Supporting Keele University

What is the Keele Key Fund?

We have established the Keele Key Fund to bring together the goodwill of alumni and friends to benefit students currently studying here and those who will follow in future. Through the Keele Key Fund we offer a choice of initiatives for those who wish to support the University.

• Enhancing the student experience
• Sports, Arts and Leisure
• Bursaries & Scholarships
• Academic Excellence
• Heritage and Environment & Sustainability

Who decides how the money is spent?

The Keele Key Fund Disbursment Committee (whose membership is drawn from lay members, staff and students) makes decisions about the use of 'unrestricted' funds. Where donors have specified how they would like their gift to be used, the Committee will follow the wishes of the donor).

The Committee meets in April, June and November each year.

How do I apply for funds for my project?

By completing Keele Key Fund Grant Application Form and submitting it to the Alumni and Development Office by March 15th , June 15th or November 15th (please note, if you are making a KUSU application you need to submit it before this date to the relevent KUSU Vice President.) Please ensure that you include a complete budget with your application form along with quotations where possible.

What types of project will be considered for funding?

The Disbursement Committee will consider applications under 5 fund areas:

Enhancing the student experience

With its attractive grounds and a very high proportion of Keele students living on campus, the quality of student life is key to our continuing success.

Volunteering programmes enable our students to engage with the wider community, enhancing their experience and developing their skills for future employment. Our graduate employment rate remains among the best in the country.

The University continually works towards more providing more social spaces, improving our sports facilities and ensuring that the Keele experience remains memorable and distinctive for all our students.

Sports, Arts and Leisure

Our Talented Athlete and Coaching programmes allow our students to perform in a variety of sports, both nationally and internationally, and we always require funds to provide or upgrade our facilities and equipment.

The arts programme is thriving at Keele with regular concerts, exhibitions, poetry readings, workshops and public lectures. Your support will enable us to develop the cultural programmes here at Keele for the benefit of students and the wider community.

Bursaries & Scholarships

Keele offers a range of financial support packages to assist students from lower-income backgrounds or communities currently under-represented in Higher Education. The Vice Chancellor's and The Dean's Scholarships support and retain students who attain the highest marks in their academic qualifications prior to entry to Keele. Scholarships and bursaries range from £500 to £1,000 per year.

Academic Excellence

Our commitment to high quality education requires continuous investment in creating innovative new courses, expanding our research work and the purchase of new cutting edge equipment.

Sustainability, Heritage and the Environment

Our distinctive campus has over 600 acres of green spaces, woodlands, lakes and parkland surrounding the historic Keele Hall, the Clock House, the Fountain and Arboretum.

The Heritage, Lakes and Valleys project aims to restore these attractive features, improve the water quality of the lakes and increase public access to the woodlands.

Your project should fit into at least one of these fund areas (but please note, you do not need to specify one of these funds in your application).

Please note that leverage, in the form of evidence of additional funding from external sources, is welcomed.

In addition, preference will be given to projects or activities that:

• Offer the widest possible benefit, i.e. to the University as a whole or to a large constituency within the University. Projects benefiting only one individual will be given lowest priority.
• Enhance the University's profile and reputation for influential work in the local or international community.
• Offer long-term benefit or added value. Pump-priming grant applications are welcomed.
• Meet a clearly expressed student, academic or overall university need.
• Require one-off funding.
• Are considered to be of interest to the donors in terms of reporting back on how their donations have been spent.

(When you make your application, please bear in mind that the grant money available is money donated by individuals to the University, as explained above. We have a commitment to report back to our donors to inform them how their money has been spent. To this end, the Keele Key Fund Disbursement Committee will discuss the appeal and interest of each application to the donor base in the decision-making process.)

What types of project will not be considered for funding?

Including, but not limited to:

• Research projects eligible for grants from standard research grant sources.
• Retrospective funding will not be considered.
• Applications from individuals (academic or student) seeking support for tuition, other course fees, personal maintenance costs, or for replacement staff costs for sabbatical or other leave.
• Projects requiring recurrent funding (including salaries and subscriptions) will only be funded for one year and will not be considered unless other funds are available to meet the recurrent costs after year one.
• Projects requiring part-funding will only be considered if it is demonstrated that the rest of the project funds are available or very likely to be secured.
• Projects requesting funding for teaching that would usually be covered via course fees.
• Please note that any costs for catering included in an application may be covered (some exceptions may be made, for example, if catering cannot be covered by means such as conference/symposium fees etc).

What size of grant is available?

The Committee will award grants of up to £5000. Under exceptional circumstances larger grants may be made at the Board's discretion. Most grants awarded will be between £500 - £2000. The number of projects funded will be determined by the funds available at the time of the meeting.

Information on successful projects:

Please contact the Development Office.

How will I know if my application has been successful?

You will be advised of the outcome of your application by phone, email or post following the meetings of the relevant Disbursement Committee in April, June and November.

What follow-up activity is required for successful applications?

After notification of a grant award you will need to supply the Alumni & Development Office with the relevant details for the payment arrangements (e.g. providing a University finance code for the payment of the grant).

Please note that grants not spent within 6 months of an award being made will no longer be available unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Alumni and Development Office.

All successful applications will be required to provide a report for the Keele Key Fund Disbursement Committee on the progress of the project and confirmation of how the grant has been spent. Reports for successful applications will be required by January to meet the deadline for the Forever Keele Newsletter. In addition, applicants may be contacted in order to supply short articles and photographs about funded projects for inclusion in other PR material.