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Belonging Fund

The Belonging Fund is an £85,000 per year initiative which will enable students to shape their own belonging.

Think of the Belonging Fund as your chance to bring brilliant ideas to life — the ones that help students find their people, feel at home, and confident to be themselves at Durham and in the city.

You can apply for up to £5,000, or for £10,000 for a big, bold project, so think big!

This is a brand-new joint initiative between Durham University and the SU, created through the Access and Participation Plan, and it’s designed to help you shape the future of belonging on campus.

What can I use it for?

This list isn’t exhaustive, but hopefully it can give you an idea of what the Belonging Fund can be used for:

  • Paying students for their time working on Belonging Fund projects and activities
  • Collaborative work with the local community to ground others in a sense of place and feel pride that they are in Durham, not just at Durham
  • Research projects
  • Resources, equipment and materials related to event organisation or campaigns related to belonging (including internal hire costs). Please note that applicants must consider storage when thinking of buying equipment. Members of the Belonging Team are happy to discuss options.
  • Food or catering for events (if connected to the SU), where there is a clear benefit to providing catering (such as removing barriers for engagement).
  • Travel and transport for activities.

Here’s some examples you could run with:

  • Visual storytelling campaigns that let’s every student see themselves represented
  • A field trip of sites across the North East, spotlighting local food spots, cultural experiences, and styling services
  • Pop-up bar and cafe events that get people chatting and promote student connections
  • Provisions for student support networks, such as catering, training, and developing methods of expressing experiences
  • In college activities for livers-out
  • Funding for student and community groups to host inclusive, free events that bring people together

What can't I use it for?

Although it’s a generous fund, there are some restrictions to be aware of. Below are some examples, and the complete list can be found here.

  • Usual departmental or college activities
  • Salaried staff time
  • Individual student support, study costs, or adjustments
  • Building works
  • Events charging participation. All events must be free to attend.

What do I need to do?

  1. Get a staff sponsor: you need a staff sponsor as part of the Belonging Fund. This can be any staff member of Durham University, colleges, or the SU. Their role is to provide administrative support. This includes doing any risk assessments, making sure that timesheets are completed and submitted, and conducting and submitting any evaluations.
  2. However, they may take a more active role. This could include opening doors to other teams within Durham University or the wider community. They may use their connections to recommend guest speakers. They may co-create the whole project or activity with you. All of this depends on the activity, its complexity and the time that it will take.
  3. Check the Access and Participation Plan: Make sure that activity is targeted to the at least one of the groups of students in the Access and Participation Plan. You can find the Access and Participation Plan here.
  4. Check the SharePoint for all the guidance and information you’ll need here.
  5. You can speak to a member of the Belonging Team if you need any further advice or guidance at belongingfund@durham.ac.uk

What is the application process?

  1. You’ll fill out an application form, which will be sent to the Belonging Team. Once the application deadline has passed, we’ll sort them and anonymise them.
  2. They’ll then go to the Student Panel, which is chaired by Fran, our Community Officer. They’ll read through the applications, discuss them, and make recommendations to the Staff Panel.
  3. The Staff Panel – featuring your SU President, Abi Taylor!- will then check the applications to see if they align with the Access and Participation Plan, can be evaluated, and see if the project or activity is going on elsewhere in the University. If the project or activity is taking place elsewhere, we can link you up with the organisers to make it a bigger activity, and you may still get funding for this.

Information and contact details

You can find all the information and guidance here on the applicant hub.

Questions? Big ideas to test? Send them to: belongingfund@durham.ac.uk