RUSU Affiliated Clubs Welcome Grants

RUSU is pleased to be able to offer eligible Clubs up to $500 each to support you to run early Semester 'Welcome Events' – events with a focus on welcoming new RMIT students to clubs, and to RMIT, and giving club members – new and old – an opportunity to meet and be part of their club community. 

PLEASE NOTE:

– Welcome events may be online & off-campus face-to-face events (or a combination of both).

– You can use the Grant for more than one Welcome Event (but only one grant is available for each eligible club).

– On-campus spaces are scarce and require thorough planning in the current climate. Please refer to the "Events & Promo" page on the Club resources page - On Campus room bookings

IMPORTANT:

- Face to face events must gain risk management approval. This process is built into the Welcome Grant Application Form

- Any application received less than 2 weeks before the scheduled event will not be accepted. You must reschedule and re-apply at least two weeks before your event.

- Clubs that receive this Grant MUST submit an Acquittal Report within 2 weeks of their funded event/s.  The link to the online form for the Report will be provide to you.

IMPORTANT GUIDANCE ABOUT WELCOME EVENTS:

RUSU Affiliated club events may include people from outside RMIT, however we encourage clubs to limit participation to RMIT staff & students where possible.

Where events include participants that are not RMIT staff and students, we encourage Clubs to hold these events at commercial venues with good reputations and that have clear and publicly available COVID safety plans and QR Code contact tracing systems in place.

RUSU Club event plans which involve minors (people who are under the age of 18 years old),  people who are not RMIT staff and students attending events off campus in public places, or not at a venue with its own COVID safety plan (including in your own homes), will involve more COVID safety measures, may take longer to approve and be more complex for club leaders to plan and deliver.

So, the best options are to continue holding online events or plan face-to-face events that are:

• Held off campus at commercial venues that have a good reputation & clear & publicly available COVID plans & QR Contract Tracing systems.
• Open only to RMIT student and staff participants.
• Open only to people over the age of 18 years old
• Open to 50 or less participants.

WELCOME GRANT ELIGIBILITY

INITIAL ELIGIBILITY:

Clubs must submit the following documentation to the RUSU Clubs Department for the 2021 Calendar Year:

1. Complete and correct 2020 AGM/IGM/SGM docs (as applicable).
2. Completed copy of the current Club General Details Form.
3. Completed current Club Leader Details Form for every elected Executive.

Note: The criteria below are in addition to submission of the correctly completed application form (and the forms inbuilt Agreements).

1. The usual size of the club.
2. Estimated attendance data (number of total attendees and how that breaks down into RMIT students and new RMIT students).
3. The budget for the event.
4. What the Club intends to use the grant money for.
5. Value for money (in comparison to similar events, known cost of items etc).
6. For face-to-face events, risk management approval.
7. Funded events must be delivered between 7th February  (VE Week 1) - 10th April (end of HE week 6) 2022.

1. PRIZES:
   If this grant is to fund prizes at your event, Members of Club Boards of Management/Executive are not permitted to accept any of these prizes.
2. ALCOHOL:
   This grant may not be used for the purchase and/or distribution of alcohol because of the difficulties of monitoring/enforcing current safety requirements. It can however be used for alcohol where this is provided by a commercial venue in accordance with responsible service of alcohol laws.
3. ACQUITTAL REPORT REQUIREMENT:
   All Clubs receiving this grant must provide a simple Grant Acquittal Report within 2 weeks of their event/s. This Report requires each Club to provide evidence of its' spending for the funded event. A Template is provided for the report.
4. LEFTOVER GRANT FUNDS:
   Any club that has a balance of more than $20 unspent from its' Welcome Grant will have the outstanding amount deducted from its' AAG Grant.
5. FAILURE TO SUBMIT ACQUITTAL REPORT:
   Any club failing to provide an Acquittal Report will have the full amount of Welcome Grant received deducted from future 2021 Core Grants (AAG or APR) and will not be eligible again for a Welcome Grant until 2023.
6. MISUSE OF FUNDING:
   Clubs that misuse this funding will not receive any other Clubs funding in 2021 and will not be eligible again for a Welcome Grant until 2023. Misuse may include providing false information in the application, using funding received for unrelated events or purposes etc.

TO APPLY FOR THE WELCOME GRANT

YOU WILL NEED:

1. A PDF copy of the approved budget for your event (as approved by your Club’s Executive/Board).
2. If your event/s will be at an off campus commercial venue, a copy of or a web link to the Venue’s COVID Safe Plan.

Complete and submit the Welcome Grant Application Form