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Bristol SU Group Grants

Bristol SU is committed to enhancing the student experience for those studying at the University of Bristol.

Remember, you can always book a meeting with the Development team if you want to talk through any aspect of your grant application. You can also visit our Training Vault and watch our Securing Funding For Your Group session!

Important Information

Please note that grant funding should never be relied upon to support regular activities and/or core costs. You should always plan to be financially sustainable through other sources of funding such as membership, ticketed events, sponsorship, and fundraising.

Before applying for any of the below grants you should also be aware that:

  • Grants are non-transferable.
  • Applications to enhance a student groups activities must be made by a registered committee member of an affiliated group and groups must have more than 30 members.
  • If your application is for more than £999 or you are a staff member you must meet with the Development Team prior to submitting your application. A meeting can be booked here.
  • The decision-making committee consists of elected students (Full Time Officers) and is supported by Bristol SU and University staff.
  • Decisions are sent two weeks after the deadline. If your application is unsuccessful, we will give you feedback and you are free to apply in the next round.

If you have any questions, please contact us at bristolsu-development@bristol.ac.uk

New Group Start Up Grant

Newly affiliated groups will recieve £100 to help with initial start-up costs associated with creating a brand-new student group.

Who is Eligible?

Bristol SU Student Groups who joined the SU in this same academic year and do not already have over £100 in their bank account are eligible for this grant. You don't need to have 30 members to be eligible for this grant.

Criteria

The start-up grant exists to enable groups to fundraise and build membership.

The £100 start-up grant is not bound by the no food/drink requirement (although we still will not fund alcohol). Think about how best to turn your £100 into more money for your group - maybe you'll purchase equipment you can hire out or hold a fundraising event!

When are the Rounds Open?

New groups do not need to apply for this grant! It will be deposited into your groups account once you have completed all of the steps to affiliate

Bristol SU Group Grant

Apply for up to £3000 for enhancing student life through extracurricular activities, sustainability initiatives, projects and opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.

Who is Eligible?

Bristol SU affiliated Sports Clubs and Societies with over 30 members are eligible for this grant. 

Criteria

Applications must:

  • Be submitted by a committee member
  • Fit with the constitutional aims of your group

Strong applications will:

  • Be good value for money
  • Appeal to at least one of the values students' have chosen for Bristol SU
  • Be well researched and evidenced
  • Be accessible to a broad range of people (or have a well evidenced case for targeting a particular group)
  • Have a significant impact on members
  • Will have an ongoing benefit to members
  • Have other fundraising/support from other sources or is being match-funded by the group
  • Show how this cannot be financed by the group themselves, unless there is a good reason why they are not doing so
  • Show how this cannot be financed by the group charging a realistic membership fee (e.g. could the group self-fund this activity in the future if they increased their fees, without having a knock-on effect on membership numbers)
  • Be proposed by a group that has a history of excellence (e.g. Accreditation Scheme, award-winning) or evidence of recent momentum (e.g. a new committee trying to restart a failing group)
  • Be proposed by a group that has completed our Group Grant Feedback Form if they have previously made a successful application
Exclusions
  • Activities, equipment or events that would be more appropriately funded elsewhere
  • Activities, equipment or events that have been funded by Bristol SU in the last 3 years
  • Regular activities and/or core costs or annual events
  • Activities, equipment or events that would be paid for more than 3 months after the grant is awarded (see below about spending grants)
  • Personalised items e.g. committee hoodies
  • Food and drink
  • Social events (including intramural sign-up fees and annual balls/formals)
  • Unsustainable marketing materials such as posters, flyers and stickers (we will fund banners, flags etc.)
  • Travel to events (however, if this is part of a larger event bid, we will consider it)
  • Fundraising for other charities (as Bristol SU is a charity, it cannot use its funds to support events or fundraising for other charities)
  • Supporting political parties directly including transport or marketing materials for party promotional activities (as Bristol SU is a charity, it cannot use its funds to support political parties)
When are the Rounds Open?

This grant is open for 3 rounds. Please note, you can make multiple applications to this grant, but the total should not exceed £3000.

Round 1:

  • Opens 17 August 2026
  • Closes 31 August 2026 4pm

Round 2:

  • Opens 5 October 2026
  • Closes 19 October 2026 4pm 

Round 3:

  • Opens 1 February 2027
  • Closes 15 February 2027 4pm

Alumni Association Grant

Apply for up to £5000 for enhancing student life through extracurricular activities, sustainability initiatives, projects and opportunities that would not otherwise be possible. These funds are available due to the past generosity of Bristol Alumni and Friends, who set up endowments for the purposes of ensuring that future generations of Bristol students could access a rich and wide range of extra-curricular activities during their time at Bristol!

Who is Eligible?
  • Bristol SU affiliated Sports Clubs and Societies with over 30 members
  • Staff at the University of Bristol or Bristol SU 
  • Non Bristol SU affiliated student groups
Criteria

Applications must:

  • Be submitted by a current student or staff member. Where the application is from a student group this must be submitted by a committee member
  • Fit with the constitutional aims of your group if submitted by a group affiliated to Bristol SU
  • Enhance the experience of many Bristol students and certainly of more than one person.

