The grant process

The Alumni Association Initiative Grants are currently open to applications.

Your application will be reviewed and you’ll be informed of the outcome following the review calendar below. If successful, a member of the team will be in touch to arrange transfer of funds. Grants are not capped; the average award is between £500 and £1000.

You are welcome to discuss your ideas at any stage of the process, and you will be supported in delivering your activity with advice from the Civic and Alumni Engagement Office (CAEO). Get in touch at alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk.

Alumni Association Initiative Grant Review Calendar, 2026/2027

Application Window	Submission Deadline	Committee Review Period	Applicant Notification	Payment Processing
July 2026	31 Jul 2025	1–10 Aug 2026	By 14 Aug 2026	Mid–Late Aug 2026
August 2026	31 Aug 2026	1–10 Sep 2026	By 15 Sep 2026	Mid–Late Sep 2026
September 2026	30 Sep 2026	1–10 Oct 2026	By 15 Oct 2026	Mid–Late Oct 2026
October 2026	31 Oct 2026	1–10 Nov 2026	By 13 Nov 2026	Mid–Late Nov 2026
November 2026	30 Nov 2026	1–10 Dec 2026	By 15 Dec 2026	Mid-Late Dec 2026
December 2026	18 Dec 2026	5–15 Jan 2027	By 20 Jan 2027	Mid–Late Jan 2027
January 2027	31 Jan 2027	1–10 Feb 2027	By 12 Feb 2027	Mid–Late Feb 2027
February 2027	28 Feb 2027	1–10 Mar 2027	By 15 Mar 2027	Mid–Late Mar 2027
March 2027	31 Mar 2027	1–10 Apr 2027	By 15 Apr 2027	Mid–Late Apr 2027
April 2027	30 Apr 2027	1–10 May 2027	By 14 May 2027	Mid–Late May 2027
May 2027	31 May 2027	1–10 Jun 2027	By 15 Jun 2027	Mid–Late Jun 2027
June 2027	30 Jun 2027	1–10 Jul 2027 (final review)	By 15 Jul 2027	Mid–Late Jul 2027

Applications should:

be inclusive and open to all University of Bristol alumni from your target audience e.g. all alumni of the University of Bristol Badminton Club
be for initiatives that are primarily for alumni
help build an engaged and supportive alumni community

Alumni Association Initiative Grants cannot be used to run activities which directly support other charities or entrepreneurial projects, and unfortunately, no retrospective funding can be granted.

Repeat funding

The Alumni Association Committee will prioritise new ideas and activities in its decision making, and cannot usually provide repeat funding. Alumni Association Initiative Grants are primarily intended to support new initiatives and events. We encourage organizers to make efforts toward long-term sustainability, rather than relying on ongoing grant funding.

We recommend developing a plan to cover future costs—for example, by introducing ticket sales or exploring alternative funding sources.

Repeat funding for student societies

Repeat funding may be considered in circumstances where a project can evidence one or more of the following:

Outstanding impact and innovation

Sustained benefit to the alumni and student community

Clear alignment with the university’s strategic priorities, including participation, collaboration, recognition, and global engagement

Your application should

be clear and easy to understand
include details on what the grant will be used for, for example, venue deposits or digital services
include a breakdown of expected costs, for example, venue hire at £400 or catering at £10 per head

If successful, the grant awarded should be used for the purposes included in your application. Please keep the Alumni Association Committee informed if circumstances change. If your activity does not go ahead, you must return the funds. Following the event, grant awardees are kindly requested to provide us with a list of attendees, a brief report on the activity, and details of any alumni who played a role in organising the event.

Contacts

If you have any questions, please get in touch in advance of making your application either by email: alumni-volunteers@bristol.ac.uk or telephone: +44 (0)117 394 1046.