The Alumni Impact Fund: student applications

Monday 22 September: Applications open

Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 October 13:00-14:30pm: In person Alumni Impact Fund drop-ins (UK campus) at Guild Reception.

At these sessions you can:

• Ask questions you have about the fund.
• Discuss your ideas and get personalised feedback.
• Get tips on how to fill out your application effectively.

Sunday 19 October: Applications close.

W/c Monday 10 November: Successful applicants will be invited to an in-person pitching panel.

W/c Monday 17 November: Winners announced.

Terms and conditions:

• All projects must have a positive impact on the student community.
• All projects should be new ideas. We will not award funding to activities which are already up and running, unless you're proposing significant changes to that activity. 
• Only one application per group/team/individual.
• If you were awarded funding through Alumni Impact Fund in 2024/25 and did not complete your project, or did not provide appropriate progress updates, you are not eligible to apply in 2025/26.
• This money was charitably donated to the University by alumni, and all funded projects must reflect the spirit of this generosity and the ethos of the University.
• We reserve the right to consider the expectations of charitable donors about the use of their donation and will not fund projects that could negatively impact on our future fundraising.

What can’t be funded?

• Funding cannot cover the cost of food and drink, alcohol, organise a ball or a religious event.
• Funding cannot be used with the sole aim of directly supporting another charitable cause, for instance as a direct donation to another charity or paying another charity for a voluntary experience.
• Funding cannot be used to start-up a business or app development.
• Funding cannot be used for promotional materials/ marketing.

Extra hints and tips:

• Projects that are innovative, creative and exciting are more likely to be successful.
• Projects that benefit students for years to come will be favoured. How long will the impact of your project last? Will this funding enable you to do the activity again in future?
• If your project only benefits a few people, it is less likely to be awarded funding. Try to demonstrate the broader impact of your project.
• Please avoid using Chat GPT to write your application or generate ideas. If spotted, this reduces the credibility of your application.
• If your project revolves around careers and employability, I recommend talking to the Careers Network about your idea before you apply.
• If you are applying to fund a speaker for an event, speak to us first to identify whether there are alumni volunteers who could support instead.

All applicants must secure a 'staff advocate' who needs to email Lydia Buffery or Adele Matthews (Dubai) with their approval of the project and willingness to oversee student spending.

If you are applying as an individual, this should be someone from your department who is a budget holder e.g. a programme lead, tutor or Student Experience Officer. If you are a Guild society or UB Sport club, yours should be your allocated coordinator/ development officer.

You should share the information below with your staff advocate.

As a staff advocate you will:

• Email Lydia Buffery or Adele Matthews (Dubai) to approve that the project can take place, if successful, and that you have read the terms and conditions.
• Be responsible for ensuring the project meets University health and safety requirements and risk regulations, and University financial regulations.

(Not relevant to Guild/ UBSport advocates):

• Be a University budget holder and signatory.
• Hold any successful grants in your budget element 2 code.
• Oversee and authorise expenditure through Core requisitions.

Dylan Sanghera: UoB Campus Air Quality Network

Thanks to the support of the Alumni Impact Fund, and under the guidance of air pollution experts Professor Francis Pope and Dr Dimitris Bousiotis, Dylan Sanghera was able to launch the 'UoB Campus Air Quality Network'. 

This project aims to monitor and understand air pollutant levels across campus, providing a detailed real-time picture of local air quality. He purchased 6 solar-powered air quality monitors and 2 wired monitor versions. They are currently being tested and calibrated and will soon be deployed in various locations around campus. 

In the long term, the UoB Campus Air Quality Network will serve as a practical tool for promoting clean and healthy air, driving environmental health awareness. The data collected will be shared openly and accessibly at https://explore.openaq.org/ allowing engagement with both the university community and wider public.

Debating Society: The Birmingham Pro-Am

This year, the University of Birmingham Debating Society was proud to host the Birmingham Pro-Am, a 100-person, 36-team, two-day external debating competition. This was a significant moment for our society, as it marked our first major debating competition in over four years.

The Alumni Impact Fund played a crucial role in making this event possible by:

• Allowing us to hire experienced Core Adjudicators, ensuring fair and high-quality judging.
• Increasing accessibility, enabling more teams to participate by expanding our adjudication pool.
• Covering essential costs, helping us run a well-organised and professional competition.

The Birmingham Pro-Am provided an opportunity for students to take part in a high-level competition without facing financial barriers, making debating more inclusive and accessible.

More broadly, this competition was an important step in rebuilding Birmingham’s debating presence. The university has a strong history in competitive debating, but in recent years, opportunities had declined. By hosting this event, we are not only strengthening our own society but also helping to revive the debating circuit in the West Midlands, which currently consists of only Birmingham and Warwick.

Archery: Increasing accessibility 

With help from the Alumni Impact Fund, we purchased entry-level accessible equipment to accommodate our new novices in the years to come. This included new lightweight bows and compounds, release aids, sit stools and all the bits and pieces needed to get started in archery.

As a club, it has allowed us to be more accommodating with our intake, as we're now better equipped to provide for different levels of ability. We hope to continue branching out in this new year as we look into more ways to provide an inclusive atmosphere. We want to empower all archers to shoot with confidence at UBAC, regardless of any disability.

Not only has the equipment allowed us to expand our cohort of archers, but we are also able to support our current archers when faced with unforeseen injuries, such as broken bones or back problems. Earlier this year, a few of our performance archers suffered injuries that otherwise would have set them back in their training by weeks/months. However, thanks to our new release aids and sit stools, we were able to accommodate their injuries and rehabilitate them through the sport without discouraging their performance.

Other examples

Xanthe Acquah Storey: 'The Prophecy of Self-fulfilling'. The Alumni Impact Fund supported Xanthe to produce her short film; written, directed and performed by UoB students.

Tennis: The 'Tennis 2000 project'. The society purchased new equipment in order to offer free tennis coaching to local schools alongside some UoB societies.

Watch This: 'Plot Twist'. A week-long festival of performing arts including over 40 UoB students for an audience of 219 people from across the community.

Lifesaving: Improving diversity in first-aid and lifesaving equipment. The club purchased new CPR manikins in a range of skin colours alongside breast covers to resemble a woman's body. Did you know women are less likely to receive CPR?

If you want to discuss your idea or have any questions about the application process then please, contact Lydia Buffery. Alternatively, you can attend one of our drop-in sessions, listed in the 'key dates' section above.

For UoB Dubai projects, please contact Adele Matthews.