De Montfort Students' Union (DSU) is committed to supporting our student groups and this is more important than ever with restrictions in place to safeguard against COVID-19.
The Development Fund is available to provide financial support for you to run and improve your Club, Society or Volunteering Group. Whether this is equipment or tech support during these challenging times.
Due to COVID-19 the membership fee for student groups has been set at £0 to remove barriers. Due to the lack of income for our groups, we have increased the Development fund from £5000 to £10,000 this year. An additional £5000 has been budgeted for payment of online platforms and technical requirements groups need to function virtually.
There are two sections to the Development Fund which you can apply for:
Online Platform Funding and Technology Application
This is available if you are looking for funding for platforms and technology to run your student group online. This includes access to a Union Zoom account paid for by the Students’ Union
Student Group Funding Application
To request funding for anything else which will assist with the running and development of your group.
You can find more information here.
What funding can be used for:
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Educational talks or seminars
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Performance (except BUCS Sports Teams)
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Equipment that is essential to the running of the student group
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Fundraising and charity events costs – this money will only be considered if you clearly detail how you intend to spend at least 25% overall (including development fund grant and self-funding costs) of the money you intend to raise
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General applications more closely linked with the running of the society will also be considered, a common example will be a promotional campaign or event to recruit more members.
Examples of those projects which funding will not be awarded for:
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Donations to any other organisations, this includes charities and political parties.
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Purchasing of alcohol
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Donations to other charities
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Expenses to attend a political rally/demo for non-student related issues
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Any other projects which are against the DSUs mission or values, or its legal obligations
Hear how the Development Fund has benefited other student groups:
Yoga Society- Awarded £450
What did you do with the money you were awarded/plan to do?
We have sourced 2 yoga teachers to be able to offer weekly sessions for the society members.
How has it helped your group?
It allows for us to have our own yoga classes as a society (currently we have been joining sessions ran by yoga teachers for the public) so everyone can feel more inclusive and like a community. It also allows for the sessions to be run free of charge meaning that anyone can join.
Airsoft- Awarded £1000
As a non-mainstream society, DMU Airsoft has always struggled with funds. This year, however, we decided enough was enough. Airsoft is a relatively expensive hobby and our aim was to allow it to become more accessible for people who may not be able to afford the upfront costs. Once we found out about the development fund we decided to put together a plan. That was a year ago now and through lots of planning and the increasing of our community footprint it allowed a well thought out and developed financial plan to be brought forwards to the student union.
The fund has allowed us to maximise our potential for growth - encouraging members to stay due to low upfront costs for what was once a relatively expensive game. We can now confidently offer cheaper equipment packages thus allowing for the society to sustain itself financially while also increasing accessibility - which were our two main aims!
If you have any questions relating to funding for your student group, please feel free to contact the Activities Team by emailing them at activities@dmu.ac.uk and they'd be happy to help.
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