Overview
Cambridge SU offers funding directly to registered societies, via SU Society Grants. There are three different types of grant, outlined below, within which societies can apply for a range of amounts to support their activities!
Education Grant
This category of grant is for activities that advance the education of students at the University, by providing opportunities for academic and intellectual enrichment, directly related to academic courses of study at the University.
For example, this grant could be used for reimbursing a speaker’s travel costs to attend and speak at a subject society’s event, hiring a room to host an academic workshop or talk, or purchasing printed texts for a reading group.
The maximum amount for the Education Grant that can be applied for is £250.
Community-Building Grant
This category of grant is for activities that facilitate communal and/or community activities to further students’ ‘personal development’; these activities might be primarily social/recreational, cultural, or sporting, but should have as their central purpose building community among students.
For example, this grant could be used for hiring a venue for a cultural/activity-based society to host an event, purchasing small items like a frisbee or board game, or buying arts and crafts supplies for an event.
The maximum amount for the Community-Building Grant that can be applied for is £250.
Liberation & Social causes Grant
This category of grant is for facilitating activities and forums for discussions and debate that further students’ personal development; these activities and forums should facilitate students discussing social and liberation issues, and engaging intellectually with each other, in a way distinct from advancing their academic education, but still conducive to their personal development more broadly.
For example, this grant could be used for hiring a venue for an event for students to discuss social and liberation issues, purchasing flipchart paper, or buying pens and paper to make mind maps.
The maximum amount for the Liberation & Social Causes Grant that can be applied for is £350.
Society Start-up Grant
We are excited to announce the trial of our Society Start-up Grant, launching Lent Term 2025! This is for any new representative student group to apply for to cover start-up costs. When applying for this grant, please ensure that you detail any projects, events, or items that you would spend this funding on.
For example, this grant could be used for a society launch event, or particular items needed for the start up e.g. craft supplies if an arts related society. As with our regular grants, this grant cannot be used to purchase anything or pay for services from the SU itself (e.g., a Freshers’ Fair stall booking). If you need assistance with these costs, please find information about the Societies Syndicate launch grants.
Please note that this grant is only for societies that have registered with this SU within the last term. The maximum amount for the Society Start-up Grant that can be applied for is £100.
Society Grant Criteria & Help Sheets:
Application Process
In order to apply you must:
- Decide the type of grant you wish to apply for
- Read Eligibility Criteria
- Write and submit Society Grant Application (below)
Please ensure you apply a minimum of 14 days before the event or activity for which you are seeking funding.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. The panel decision can take up to 14 days and, once a decision has been made, you will be notified by email whether your application has been successful.
If your application is successful, payment can take up to 14 days so please ensure you leave enough time for the application to be approved if you need the funding by a certain date.
TImeline: Applications Open
Deadline to claim the approved Lent Term grants: 30th April 2025.
Applications for Easter Term: 28th April, 2025 - 1st June, 2025
Other grants available
Students or student groups can use this application for any new outreach projects they would like to organise in Cambridge.
The Societies Syndicate gives financial assistance to University clubs and societies that are registered with the Proctors’ Office. Please note that grants are not normally awarded to societies that do not charge a membership fee.
There are a few options for how to manage your society's finances:
Society Finance Account
Societies registered with Cambridge SU can use the SU website to manage their finances. The SU holds funds on behalf of societies and banks with the Charities Aid Foundation. This is not a formal bank account so does not provide a card, chip & pin etc. but allows societies to make transactions easily, with the peace of mind that their funding is invested with an ethically-focussed bank. For more information or if you are setting up a new society just message the SU Activities Team.
Society Finance Account payment Timeline
Once the request has been put in by the initial committee member and then approved by a secondary committee member, this can take up to 7 days to be approved by the SU management team.
Once the approval process has been completed, this can take up to 30 days to be paid into or out of your society account.
Want a bank account with cambridge su?
We offer our societies the chance to set up a bank account on our system which can be used for purchasing new equipment, paying to rent spaces, and/or getting reimbursed to pay for items for items. Attached is our Finance Guide, where you can find out more information about what our banking system offers and how to use it. To set up a bank account on our system, please email us at activities@cambridge.co.uk.
Please note, in order to set up a finance account with Cambridge SU, your society must have been registered with the SU for one year.
Other Bank Accounts
If you'd prefer to open a formal bank account, we've teamed up with The Switch Cambridge to recommend the most ethical banking providers: if your society has a charity number, we recommend the Cooperative Bank’s Community Directplus account if it doesn’t have charity number, we recommend Metro Bank Community account Click here to find out more from The Switch Cambridge about switching your society account.
Vat and Your Society
Any society that has a turnover of over £90,000 legally has to register for VAT with HM Revenue and Customs. If your society turnover is less than this amount, you can choose whether or not to register. If you society pays VAT on a lot of purchases and only a little on what you supply (e.g. concert tickets), then it might be worth considering registering. For more information on VAT for charities, please go to HMRC Website or call their helpline on 0300 123 1073.