Strong applications will:

  • Be good value for money
  • Appeal to at least one of the values students' have chosen for Bristol SU
  • Be well researched and evidenced
  • Be accessible to a broad range of people (or have a well evidenced case for targeting a particular group)
  • Have a significant impact on members
  • Will have an ongoing benefit to members
  • Have other fundraising/support from other sources or is being match-funded by the group
  • Show how this cannot be financed by the group themselves, unless there is a good reason why they are not doing so
  • Show how this cannot be financed by the group charging a realistic membership fee (e.g. could the group self-fund this activity in the future if they increased their fees, without having a knock-on effect on membership numbers)
  • Be proposed by a group that has a history of excellence (e.g. Accreditation Scheme, award-winning) or evidence of recent momentum (e.g. a new committee trying to restart a failing group)
  • Be proposed by a group that has completed our Group Grant Feedback Form if they have previously made a successful application
Exclusions
  • Activities, equipment or events that would be more appropriately funded elsewhere
  • Activities, equipment or events that have been funded by Bristol SU in the last 3 years
  • Regular activities and/or core costs or annual events
  • Activities, equipment or events that would be paid for more than 3 months after the grant is awarded (see below about spending grants)
  • Personalised items e.g. committee hoodies
  • Food and drink
  • Social events (including intramural sign-up fees and annual balls/formals)
  • Unsustainable marketing materials such as posters, flyers and stickers (we will fund banners, flags etc.)
  • Travel to events (however, if this is part of a larger event bid, we will consider it)
  • Fundraising for other charities (as Bristol SU is a charity, it cannot use its funds to support events or fundraising for other charities)
  • Supporting political parties directly including transport or marketing materials for party promotional activities (as Bristol SU is a charity, it cannot use its funds to support political parties)
When are the Rounds Open?

This grant is open for 3 rounds. Please note, you can make multiple applications to this grant, but the total should not exceed £5000.

Round 1:

  • Opens 17 August 2026
  • Closes 31 August 2026 4pm

Round 2:

  • Opens 5 October 2026
  • Closes 19 October 2026 4pm 

Round 3:

  • Opens 1 February 2027
  • Closes 15 February 2027 4pm

Application Form

We've been successful! How can we spend the money?

Money given as grant funding from Bristol SU goes into your union account. It may be added after you have claimed the amount, so don't worry if it doesn't appear in your account right away.

The grant money can be spent in the same way that you make all your union account claims and payments, in that you can spend the money yourself and then claim it back, raise a cheque directly to a company, use it to pay an invoice or raise a purchase order.

However, all grant money MUST be spent on the activity proposed in the grant application, and you MUST ensure you notify the Finance Team/Student Services Team that it is a grant payment so that they can code it correctly. If it is not coded correctly, we may assume it's not spent and reclaim it!

All grant money allocated to a society must be spent within 3 months of the money being granted, and this will be noted on your allocation email. We will only extend deadlines in very exceptional circumstances. If you haven't spent the grant money by the set deadline, it will be reclaimed and redistributed.

Showing you've been funded by Bristol SU Grants

This year, we are asking that groups with successful Group Grant applications add Bristol SU branding to what is being funded. This could look like a vinyl for equipment, a patch for some kit or our logo on your advertising. We ask that any extra costs associated with this are outlined on your application form and that you use our 'Supporting Student Groups' logo. You can find this in our Logo Pack!

If you have recieved an Alumni Association Grant, we ask that you use their "Alumni and Friends" logo which can be found here.

What other funding is available?

If your grant application has been unsuccessful, this may be because your activity/event would be more appropriately funded elsewhere. Take a look at other grant pots your groups can use!

Alumni Initiative Grant

The Alumni Initiative Grant is a grant provided by the University of Bristol's Alumni Engagement Team. The grants provide an excellent opportunity for alumni to continue their connection with the University and contribute to its community as a volunteer. This can be a great way to develop professional skills, make new contacts and play a meaningful role in Bristol’s continued success. The grants are not capped; the average award is between £500 and £1000.

Activities you could organise include:

  • Get-togethers and reunions for your peers or alumni local to you, which help alumni re-connect with Bristol and share their memories
  • Professional networking based around an academic discipline or industry, which help alumni make new connections and progress in their careers
  • Talks, seminars or lectures which enable alumni to learn, explore academic subject matter for which Bristol is renowned and spread news of the University’s research and reputation
  • Events based around a common interest such as a student society, which allow alumni to share their expertise, explore a hobby or interest, and strengthen Bristol’s community.

Learn more about the process here OR make your application here.

School Funding

Some schools (not all!) offer Academic student groups funding to support their groups activity throughout the year.

To find out if your school has funding available, reach out to your school office. You can find their contact details here.

External Grants

In the past, our groups have been successful with securing funding from external grant providers.

Here are some grants programmes you can look in to:

Activity Hardship Fund

If the main purpose of your grant application was to make your group more financially accessible to members, we recommend signposting to the Activity Hardship Fund.

Your members (and potential members) can apply to up to £200 a year to enable their participation in a Bristol SU student group e.g. membership fees, trip costs or the purchase of equipment or kit specifically required for the activity.

The Activity Hardship Fund is open for 3 rounds during the academic year, more information can be found on the AHF webpage.

Grants Funded in 26/27

Take a look at all of the wonderful groups Bristol SU has supported with grant funding this year!

Support with your Application

Book a meeting with the Dev Team

Send an email to the Dev Team

Check out training on the Bristol SU Training Vault