or will you use this as a reset to begin your group's financial recovery?

If your application is successful, for which costs or items, specifically, will the Student Group Granting Program funding be used?

List items; they should correspond with items that appear in your Event Budget. This list should include item costs as well as justification! Relate the items you want to buy back to your event and programming, make sure to circle back to your goals.

If Adjudicators do not understand why you want to purchase these items, they will likely reduce your score!

Scoring Sheet Categories

Group Growth and Participant Learning

When describing the purpose of the event, whether the group is planning/hosting the event or attending a conference or competition, the grant application must identify specific skills or experiences that the participating students will gain, and how they will relate to the ongoing visibility and success of the student group

Details of Application

Event details and relevant and specific. The application does not leave out major details (such as an event’s purpose, date, or venue) and the specific items or services that will be covered by the grant funds, if the application is successful, are identified in the application.

Fiscal Responsibility

Documentation is provided on the fiscal management of the group, and they demonstrate that the group has plans beyond the current year. The application also demonstrates the considerations the executive has taken to ensure the financial health of the student group, and provides details on how this event contributes to the overall financial stability of the student group. Responsible financial practices must also be present, with adequate explanations for prior year ending in deficit.

Impact

The event is impactful to both the success of the student group and to the campus community. Descriptions of assessment plans to measure the success of the event are paramount.

Relevance to Student Group

The event is intentionally planned and actively contributes to the student group’s stated mission, as identified in the group’s constitution*.
*Constitution must be reviewed by Student Group Services as per Student Group Recognition policies and procedure.

Scoring Sheet

Weight	Criteria	4 - Excellent	3 - Good	2 - Fair	1 - Poor
25%	Group Growth and Participant Learning	Participant Learning: See 3. Three or more robust learning outcomes are described. Group Growth: See 3. The application also provides specifics on how the event contributes to the growth and visibility of the student group in both short and long terms.	Participant Learning: Specific skills or understanding that participants will gain are identified; activities at the event will directly contribute to specific learning outcomes. Purpose of event has particular, positive impact(s) on the student group (internally), and the University of Alberta Community (externally). Group Growth: The application describes how the event outcomes contribute to the growth of the student group.	Participant Learning: Specific skills or understanding that participants will gain are identified; activities at the event will directly contribute to specific learning outcomes. Purpose of event has unspecified impact(s) on the student group (internally), and/or the University of Alberta Community (externally). Group Growth: The application implies or is unspecific in the description of how the event outcomes contribute to the growth of the student group.	Participant Learning: The purpose of the event is undefined, and no learning outcomes have been specified. Group Growth: It is unclear in the application how this event will positively represent the student group to encourage growth.
20%	Details of Application	Clarity: See criteria for score 3. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant funding are specified; their relevance to the goals of the event have been described clearly.	Clarity: Application details are clear, informative, and include all major details (eg. dates, locations, sources of funding), and additional context provided. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant funding are specified.	Clarity: The application is readable, though disjointed. Some questions may have been answered in sentence fragments, and is difficult to understand. Specificity: Items and services to be covered by the grant are described generally.	Clarity: Application details are lacking, vague and general. Little planning has been done, and no steps have been taken. Information is missing or incomplete. Specificity: No specific items or services are mentioned.
35%	Fiscal Responsibility	Budgets: See criteria for score 3. All budgets are highly detailed, and demonstrate evidence that the group has taken all measures to reduce costs. Financial Planning: See criteria for score 3. Based on the books, the event contributes to the financial sustainability of the group. Groups show history of proper financial management, or provide adequate explanations for deficit with plan to improve financial health.	Budgets: Required budgets are included on the application, and include details that are clear and agree with the purposes of the student group and the event. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the group is financially sound; that is, the event costs are reasonable, and/or justified, with evidence that it will ensure the future financial health of the group.	Budgets: Required budgets are included on the application. Budgets are unclear in places and/or describe some “miscellaneous” costs that are undefined. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the event will not run a deficit, but may be leaving the group somewhat financially unstable for the future	Budgets: Requested budgets are not present, or if they are present, leave out significant details. Financial Planning: The budget suggests that the event will run a large deficit, or will otherwise leave the group in poor financial health.
10%	Impact	Student Group Impact: See criteria for score 3. Campus Impact: The group clearly demonstrates how the event will impact and improve the broader campus community. Assessment Plans: Assessment method(s) are described in detail, including why the specific method(s) were chosen and how the data collected will be used to plan for future events.	Student Group Impact: The group clearly demonstrates how the event will impact the members of the student group. Campus Impact: The group discusses how the event will impact and improve the broader campus community. Assessment Plans: Assessment method(s) are explained in the application, with justification for the selected method(s).	Student Group Impact: The group mildly explains the impact which the event will have on its members. Campus Impact: See criteria for score 1. Assessment Plans: Some planning for assessing the impact and success of the event are indicated in the application, but justification for the selected method(s) are unclear.	Student Group Impact: The group does not illustrate how the event will impact the members of the student group. Campus Impact: The group does not illustrate how the event will impact the broader campus community. Assessment Plans: Little or no planning for assessing the impact and success of the event are indicated in the application.
10%	Relevance to Student Group	See description for 3 scale. The application also demonstrates the applicant’s understanding of the long-term context and impact of the event on the group’s goals.	Application clearly defines the relationship between outcomes of the event and the goals of the student group, as identified in their Constitution*.	Unclear what tie the event has to the outcomes or goals of the student group, but the event could potentially bring positive attention to the group.	No indication has been made by the applicant of how the event relates to the overarching goals of the student group’s Constitution.

Other Funding Opportunities

Whether you are looking to fund an activity or looking to attend a conference, there are a number of other granting resources on campus. Depending on your group’s mandate, your group may be eligible for some of the following grants.

Be sure to check with the specific Faculty, Department, or Service for the grant eligibility, requirements and deadlines.

Check out the Career Centre's comprehensive list of granting sources on and off campus!

Green + Gold Giving

Crowdfunding through Green + Gold Giving allows you to take advantage of a powerful online funding tool with specialized training for your leadership team and fundraising champions! G+GG even provides expert coaching and templates to help you through the process If your project qualifies, the University will cover the costs of the program so 100% of funds raised go to your project!

For more information and to apply visit the University of Alberta's website.

Mutual Aid Project Micro-Grants

These grants seek to support projects oriented to imagining and learning about other ways together and to inspire diverse and community-specific approaches to individual, adjacent and collective grieving practices as part of collective holding toward care and conflict resolution.

For more information and to apply, visit the University of Alberta's website.

Prayer, Worship & Ceremony Space Support Grant

This initiative aims to enhance cultural safety on campus by supporting students’ ability to engage in prayer, worship, and ceremony as a community.

For more information and to apply, visit the University of Alberta's website.

Graduate Student Group Grant (GSGG)

Funding offered to registered graduate student groups to help support the costs of start-up, seminars, colloquia, or other academic events. This funding is only available to GSA recognized groups.

For more information and to apply, visit the Graduate Student Association's website.

Faculty Associations or Program Specific Grants

Some Faculties, Faculty Associations, Departments, or Programs may provide granting and funding for student groups or individuals. For a list of Faculty Associations, visit the COFA site.

Student Group Granting Information Session

Note: If this video does not play, you can access the file via Google Drive.