The Extracurricular activity fund is an opportunity for individuals or groups of students who are undertaking an out-of-classroom activity, which will benefit the local community and the University, and who would like financial contribution to realize this.

During the 2024/25 academic year, you may apply for up to £300 in match-funding to support a project or activity that meets the criteria and eligibility outlined below.

If you apply as a group of students, you may request a maximum of £600. 

Criteria 

To be eligible to receive funding the project/activity must:  

  • Be ‘extra-curricular’ in nature - i.e. not wholly related to your studies. For example, raising money for new equipment for a club or society, or participation in a local event/activity that will benefit the applicant and BSU. 
  • Benefit the local community and/or the University’s public image - think about what you are giving back to the community (BSU and/or the local area) and how this reflects on the University.  
  • Contribute to an exceptional and life changing university experience – how will your project improve or help develop the university experience for students and the wider BSU community?   
  • Be for a unique project – multiple applications for one project are not permitted. The funding must not be used for financial or academic gain. 
  • Be developed and delivered by BSU students – the Fund is not intended to support donations to third parties outside of Bath Spa University, including charities. 
  • Be within this academic year – the project/activity must be completed by September 2025. 

What is match-funding? 

We want to help students to develop their enterprising and entrepreneurial skills, giving them an insight into funding their future work, marketing and promotion.

To be eligible for funding, applicants will need to provide evidence of sourcing financial support for the project via other fundraising avenues. For example:

  • personal funds
  • sponsorship from an individual or business
  • raising additional funds through crowdfunding.  

If the application is successful, the Extra-Curricular Activity Fund will typically award grants by matching any funds already raised (or to be raised) by students on a £1 for £1 basis up to the maximum amount as stated above.  

Applicants are responsible for arranging and securing their own match-funding. General guidance about crowdfunding is available in our Crowdfunding Tips and Tricks. 

Please note: awards from other BSU Scholarships and Bursaries (e.g. Student Opportunities Fund) cannot be used as match-funding.

Eligibility criteria 

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the following criteria: 

  • You (including all group members if a group application) must be a Bath Spa University student studying at either Newton Park, Sion Hill, Locksbrook, Corsham Court or BSU London. Students studying at our Educational Partner institutes are not eligible.  
  • Applicants can be enrolled on any undergraduate or postgraduate course, full time or part time. 
  • The activity being funded must fulfil the Project Criteria outlined above. 
  • No retrospective funding is available – applications cannot be considered for projects or activities that have already taken place. 
  • Successful applicants are required to submit a brief report detailing their participation in the funded activity.  
  • This Fund is intended to support BSU students and local community activity, therefore, any projects which involve travel outside of the UK are not eligible.  

Application deadlines

Applications will open in late January. They will be reviewed at the final two rounds of the Scholarships and Bursaries Disbursement Panel. Application deadlines for 2024/2025 are as follows: 

  • Round one: 9am Monday 28 October 2024 
  • Round two: 9am, Monday 3 March 2025 
  • Round three: 9am, Monday 28 April 2025  

Where an application is submitted after a round deadline, it will not be considered until the next round. No further applications for the academic year will be considered after the round three April deadline.  

How to apply 

Online application 

Students may apply by using the online application form (student login required) on AppHub. Select the 'Scholarship Applications' menu, then choose the ' Extracurricular Activity Fund (EAF)’ option when adding an application. 

Group applications 

Where the application is for a group, only one member should apply on behalf of the group. They will act as the lead applicant and will be the main point of contact regarding the application including being responsible for any follow-up actions that may be required.  

The lead applicant should include all group member names and student ID information in the notes section of the application form. 

Application requirements 

Please note that the application requires the following: 

  • A breakdown of the expected project costs, including supporting evidence - supporting documentation to evidence the costs must be added to the online application as attachments.   
  • A short supporting statement from your tutor or course leader - please make sure you seek permission from your tutor/course leader in advance, so they are aware to expect a request for a supporting statement. 

Please read the Terms and Conditions before applying and complete all sections of the form before submission. Applicants can refer to these application guidelines for advice and information on how to complete the form. 

How applications are judged 

The successful applicants will be selected by the Scholarships and Bursaries Disbursement Panel. The Panel aims to convene within four weeks following the application deadline. 

Applicants should expect to receive decision feedback within six weeks of the deadline. However, where additional information or clarification is required, decisions may take longer to confirm.  

Please be aware that this Fund has a limited budget available and therefore not all applications will be successful. All applications will be thoroughly and fairly considered by the Disbursement Panel and decisions will be communicated as soon as possible.  

Get in touch

If you have any questions about this award, please login to MyCareer and submit a question. Please select the 'scholarships and bursaries' option from the question type list.