Guidelines

The following guidelines should be read alongside the instructions in the application form:

1. Applicants should be current Fitz students, either individuals, informal groups or Fitz Associations and they can apply for any amount up to the maximum of £3,000.
2. The project to be funded, or part-funded, must aim to enhance the student-experience at Fitzwilliam College. 
3. Applications must be made on the official application form and emailed to the JCR or MCR President no later than 21st February 2024 for onward transmission to the Society’s Grants Panel. (Note – the JCR/MCR will not vet or alter the applications; they are simply acting as a communication conduit.) Funds will be allocated hopefully before the end of Lent term.
4. Funding from other sources (e.g. a sports fund) should not be available. The Fitz Society is looking to fill a gap, not compete. Please contact the JCR or MCR President to find out if your project could be funded from elsewhere.
5. Before applying, check whether appropriate advice should first be sought, e.g. from the Health and Safety Officer, Senior Tutor, or a College committee etc. Examples from previous applications when prior advice etc. was needed include: the suitability of a proposed site because of noise impact, and the need to prepare a risk assessment. Please contact the JCR or MCR President if you are unsure.
6. Joint applications by more than one Fitz student or organisation are permitted. Applicants can submit more than one application if they are pursuing different projects. Each project can benefit undergraduates, post-graduates or both.
7. The Panel may seek additional information or clarification from applicants, but will not enter into negotiations or help applicants plan their projects or enhance their applications. 
8. The Panel will decide which applications are successful and their decision is final. The Panel reserves the right not to award any or all grants should the applications not satisfy these guidelines or be unsuitable in other respects.
9. Depending on the applications received, the Society may decide to grant the total fund to one project, or share it between several smaller ones.
10. Successful applicants should acknowledge the financial contribution of the Fitzwilliam Society when reporting and promoting their projects. The JCR and MCR Presidents will update the Society committee on the progress of the successful projects during the September committee meetings, or later by prior agreement with the Grants Panel.
11. Successful applicants should provide three good-quality digital photographs (jpeg) to the Grants Panel to illustrate their projects. The photographs should be accompanied by a written confirmation that the applicants have the right to share these photographs and that they and any and all people in the photographs give permission for them to be used for the promotion of the Fitzwilliam Society Grant Scheme.

Not every application over the years has been successful and detailed feedback is provided to the applicants to help with any future grant applications. For example:

• Some applications did not adhere to the guidelines or answer the questions in sufficient detail or clarity. Applying for a grant is like answering an exam question – read the instructions carefully.
• Those applications that were successful provided a clear and persuasive narrative, and costings were well-researched and clear. Some unsuccessful applications had not researched the costings, and only guesstimates were provided.
• Projects should be at the advanced-planning stage by the time the application is submitted. Previous applications for projects still at the formative stage were unsuccessful. 
• The Panel needs to know how many students would benefit from a project. This could be simply by stating the number of members, attendees, or circulation list (for example). Another way of demonstrating this is by undertaking a survey.
• Some projects were not clear about basic financial and or practical sustainability, e.g. who would manage the project during the summer holidays, and how was the project to be funded on an ongoing basis?