Introduction

At Student Council in February 2012 a Motion calling for “Fair access to Bristol SU Clubs and Societies” was passed.  This Motion recognised that some sports club and society joining fees, trips and other costs are prohibitively expensive for some students. To address this issue Bristol SU has established the “Fair Access Fund”.  This fund is intended to support those students who due to the cost of participating in their chosen activity would not otherwise be able to do so. After a review in 2016, this fund is now called the 'Activity Hardship Fund', to clarify to students what this fund is for. 

Criteria

• Funding is available to enable Bristol University students to participate in an activity organised by a Bristol SU Sports Club, Society or Student Media Product.

• Examples of the type of things the fund may support are:

  • Membership fees

  • The purchase of equipment or kit specifically required for the activity

  • Trip costs

• Applicants must show evidence of financial hardship and being unable to participate without the assistance of the Activity Hardship Fund

• Applications must be submitted by the individual student, not on their behalf.

• We strongly advise that you do not apply for funding for something you will have to pay for before the grants are allocated, as we cannot guarantee that your application will be successful.

Amount available

The maximum amount each student can request is £100 per academic year.  Only one grant will be awarded to a student in an academic year.  Please note, the amount of money Bristol SU has available to give out each year is limited, so even if an application is successful it may not be possible to award the full amount requested.

Closing dates and the Decision making panel

There will be two deadlines for the submission of applications each academic year, with a possible third if funding is still available.  In 2017/18 these will be:

15th September 2017- Application Form opens

6th October 2017- Application deadline (form closes 5pm)

12th January 2018- Application Form opens

2nd February 2018- Application deadline (form closes 5pm)

Once the closing date has passed the panel will meet, to decide the outcome of the applications.  All applicants will receive a decision by email, giving the reason why the application was approved or rejected 2 weeks after the deadline (at the latest) and sent a bank form to complete.  Anyone in receipt of funds will be asked to provide a report on the use of funds, and 'sound bites' may be used anonymously for marketing purposes.

The decision making panel comprises a Student Development Coordinator, the Sports and Student Development Officer and the Union Affairs Officer.

Questions and submitting an application

If you have any questions about the application process please contact bristolsu-development@bristol.ac.uk

Applications should be completed using the online application form

Please give as much detail as possible in your application, including a clear breakdown of costs, full explanation of why you think the fund should support you and details of any other ways in which you are trying to fund the activity.