EDI Fund Guidance

*Please note that the EDI fund form and guidance are currently under review (Summer 2023); the existing information below can be used as a guide, but 2023/24 applications will be expected on the updated form following the updated guidance -please check back later*

Please find the full guidance for the fund below. Should you wish to download a copy please click here EDI fund - Guidance

You can access the application form directly here -  EDI fund - Application form

1. Objectives
This is a central fund that students and/or staff can bid into for activities related to promoting EDI initiatives and events at the institution.
The fund will provide small grants for initiatives aimed at furthering the University’s commitment to building an inclusive and respectful culture.
Applicants will be asked to demonstrate purpose, intended impact and outcomes to promote initiatives driving inclusivity between all members of the University.

2. Eligibility
All staff and students at Durham University will be eligible to bid into the fund to support initiatives and events on an annual basis. You can bid into the fund in each of the University terms.

The completed application form should be submitted to edi.fund@durham.ac.uk by the deadlines below.

3. Criteria of scheme
All applications must come under the following areas to be considered:

• Policy development in individual university departments and divisions; feeding into much larger strategic plans

• Research, conducted either by students (of all levels of study) or academic (again, of all levels of career, from postdoc to professor) – distinctive to Grant Seedcorn Fund

• Events targeting specific demographics/groups of student/university community member;

• Events for the entire university community, to raise awareness of an issue specific to a group within the university

• Projects for engagement, including within the local/wider community

• Projects tackling societal concerns, such as sexual violence, or racial discrimination

• Training development, supporting production of learning materials to raise awareness and aid learning on particular subjects, for example, micro-aggressions.

• Recognition and Awards – Introduction of a scheme/event to recognise people’s contribution, those who have made a difference to EDI in the University’s working, learning and social environment

4. How much funding can be requested in a single application?
We will consider applications up to £5000, per project. It is anticipated that most applications will be submitted for lower amounts than this. Requests for the higher amount should be supported by a full business case, using the fund template.

5. Restrictions to the scheme.

No activity will be funded if it constitutes the usual activities of the department/office/College, nor will an activity be funded if it needs recurring funding. If funding is available elsewhere, an application will not be considered.
There may be an exception to recurring funding where the activity forms part of yearly celebration, or engagement event, such as Black History Month.
Funding cannot be provided to pay students or staff to undertake activities, with the exception of where this is linked to a project, with identified deliverables.

Funding can not be used for catering of any kind.

Funding will be awarded during each term, dependent on funding availability. Applications for phased funding will be accepted, where supported by project proposal.

6. Application Process
The fund will be issued upon formal application and assessed against identified criteria.

You can apply to the fund during each academic term. Currently there is an allocation of £15,000 per term to support initiatives. Where this funding has been fully allocated your application will be considered during the next funding period.

We are piloting this approach and will review application timescales towards the end of the 2021/22 academic year.

Can I appeal a decision?
Where your application has been unsuccessful, you can ask for feedback outlining where the criteria has not been met. You may be able to reapply following re-submission of a revised business case.

7. Evaluation process
Each project awarded funding must complete an evaluation of the impact of the activity, within one year of the end of the project. The project award holder must also provide a full record of spending against grant awarded and will be required to return any underspend to the fund.
The EDI Unit will support the administration for this fund. The Head of EDI will be responsible for implementing and developing the fund following the initial pilot. They will also hold an oversight role in relation to ensuring project delivery against project resource requests.

8. Timeline
The completed application form must be submitted by one of the deadlines below; the outcomes will be communicated to applicants by the end of the following month (e.g. November outcomes will be communicated by the end of December).

Current application deadlines: