COMMUNITY

The Tasmanian University Student Association (TUSA) has grants available from the Student Service and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and the TUSA Board of Management (BoM) to develop and promote a vibrant, fun and inclusive student experience at the University of Tasmania by providing quality events, services, initiatives and programs.

Events/activities should be student-led and are designed to benefit groups of students, not individuals. Grants are available under the following categories which align with the TUSA student promises. The committee will consider grants received from TUSA State Council, TUSA affiliated Clubs and Societies and other student groups.

• Making a Difference Grants
• Giving Students Voice Grants
• Helping Students Connect & Activate Grants
• Helping Students Develop & Grow Grants

For more information, please download the C+S Handbook 2022.

What can be applied for:

• Capital* – Capital grants are available for one-off large purchases of equipment or replacement of equipment that is integral for the running of a club/society or to benefit the wider student population on our campuses. This grant covers items that are available for ongoing use for up to 3 years. It does not apply to items that would not be considered assets, such as running expense supplies. These grants aren’t capped due to the nature of what they support. The item/s must be available for the benefit of all members.
• Activity – To support club/society activities aligned with their aims and objectives. These grants are capped at $250.
• Maintenance – Helping to support the upkeep of equipment that is integral for a club or society to remain active.
• WHS – Work health and safety grants are there to support UTAS students and to make sure a club/society is being run safely & ensuring they meet and comply with WHS regulations.
• Conference Travel – TUSA recognises the value conferences can have in upskilling and supporting the growth of clubs and societies and student representatives. Grants are available for local and domestic travel up to $250 per current UTAS student and for international travel up to $500 per current UTAS student (capped at $1,000).
• Start-Up – Only available for brand new clubs/societies to help them run their first meeting/membership drive event and/or to get basic items to help run the club/society (capped at $150).
• Events – Supporting events that contribute to the club/society’s aims and objectives, such as Chinese New Year Celebrations. These grants are capped at $1,000.
  • Balls/End of Year Dinner Invitation Etiquette: As a gesture of appreciation for the financial support received from their school/college and TUSA, academic societies planning to hold balls and annual dinners should extend invitations to their Head of School and other notable stakeholders from TUSA and/or the University.

Grants Specific to Sporting Clubs

Grants are also available to sporting clubs as per the Clubs and Societies Policies.

For more information about Running Expense Assistance, Large Capital Project Grants and Representation Grants, please refer to the C+S Handbook 2022.

To apply for a grant Clubs & Societies must complete this form on QPay.

Grant applications must be received for review before an event/activity or capital purchase takes place. Funding will not be provided for activities/events that have already taken place. A risk assessment must be approved by the TUSA Compliance Team before holding the event/activity.

Only one grant application per event/activity will be considered.

Events should ideally take place before 30^th November to allow paperwork to be completed in time for TUSA auditing requirements unless a special arrangement has been discussed and approved by the Clubs and Societies Officer.

Grant Limits

**Please note: the Grant Committee may at their discretion from time-to-time set/raise limits based on a case-by-case basis -e.g., if the event is aimed at showcasing student work and additional assistance is justified.

What the TUSA Doesn’t Support Through Grants:

• Money to purchase alcohol
• Prizes for individual club/society events
• Gambling
• Gifts
• Tobacco in any form whatsoever
• The payment of any fines imposed on a club/society
• Brewing equipment or equipment related to alcohol
• TUSA funds being directly sent to support fundraising donations
• Court, sports or venue hire, coaches, trainers, teachers or other associated costs of running activities either through the University or external venue providers that are part of the normal operations of a club/society. e.g. court or room hire for weekly classes or training sessions

For more information, please download the C+S Handbook 2022.

Ensure your club/society’s future through good financial management!

Running your club/society is like running a mini business. Good financial management is essential if you want your club/society to survive!

Simple steps to help your club/society achieve financial sustainability:

• Have a financial plan – create a budget showing all expected income & expenses for the year to help your club/society manage your money and plan for a strong future. Start by looking at last years’ actual income and costs and see how the club/society managed on that.
• It can be good to have a short-term budget which looks at income and costs for the coming year, and a long-term budget which looks at your income and costs over the next few years so you can plan for larger capital items.
• Think about different ways you can generate income.
• When looking at holding events make sure you will have sufficient funds to cover all expenses and aim to cover your expenses by charging an entry fee – this is easy enough as you can look at all expenses and divide this by the expected number of attendees to arrive at a suitable ticket price.
• Charge a membership joining fee that is appropriate for the type of activities your club/society offers. If you are a ski club, then you should be charging more than a reading club as your costs are going to be higher
• If you only want to charge a small joining fee, then think about your activities and the costs associated with them such as playing social sports – make sure you can cover the weekly venue hire costs by charging members a small fee each session they rock up to.
  • Note: TUSA does not cover venue hire, including the UniGym, or coaches / teachers / trainers – thus your prices need to cover these costs.
• It’s not unreasonable to ask for a gold coin donation to attend an event where food and drinks are being supplied or some great bands are performing. In some instances, there are members who may be able to pay a little more than others, so consider asking for an entry donation such as ‘pay what you can afford’.

This responsibility usually falls to the Treasurer as it is their job to manage the club/society’s income and expenses.