Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) project fund

• Remit and scope

  The funding can be used for activities that fulfill one or both of these criteria:

  i) increase our academic understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues within higher education settings and how these issues might be addressed

  ii) have the potential to enhance the environment in our own institution for individuals with protected characteristics or who are under-represented, minoritised or historically disadvantaged in higher education settings.

  Applicants must ensure they clearly state how their project meets the remit of the fund:

  • invited speakers, workshops, networking events, outreach activities (for example, venue hire, catering, transport, accommodation, fees), particularly those that align with the University’s Celebrating Diversity calendar
  • pilot training sessions that relate to equality, diversity and inclusion, where such sessions have not been previously undertaken and where such training has potential scope for roll-out across other Schools and Units
  • activities that enhance the delivery of inclusive teaching and learning, or that, more broadly, enhance a sense of belonging among students and staff from under-represented, minoritised or historically disadvantaged groups;
  • research projects, particularly those related to the experiences of disadvantaged, under-represented or minoritised groups within higher education (for example, participant costs, travel, research assistant, consumables).

• Funding guidelines

  • Funding should be additional and not be used as a substitute for existing sources of funding. Where relevant, applications should clearly state which other funding sources have been applied to or secured, and how the EDI Project Fund award would add to, improve or enhance the project where there are multiple sources of funding.
  • Applications that are led by members of staff are expected to have 50:50 matched funding (for example, if you are applying for £1000 from this scheme, you are expected to have £1000 of confirmed funding from another School or Unit cost centre).
  • Applications that are led by students will not normally be expected to have matched funding, although applications should take into account any existing funds provided by, or available through, the Students' Association. In addition, any teaching-related or research-related projects with student leads would normally be expected to show evidence of support by having matched funding from the School.
  • This scheme does not cover individual student or staff hardship. Please discuss student hardship funding queries with the relevant School Wellbeing Officer or Director and see the University’s discretionary funds for undergraduate students and postgraduate students.
  • The scheme will not normally fund international travel, research outwith St Andrews, or vouchers and incentives for participating in research projects.

• Who can apply?

  Applicants must be a member of staff or a student at the University of St Andrews. Collaborative applications that involve both staff and students, or that involve collaborations between Schools and Units, are particularly encouraged.

  Applications that are led by individual students or groups of students need to specify how any relevant Students’ Association subcommittees or societies have been notified of or involved in the design of the project. In addition, student applicants may consider discussing their plans with any relevant member or members of University staff ahead of submitting an application.

  We would also encourage students to talk to the Director of EDI in their School to make them aware of the project or activity and to allow them to provide advice and guidance.

  Any research or teaching related applications with student leads should also include a relevant member of staff as a co-applicant (for example, this may be the relevant research supervisor, School Director of EDI, Director of Teaching or Director of Research) and a letter of support from the member of staff should be emailed to ediprojectfund@st-andrews.ac.uk.

• How to apply

  • Large project applications are submitted in response to two calls per year, with deadlines usually in February or March and in September or October, and decisions will normally be communicated within six to eight weeks.
  • Small project applications can be submitted at any time, and decisions will normally be communicated in four to six weeks.
  • In some cases where information may not be clear from the initial application, the panel may ask follow-up questions to determine the suitability of the project. This may add additional time to the decision-making process.
  • Retrospective applications for events or activities that have already taken place will not be accepted.

  Please ensure your application is written for a non-specialised audience, and you complete all sections of the application fully.

  Applications to the EDI Project Fund must be submitted using the online application form. An EDI application form template (Word) is provided to help with preparing an application – please do not submit a Word version of the application form; these applications will be rejected.

  When considering budget costings, applicants should ensure they refer to University policies and guidance where relevant, including the expenses policy, RBS information on conferences and catering, and pay scale information.

  There are a number of rooms across the University which are free to use for staff and students. If there is a financial request to cover the cost of a specific venue, applicants must be clear on why this specific space is required or why an additional cost has been incurred (for example, out of hours janitorial costs).

  Please direct any enquiries about the scheme or application processes to the EDI Project Fund Team at ediprojectfund@st-andrews.ac.uk.

  The University maintains the right to describe completed projects when reporting on EDI-related activities (for example, internal and external reports or charter mark applications).

• Panel membership

  Large project applications will be assessed by a panel that normally includes:

  • Vice-Principal (People and Diversity),
  • Head of Equality and Diversity,
  • at least one EDI Faculty Lead (Arts and Divinity or Science and Medicine),
  • Students’ Association Director of Wellbeing and Equality or their nominee (for student-led projects).

  Small project applications will be assessed, at minimum, by either the Vice-Principal (People and Diversity) or Head of EDI.

• Criteria for award

  This funding scheme is competitive and the University may restrict the number of awards made, irrespective of available funds, based on the quality of the submitted applications.

  Applications will be judged against the following general criteria:

  • significance or importance of the activity or expected output
  • anticipated impact of the activity or output (for example, in terms of policy or practice implications for the University or higher education sector)
  • value for money and strength of case for support
  • collaborative or interdisciplinary links
  • overall quality of the application.

  Written feedback will not normally be given on unsuccessful applications. However, where unsuccessful applications show strong potential for redevelopment and resubmission, a member of the EDI Project Fund Team will be available for further discussions.

• Example projects

  The following projects received funding in 2023:

  • ‘Anti-racism in Higher Education: training for staff in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development’
    Applicants: Michael Simpson, Jessica Hope (Geography and Sustainable Development)

  • ‘Exploring and communicating issues of equality, diversity and inclusion through music: a music creation workshop’
    Applicant: Claudia Lubao (Earth and Environmental Sciences)

  • ‘inter/pose: an interactive exhibition of art and literature responding to HIV/AIDS’
    Applicant: Lou Selfridge (School of English)

  • ‘Self-defense training for women and promotion of self-defense among the St Andrews student body’
    Applicants: Anna Stefaniak, Duncan Caithness (School of Psychology and Neuroscience in collaboartion with Saints Sport)

• Successful applications

  The EDI Project Fund should be acknowledged as a supporter at any activities or events or in any outputs.

  Successful applicants may be asked to contribute to information or marketing materials to highlight activities funded by the EDI Project Fund. This may include, for example, writing a short blog on your activity, publishing the outputs of research on our web pages, taking part in Instagram takeovers or campaigns, taking part in EDI exhibitions highlighting the outputs of funded activities.

  Successful applicants will be expected to submit a short report within three months of completion of the project briefly describing the completed activities and outcomes. Reports should be submitted via the online report form. A report form template (Word) is provided to help with preparing a report – please do not submit a Word version.

  The report will also ask successful applicants to give a final summary on how the project fund money was spent, so applicants should ensure they keep accurate records in order to complete this report.